A LITTLE LAND 373 



AND A LIVING 



they have a chance to grow into vigorous, self- 

 respecting men and women. It is the city that 

 breeds or attracts most of the pauperism and 

 crime. The country has its own healthful life. 

 To give children a fair start in life it is neces- 

 sary that they should live close to "the good 

 brown earth." 



The school gardens, the home gardens and the 

 individual plots belonging to the boys are the 

 best means of influencing the children, and there 

 has been a remarkable growth of these here and 

 in Europe in the past seven years. The effect is 

 moral as well as economic. Even in the worst 

 neighborhoods there has been no stealing, and the 

 children themselves have been watchful to pre- 

 vent injury from either carelessness or dishon- 

 esty. 



Through such agencies we shall discover what 

 children have a natural bent for farming, and 

 in due course parents will encourage that taste as 

 they now encourage other tastes and inclinations. 

 In the past the boy's experience of farming was 

 doing hard work at the behest of another, and 

 getting no direct benefit. Besides, farming was 



