5- That the untrained teacher does not know how to handle ani- 

 mals, nor how to give the children the freedom which is 

 essential for the development of this work; 

 6. That there is no one to care for animals over week ends and 

 holidays. 



The most difficult one of these criticisms to meet is, that we have 

 to confine animals and keep them under unnatural conditions. Any 

 one who loves animals feels this intensely; but the value of this 

 study to the children is so vastly more important than the life and 

 comfort of the animal that, after all, these objections are over- 

 balanced. 



The difficulty in keeping the animals clean and sanitary is not in 

 the least an objection to the work, but rather a point greatly in its 

 favor, as many lessons can be given in sanitation and hygiene, to 

 which the children eagerly listen because they want to give their pets 

 the best care. 



The fact that the animals distract the children from their other 

 studies may be of real good, for little school-work is equal in value 

 to the training in keen observation, kindliness and composure which 

 the children thus learn. 



The statement that children are naturally cruel is very true; but 

 the training they get to counteract this and the class ostracism 

 which is developed toward the boy or girl who is cruel is most 

 valuable. 



The difficulty of caring for animals over week ends and holidays 

 is easily disposed of. The real difficulty is to choose from the big 

 group of applicants who clamor for "One, just one, to take home! 

 Mother is waiting for one to visit us!" One teacher made trips 

 from Brooklyn to our school in Manhattan to care for a mother 

 rabbit and her young. Janitors, too, help to watch over the 

 families. 



During the summer we have found a settlement house glad to 

 welcome our pets — rabbits, pigeons, and guinea pigs. In the future, 

 as more schools undertake the work, these animal families will be 

 found valuable assets to the equipment of summer playgrounds 

 and school gardens, and thus their care in the long vacation will be 

 hardly a problem. 



Values of the Work 



One of the most important values of the work is the training it 

 gives to the teacher. Many of the teachers know nothing about the 

 animals or how to handle them. They are not accustomed to think- 

 8 



