THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



223 



Red School- 

 house. 



have always held that the illegitimate off- 

 spring of a Spanish bushwacker and a 

 negress is no lover of republican institu- 

 tions. He is an irresponsible combination 

 of sentiment, cupidity and blood-thirsti- 

 ness. That is the lesson the Cuban 

 Assembly, and the Cuban situation gener- 

 ally, is teaching Uncle Samuel. Annex- 

 ation is the only proper solution, and at 

 no distant date it will be demanded by the 

 more enlightened among the Cubans. 

 The Little Heredity vs. environment is 

 still a debated question 

 whether the former decides 

 the mental and moral status of the child 

 or whether it is determined by the latter 

 is discussed by laymen as well as physi- 

 cians. While the invironment and train- 

 ing of a child may not eradicate the evils 

 it inherits from generations of ancestors, 

 it will certainly correct and modify these 

 evils to no small degree and the benefit of 

 good surroundings and training no one 

 can deny. Admitting this fact, then, we 

 must also admit that whatever tends to 

 beautify and brighten a child's surround- 

 ings is a strong factor for good. Those of 

 us who attended public school in a cheer- 

 less barn-like building with nothing about 

 it either beautiful or interesting: sur- 

 rounded by a barren yard destitute of 

 trees or shrubs, upon which the summer 

 sun beat with a fierceness that made us, in 

 our brief play-spells there, think of the 

 deserts of our Geography lessons; we. who 

 recall such youthful surroundings, will 

 read with sympathetic interest the little 

 pamphlet gotten out by the experiment 

 station of Ithaca, N. Y., entitled "Hints 

 on Rural School Grounds." "The Report 

 of the Committee of Twelve" of the Edu- 

 cational Association, of 1897, says: "The 

 rural schoolhouse, generally speaking, in 

 its character and surroundings, is depress- 

 ing and degrading. There is nothing 

 about it calculated to cultivate a taste for 

 the beautiful in art or nature. 

 . If children are daily surrounded by 

 those influences that elevate them, that 

 make them clean and well-ordered, that 

 make them love flowers, and pictures, and 

 proper decorations, they at last reach that 

 degree of culture where nothing else will 

 please them. When they grow up and 

 have homes of their own. they must have 



them clean, neat, bright with pictures 

 and fringed with shade trees and flowers." 



The pamphlet gives several illustrations 

 of school houses and surroundings, one of 

 which, (a schdbl house in eastern New 

 York) is located in a grave yard. The 

 writer, L. H. Bailey, says we ought not to 

 blame children for playing truant if they 

 are sent to such a place. There are also 

 illustrations showing how much improve- 

 ment might be made in the appearance of 

 both buildings and grounds by the ex- 

 penditure of a little work and money. 

 The cost would be practically the same for 

 a school house of attractive shape and pro- 

 portion, as it would for the usual box-like 

 structure built on a stereotyped pattern. 



In his plan for a reform of these defects, 

 Mr. Bailey assumes that in every rural 

 district there can be found one person who 

 is desirous of bettering existing condi- 

 tions, and he suggests that this man call a 

 meeting and bring the subject of improv- 

 ing the school grounds before the patrons 

 of the school house. If he can succeed in 

 arousing interest in the subject, as he 

 doubtless can, different ones can easily be 

 persuaded to give thein aid. which will 

 mean only a little labor on their part 

 Let one man do the plowing, another the 

 repairing of the fence, another haul the 

 trees and shrubs to be planted and in one 

 day, by this method the beginning may be 

 made. To keep up the improvement will 

 require but little attention and work. 



This is a brief outline of Mr. Bailey's 

 plan and he would be glad to correspoud 

 with any one who is interested in this 

 matter. 



Beating Sometime ago, when certain 

 Pkmgh int "little Englander politicians" 

 Shares. doubted the practicability of 

 home rule for Ireland, Cecil 

 Rhodes, the "uncrowned king of Africa." 

 bade them look to America for a success- 

 ful demonstration of the principle the 

 Irish race is contending for. 



Just now our attention is called to still 

 another matter which goes to prove that 

 the eyes of the world are turned on 

 America whenever it is at a loss for prac- 

 tical reform measures. All the nations of 

 the world envy us our agricultural devel- 

 opment and the high standard of agricul- 

 tural intelligence which has made it pos- 



