ARBOR DAY ITS HISTORY AND OBSERVANCE. 37 



that our schools are expected to elevate, to make better citizens, ami not simply to 

 cram the pupils' heads full of a certain amount of knowledge, in order that they may 

 be able to make money a little easier "when they grow up. We should teach them to 

 do all in their power to beautify their homes; also aid them in adorning their school- 

 rooms. Let these two places be made most attractive and the work of the schoolroom 

 will be wonderfully advanced. 



The saloon perceives the importance of this idea; witness the magnificence of 

 some of the city saloons. Let us counteract this by doing what we can to induce 

 the child to make his home the most attractive place in the world. 



A little ingenuity will work wonders. The home of the poor is often far pleasanter 

 than the mansion; so it does not all depend on the amount of money expended. 



The same effort should be made to make the schoolroom attractive. To the effect 

 of this I called your attention several years ago when the ungraded school was 

 removed from the room in the old brick school house to the pleasant quarters in the 

 By field building. What had been an unruly school, and one that every child dreaded 

 to attend, became instantly a model school and one that was very popular. This is 

 a practical illustration that we should remember. We may say that it is all non- 

 sense; that it makes no difference what kind of a room is used for a school. Here 

 we see most conclusively that it does. J. P. Reynolds. 



Beneficial results of Arbor Day. Arbor Day was observed this year in all the schools 

 according to the programme prepared by the commissioner of public schools. At 

 nearly all the schools a tree, or vine, or shrub was planted on or near the school 

 grounds. The encouragement of this custom will give to each class a permanent 

 possession in the school grounds, increase their interest in the school in time to come, 

 and be a promoter of pleasant memories of school life. 



The presence of trees on or near the school grounds will attract the birds, and 

 these by their presence will aid the teachers in inculcating the principles and prac- 

 tices of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. In one school this 

 year attention and interest have been concentrated upon a pair of robins which built 

 their nest in a tree in the yard and in sight from the upper windows of the school- 

 house. W. A. Briggs, superintendent. 



Indirect value. The indirect value of Arbor Day and the opportunity it affords for 

 moral instruction are appreciated by the teachers, whose first thought is apt to be 

 one of regret for any interruption of regular work. T. O. Draper, superintendent. 



A beautiful cuetom. Another custom which we urge all of our schools to adopt is 

 the careful observance of, and participation in, the exercises of Arbor Day, a custom 

 beautiful, simple, useful. F. B. Gifford, clerk. 



Gaining attention. The subject of Arbor Day is gaining the attention of the teach- 

 ers and pupils more than formerly, and it is to be hoped it will continue. If properly 

 carried out it will cause the schoolhouse grounds to become more attractive to the 

 children. It does seem as if the grounds around the schoolhouses of our country, 

 where congregate some thirteen millions of pupils, should receive as much attention 

 as the grounds around the homes, for nothing can exert more influence in creating a 

 love for the beautiful in the minds of the rising generation. C. J. Greene, superin- 

 tendent. 



Not a mere holiday. Trees everywhere exert a controlling moral influence. They 

 make home pleasanter, as we know and feel in our everyday existence. When a boy 

 leaves the home of his childhood his heart, in whatever laud it beats, shall, like 

 the "seashell far from its ocean bed, retain some faint whisper of its early dwell- 

 ing place." In after years the sight of home and school grounds, beautified and 

 improved, will afford gladness and pleasure as season follows season. D. R. Adams, 

 superintendent. 



