THE LURE OF THE GARDEN 



their work all the energy that, before a garden gate had 

 opened to them, spent itself in mean and ugly deeds. 



Even the child who is brought up with the utmost 

 care and all the advantages, but who has never had this 

 privilege of the garden, has lost a precious possession, 

 has not been treated quite fairly, has been deprived of a 

 host of lovely memories and much valuable experience. 



Though your place be small, try to reserve a bit of 

 it for the children ; and where this cannot be managed, 

 at least let the youngsters into your own garden. Let 

 them live close to its flowers, even though a small foot 

 treads over the borders now and then. Give them a 

 pair of scissors and let them help cut the blossoms for 

 the house, or snip off the dead ones ; teach them to 

 weed, to transplant, to train vines. You will be sur- 

 prised to see how well a child becomes a garden, how 

 much lovelier each is for the other. And it is they 

 who, in the spring, will find the first snowdrop or 

 crocus, or be found lying flat on their stomachs in 

 the grass, solemnly staring at a violet. Teach them 

 that a garden looks to them for consideration and 

 care, and must be gently treated. It is a lesson a 

 child learns easily, and if he does work any havoc, 

 he will be in greater distress over the accident than you 

 yourself. 



Many a memoir or biography testifies to the strong 

 impression produced upon the mind whose earliest 

 years were spent in a garden, and though most of 



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