CHAPTER V 



BOYS' GAKDEN 



THIS garden was undertaken under the aus- 

 pices of the Village Improvement Association. 

 When it was suggested there was not an avail- 

 able foot of land, not an available dollar, the 

 only thing that existed being an idea, which was 

 not received with any degree of enthusiasm by 

 the skeptical villagers. To demonstrate the pos- 

 sibilities of such a movement, one of the mem- 

 bers volunteered to give a free stereopticon 

 lecture on the subject, of which another mem- 

 ber assumed the expense. It was a practical 

 illustration of what had been accomplished by 

 such work, and made some converts. The Asso- 

 ciation secured permission from the Board of 

 Education to visit the schools and present the 

 subject to the children. Ten boys volunteered 

 to take gardens. 



This village of two thousand inhabitants is 

 fortunate in having the Lawrence Playground, 

 a tract of seventeen acres of land, given to it 

 as a memorial. It is delightfully situated, with 

 space for a baseball field, football gridiron and 

 tennis and basket-ball courts. The Commission- 



56 



