THE EMBELLISHMENT OF SCHOOL GROUNDS, 89 



borne than an}' other public burden. Our system of education is 

 in many respects the best in the world, and recent events have 

 clearly shown how dear it is to every true American, and with 

 what jealous care it is defended and protected. The high estima- 

 tion in which we hold our schools has perhaps made us too con- 

 servative and rendered us too unwilling to make changes to bring 

 them into line with the most advanced educational thought. The 

 wisest and broadest educators feel that our system is not as 

 practical as it should be ; that many courses of study are not in 

 line with the duties that must devolve upon every man and 

 woman. 



Many college graduates are utterly unprepared to perform life's 

 most common duties. They know a great deal but cannot use 

 their knowledge. Important faculties and powers have never 

 been developed and trained, and these persons find their so-called 

 education as cumbrous as David found the armor of Saul. 



But, to generalize no longer ; there are two important particu- 

 lars to which our schools should give most earnest and immediate 

 attention, — manual training, and natural science, or the study of 

 the facts and phenomena of nature. 



The latter brings me to the consideration of the theme for this 

 morning, "The Embellishment of School Grounds" which 1 shall 

 chiefly consider from an educational stand-point. 



If "we desire to render our school premises attractive and a 

 public ornament, there is nothing which yields so great results 

 for a small expenditure as the decoration of the surrounding 

 grounds. Costly construction and the finest and most skilful 

 architectural design are to a great degree of no account, if the 

 surroundings are not in proper keeping, or are neglected. 



The educational influence of a fine public building with grounds 

 laid out with good taste is great. Among a number of examples 

 I will mention the citj' of Toronto, Canada, one of the handsomest 

 on this continent, the beauty of whose school and other public 

 grounds, made beautiful b}' tree and flower planting, is celebrated 

 throughout the world. The result is that a great majority of 

 the homes, whether magnificent or mean, are adorned with fine 

 trees and flowers. If the influence on mature natures is so great, 

 what must it be upon young children, whose tastes and habits of 

 thought are not fixed ! The celebrated Locke declared that he 

 gained more ideas before he was five years old than in all the rest 



