54 



THE SCHOOL GARDEN. 



GOOD TEACHERS NECESSARY. 



It must not be denied that a great portion of the 

 teachers of the present day are not fitted to conduct 

 school gardens ably. As little can it be denied, that in 

 individual cases, communities or private individuals 

 have bestowed grounds for school gardens which have 

 been afterwards turned into cabbage and potato fields 

 for their own use. Even the laying out of the school 

 garden cannot be left to the teacher, for it belongs to 

 an expert to do that, who may have to act decidedly 

 against a selfish teacher. On the other hand, the pri- 

 vate garden of the teacher, which perhaps constitutes 

 part of his lawful income, must not be taken from him 

 to make a school garden. At least, in such a case full 

 compensation must be made to him. In short, there 

 are teachers, where it would least be expected, who 

 would have the selfishness to appropriate to themselves 

 the proceeds of the more modern methods of instruction 

 in natural science, and who yet are too lazy and too 

 great lovers of their ease to look even once into a neigh- 

 boring school garden. But there are enthusiastic and 

 thoughtful teachers who stand in contrast to these mer- 

 cenaries, and who honor the name of teacher of the 

 public. 



It would be very unjust to accuse the communities, 

 particularly the German ones, of a want of understand- 

 ing of the importance of a school garden ; yet we find 

 ourselves obliged to influence the people by suitable 

 essays and good circulars, and by the spreading of 

 model plans. An interesting example of the interest 

 of many country communities is shown by the market- 

 town of Hainfeld in Lower Austria, which worked out 



