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the gardens of the coming era must be made to influence the chil- 
dren in many definite ways: They must make children interested 
in plants as they affect human life through the food supply of 
man and the useful animals. They must make children inter- 
ested in plants as things of beauty which add to the pure joy of 
living in this old world, which has superabundant sorrow and 
needs all the beauty that nature can give directly or through the 
aesthetic arts and literature. The gardens must put children into 
direct touch with useful labor and develop a sense of satisfaction 
in learning to do well any necessary or useful manual operation. 
They must make children learn to enjoy the great health-giving 
and happiness-producing world out-of-doors. They must con- 
tribute to the development of many little but important habits of 
mind and. body, such as responsibility for one’s own work, ener- 
getic movements, clear seeing and logical thinking, recognition 
of the ethical rights of other people, community interest, and 
many others for which numerous opportunities come in garden 
work conducted by good teachers. ‘These are some of the great- 
est educational values which we must aim to develop regularly 
and systematically in children’s gardens. 
In closing, I have just one central thought to leave with the 
students of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden who are today com- 
pleting their course of training for teachers in children’s gardens. 
It is this: The primary purpose of children’s gardens is not to 
produce useful plants, it is not to train professional gardeners, 
but it is to use the scientific methods of gardening as a very prac- 
tical basis for important phases of cultural and useful education. 
The great children’s garden movement, guided along such lines, 
is destined to play well its part in our national readjustments anc 
reconstruction in the ways and means of making children into 
citizens fit for an ideal democracy. | 
fla 
Maurice A. BIGELow. 
SIXTH ANNUAL GARDEN EXHIBIT FOR BROOKLYN 
BOYS AND GIRLS 
The Sixth Annual Garden Exhibit for the boys and girls of 
Brooklyn was held on September 20 and 21 in the rotunda of the 
