1900.] ESSAYS. 12!» 



some of them excel : they have established school gardens, 

 and they have excursions into the country under tin; guidance 

 of some teacher. Of the tirst I will speak briefly. 



In 18<>9, school gardens were started in Russia. In 1887, 

 the minister of agriculture took measures to encourage them. 

 According to the last reports there were 7521 school gardens in 

 Russia. They have four distinct objects, — hygienic, scientific- 

 economical, general-economical and personal-economical. In 

 Italy, so early as the 14th century, a garden was established 

 where trees and plants from all over the world were cultivated. 

 Sweden has today over 2000 school gardens, and there are many 

 in several of the other European countries. They are coming 

 to America, too. 



They cannot make up for the experience the country boy 

 gains, but they go a long way toward doing so. The kinder- 

 garten is a step in the same direction. The additional cost 

 should not be taken into account, for all this improved education 

 makes for a higher manhood. And only as education brings 

 man into closer relations with nature can its highest objects be 

 fulfilled. 



The paper was followed by a general discussion. Prominent 

 among the speakers was Dr. C. F. Hodge of Clark University, 

 who said, in part : — 



John Fiske says that the great distinction between man and 

 the lower animals is the longer period of youth and infancy in 

 man. A prolonged period of plasticity is needed by the human 

 race for its development. The tirst important epoch in the de- 

 velopment of the race came with the domestication of animals, 

 and the second with the domestication of plants. But all or 

 nearly all our domestic animals and plants were domesticated 

 almost before the beginning of history. 



Any plan of education that leaves out the study of nature 

 and of living nature seems to me to be fundamentally wrong. 

 We see its results in the army of tramps, and in the machinists 

 skilled in one small part, who when thrown out of work by 



