ARBOR DAY 49 



study of bird life not from books but from the 

 object itself. 



In these days of early spring what more engross- 

 ing pursuit can there be than to "rise with the lark" 

 and make his acquaintance on the threshold of his 

 own home! Quickness of perception and keenness 

 of eyesight will soon be trained to an acuteness that 

 seems almost foreign to the usual pupil at his ordi- 

 nary school tasks. Even the teacher will find ample 

 reward in the more intimate acquaintance with the 

 feathered songsters of the open air through the 

 wonderful acuteness of hearing and the marvelous 

 power of location and identification which it 

 gives her. 



One practical object of our nature work will natur- 

 ally be the beautification of our own school grounds. 

 Why should we allow the place where we spend so 

 much of our time, and what should be the happiest 

 hours of the day, to be so barren and repulsive? 

 To the adult it has ceased to possess any charms, 

 because the outside world has become the field 

 of his activity; hence, beyond supplying the 

 necessities for the school life, he sees little use in 

 all of the things that render the school attractive 

 to the child. 



The imagination of the child is now in full control 

 and unless we give it rein within bounds, its educa- 

 tion is dwarfed and misdirected to its permanent 

 injury. In choice of a lot and in the adornment 



