Miscellaneous. 



154 



[Feb. 1908. 



make a long story short, the careful, 

 orderly, and bountiful results were such 

 that the sceptics and scoffers grew less 

 and faded away, from the time the first 

 shoots appeared, until the rough plot of 

 ground blossomed with flowers and 

 plants of many varieties, and teemed with 

 vegetable growth which was both good 

 to look upon and profitable for con- 

 sumption. So well had the children done 

 their work in the beginning, so faith- 

 fully had they cultivated their growing 

 plants, that some of the good ladies and 

 interested men who had tried experi- 

 ments in their own yards, thought there 

 must be some sort of trick about the 

 thing ; some mysterious feature as to 

 how it was done. Several people thought 

 it must be in the seed and at once in- 

 quired where we obtained the seeds. 

 After this successful summer there was 

 no further opposition or criticism, and 

 for the past three years many have been 

 the kind words and comments, and 

 generous has been the encouragement 

 and attitude. The public confidence 

 needed to be won, To do this, it was 

 necessary to demonstrate the feasibility 

 and the profit in such a movement. The 

 Improvement Association which happen- 

 ed to be made up of men and women 

 who could appreciate the value of such 

 a movement, were ready to make an 

 appropriation, and by this time the 

 school department was willing to pay 

 for some of the necessary tools and some 

 of the larger items. The next year the 

 Improvement Association was only too 

 glad to duplicate its contribution. The 

 school department had no hesitation in 

 paying part of the expenses of mainten- 

 ance. The Improvement Association, 

 furthermore, was ready to extend the 

 movement and expend more money in 

 starting home gardens, and for two 

 years has successfully carried on this 

 work, creating a special committee to 

 direct it. This year the school depart- 

 ment, representing the public as it does, 

 recognizes the fact that it is a legitimate 

 expenditure from the public treasury to 

 pay for the major part of the expenses 

 of supervising and maintaining this 

 department of school work, and I think 

 it is safe to say that public opinion has 

 been won in favour of children's gardens 

 at school and at home. The question 

 has been raised by the previous speakers 

 as to two very important features 

 which now perhaps need attention 

 more than others— First, the educa- 

 tional value of the movement, which 

 is generally admitted ; second, shall the 

 colleges and normal schools provide 

 better training for teachers who shall 

 carry on this work. In discussing 

 this matter of children's gardens re- 

 cently, I ventured to point out that J 



while an enthusiast with perseverance 

 and careful study could win over public 

 opinion in favor of the movement ; 

 it was not an easy matter to find 

 such an enthusiast or such a teacher to 

 carry out this work, and we ventured 

 to suggest that the state of Massa- 

 chusetts might better spend some of its 

 money in the establishment in all our 

 normal schools of departments or at least 

 courses for the training of our teaching 

 forces along these lines. Some of this 

 work is done at some of the normal 

 schools, but in tew is it done in such a 

 way as to really inspire enthusiasm on 

 the part of the graduates or a board 

 understanding of the aim and policy and 

 general purpose of such a movement. 

 It is too often touched so slightly that 

 the graduate is not prepared to even 

 introduce tne work ; is not prepared to 

 help mould public sentiment ; is not 

 prepared to overcome the obstacles which 

 are bound to appear. My contention is 

 that the State can well afford for many 

 reasons to create such departments in 

 the normal schools and to make them of 

 such interest and importance that some 

 of the teachers at least will be capable 

 and anixious as they gc out into the 

 rural and village schools to develop a 

 more intelligent interest, a more 

 generous attitude toward rural con- 

 ditions, and a better knowledge of the 

 possibilities and enjoyments of non- 

 urban life. I say the State can better 

 afford to do this than afford many other 

 expenditures which will bring fewer 

 returns. It has been said that the public 

 school should aim to produce best men, 

 best women ; if you please, the best 

 citizens possible. In a democracy the 

 chief care of the State is to improve 

 and train its members who are the 

 foundation of the republic. I have often 

 asserted that the home and family is 

 the most potent and effective unit in 

 our social and political life, and it is the 

 improvement of our homes and the 

 consequent love of home which the 

 children's garden movement engenders, 

 that is to bring about the rewards for 

 whatever is put into this movement. I 

 may have mentioned in your presence 

 before, that there will be no lack of 

 patriotism, genuine patriotism, on the 

 part of the people who have homes which 

 they love and which they will be willing 

 to defend at any cost. 



1 am impressed with the fact that 

 thousands and thousunds of dollars are 

 expended by the State for immense 

 armories and military equipment and 

 expenses with all their pomp and glitter, 

 and at the same time I think of these 

 armories as being used only infrequently 

 ,by a few. We can recall that the very 



