The World Beautiful 



A SURVEY OF CURRENT BETTERMENT EFFORT 



Conducted by the Editor 



Federations of Improvement "Workers 



COMBINATION is in the air, even 

 in improvement organizations. The 

 recent conference of the improve- 

 ment organizations of Cook county, Il- 

 linois (held in Chicago, November 22 

 last) , has already resulted in a tentative fed- 

 eration of all the organized groups of 

 public-spirited citizens in and about Chi- 

 cago — there are more than 200 of them — 

 and, under the auspices and inspiration of 

 the American League for Civic Improve- 

 ment, the leaders are looking toward a sin- 

 gle federation which shall express the 

 united wish of the improvement forces of 

 the county. Another interesting example 

 of cooperation and what it may accomplish 

 in the way of civic betterment is furnished 

 by the recent joint conference of the Lucas 

 County (Ohio) Horticultural and Floricul- 

 tural Society, the Lenawee County (Mich- 

 igan) Horticultural Society, and the Civic 

 Improvement Society of Monroe, Michigan. 

 The subject for special discussion was "The 

 Decoration of Farm Homes." 



"Riches are intended for the comfort of 

 life, and not life for the purpose of hoarding 

 riches. I asked a wise man, saying, 'Who 

 is the successful man, and who is the un- 

 successful?' He said, 'That man was suc- 

 cessful who spent and gave away, and that 

 man unsuccessful who died and left be- 

 hind.' " — Sa'di. 



The School Garden Idea 



Only the most general idea of the extent 

 to which the school garden movement has 

 spread over almost all the world can be 

 gained from Miss Miller's article in this 

 number of Home and Flowees. While a 

 comparatively new movement in this coun- 

 try, school gardens have formed a real part 

 of juvenile education in Europe for over a 

 century. A recent report issued by the 

 Rhode Island State Board of Education gives 

 a complete history of the school garden idea. 

 The writer, Helen C. Putnam, M.D., outlines 

 the development of school gardens in Eu- 

 rope from its inception (probably in Ger- 

 many) to the present day, when there are 

 over 100,000 of them, not including kinder- 

 gartens. These gardens now form not only 



a prominent part of the educational systems 

 of Germany, France, Belgium, Switzerland, 

 Austria, Sweden and Russia, but contribute 

 largely to the industrial and agricultural 

 prosperity of these countries. Professor 

 Wilsdorf, who has been in charge of a model 

 school garden in the suburbs of Dresden 

 for many years, declares that "not only 

 is it true that an intimate knowledge of and 

 intercourse with nature has a refining in- 

 fluence upon children," but that "the school 

 garden idea promotes the cultivation of 

 fruits and vegetables, educates boys out of 

 a tendency to pilfer fruits and flowers or 

 maliciously injure plants, instils into chil- 

 dren a fondness for rural life, and educates 

 children to work." In the United States, 

 says Dr. Putnam^ it is quite certain that the 

 national government favors the movement. 

 Boston and other Massachusetts cities al- 

 ready have a number of school gardens well 

 equipped. Home and Flowers hopes before 

 long to publish another article on this sub- 

 ject, treating of the different examples of 

 school gardens throughout the United States. 



"Have nothing in your houses which you 

 do not know to be useful, or believe to be 

 ornamental." — William Morris. 



Civic Improvement Convention 



The week beginning July 13th has been 

 practically decided upon for the third an- 

 nual convention of the American League for 

 Civic Improvement, at Chautauqua. During . 

 the same week the American Park and Out- 

 door Art Association will hold its annual 

 convention in Buffalo, with a one-day ses- 

 sion at Chautauqua. The two organizations 

 will combine their sessions on that day. 

 The general program for the convention 

 week is now under consideration. It will 

 consist of lectures, conferences and ad- 

 dresses by prominent people, each meeting 

 to be followed by a question-box conducted | 

 by some specially selected leader. Many 

 of the betterment societies of the country 

 and kindred organizations have signified 

 their intention to participate. Chautau- 

 qua itself is fast becoming a model commu- 

 nity along lines advocated by the League. 



