296 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



HORTICULTURE FOR THE SCHOOLS. 



MRS. W. T. MCMURRAN, ST. PAUL. 



I am going- to make a plea for practical horticulture for practi- 

 cal purposes. If I am not mistaken as to the 

 work of this horticultural society, it is of an eminently practical 

 nature, and perhaps what I shall say will not compare with the 

 discussion that has preceded it on the subjects of forestry, fruit 

 culture and gardening. It is one branch of this work I would 

 like to speak about this afternoon, and that is concerning flower 

 culture in our state. An outsider like myself, ignorant of the 

 science of horticulture, cannot fail to be impressed with the re- 

 sults already attained. Everywhere the work of horticulture is 

 being expounded, and the work should be explained by such simpie 

 methods that everybody may gain a knowledge of it. so simple 

 that a child can understand it— and that brings me to the point 

 I wish to speak about, of getting the children interested in horti- 

 culture. 



Now then, how can we go about it to bring this information 

 to the largest number of people in the most effective and prac- 

 tical way? I think there is no part of our public so easy to 

 reach as the children, and there is no better way of reaching this 

 class than through our public and parochial schools. We have to 

 go carefully when we get here, because we have to understand 

 whether there is a real personal interest in horticulture or wheth- 

 er it is a part of a widely expressed movement of schools for 

 larger results in educational fields — anu that brings me to the first 

 three points I wish to speak about briefly. 



The first point is, are we to introduce the subject in the 

 public schools, and are we in touch with the best that modern 

 thought has to give ; second, of what benefit would such an edu- 

 cation be to the child : and, third, would it be wise to provide 

 a place in the curriculum as it now stands for this subject. 



First, then, can we through this work get the children in 

 touch with the best thought of modern times? I think the high- 

 est claim made for modern education is to develop character, not 

 merely to develop moral principles, but to develop responsible, 

 intelligent and self reliant citizens. High as has been the 

 aim of our educational system, its methods do not seem to have 

 been altogether satisfactory. That character, say critics, is ex- 

 actly what it fails to develop. Business men say that many of 

 the young people that come from our public schools are ignorant 



