58 MASSACHUSETTS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



peace, we surely cannot lose entirely the momentum which has 

 thus been gained; and wonder of wonders, the energy of the vast 

 army of children has been given intelligent direction towards 

 gardening. 



The reaction from war has been more fruitful in the development 

 of children's gardening than all the organized school garden move- 

 ment, and all the other spasmodic efforts of a generation before. 

 School gardens and children's gardening have been given a direct 

 incentive, a thing which they hitherto had lacked. The young 

 generation, the trustees of posterity, are brought into close contact 

 with the phenomena of nature, and let us hope, to look up, through 

 nature, to nature's God. 



The incidental lessons thus received by hosts of people will 

 surely stand as one of the triumphant credits in the larger world. 

 Working in the garden with living things reacts in stimulating the 

 moral and esthetic view of life. The direct lessons in cause and 

 effect, planning, cooperation, and a realization that each individual 

 can and must contribute to his own maintenance — is indeed the 

 architect of his own fortune, — may likely enough have its foun- 

 dation in the work of a child in the garden. 



Health and Outdoor ^YoRK. 



If there be any truth in the healthfulness of outdoor occupation 

 then there must be an improvement of the national standard of 

 health, something greatly to be desired since the war has revealed 

 to us the alarming fact that only 60% of the manhood of the nation 

 could qualify for military duty. With healthy bodies we get 

 healthy minds. The healthy human individual is a national asset. 



Man power and woman power are essential to the nation. Wel- 

 fare depends upon vigorous and enduring health of the individual. 

 Gardening is a national asset, serving all these ends, because it 

 gives outdoor occupation, productive occupation with recreation, 

 education, and profit all at one time. Is there any other occupa- 

 tion under the sun that can do all these? 



The general impetus that has been given to gardening during 

 the last eighteen months has started a movement that cannot 



