The Growing of Plants 85 



conscience. Begin with the children. As soon 

 as they are directed to see the conditions they 

 will believe what they see. They are not pre- 

 judiced. They will talk about it: teacher, 

 mother, father will hear. 



The next step is to "clean up." Do not 

 begin with any ideal plan of landscape-garden- 

 ing improvement to be carried out at once 

 not unless some one person is willing to do all 

 the work and bear all the expense out of his 

 public spirit; and this would be unfortunate, 

 because most of the value in improving a 

 ground is to interest the children in the work. 

 Develop the children's enthusiasm it is easy 

 to do in removing stones and litter and rub- 

 bish, in filling the holes, piling the wood, raking 

 the grounds. If one school year were required 

 to accomplish this work alone it would be time 

 well used. Children and teachers have many 

 interests. We are likely to expect too much of 

 them. 



The cleaning up once done, and the civic 

 pride aroused to the pitch of keeping it done, 

 the next step is to make a base or foundation 



