64 WORCESTER COUNTY HORTICULTURAL SOCFETY. [1899. 



carving, all, as the children sav, " his own self." The sii'l 

 carefully stitches an apron, or mixes and bakes her bread or 

 cake without supervision and the slight expense of rewarding 

 their effort is money well laid out. In some localities it is all 

 the encouragement that they get for manual training. 



But there is another side where the whole family combines to 

 send its best in the name of the child, who thus learns a large 

 lesson in deceit and falsehood, and if it secures a prize is 

 encouraged to repeat the experience. I have seen a loaf of 

 frosted, rich, fruit cake accredited to a child and given a pre- 

 mium ; the written recipe attached was so indefinite as to have 

 been no guide. One can easily imagine the child, working- 

 mechanical ly under direction of a practiced hand, hoping by 

 this proxy to gain the coveted prize. 



The best classification of children's work is that given by one 

 society, which calls for herbariums of flowers, grasses and ferns 

 respectively, collections of 75 and 100 specimens of wood, 

 geological collections, agricultural and horticultural products, 

 also cookery, sewing and the arts of wood carving, drawing 

 and painting as taught in the public schools. 



Leaving the details of the premium lists I would make a few 

 general suggestions. 



Let the standard in these classes of exhibits l>e so high that 

 the award will mean something ; if nothing deserves the first 

 premium then it should not be awarded. The clause giving 

 committees or judges the right to withhold any premium, if in 

 their judgment none is deserved, means little to the average 

 three people who distribute awards, and if but one lone chrochet 

 tidy is entered it receives the first prize although it be a carica- 

 ture of its kind. 



The judge should be an expert whose opinion would count 

 for something. A woman is not fit to judge needlework be- 

 cause her husband is a man of some local prominence or because 

 she has a reputation as a good housekeeper. I have known 

 good bread to receive no notice because an inexperienced judge 

 " didn't like that kind." The judge for the exhibition of 

 cookery should be a graduate of the normal class of some 



