10 



HOME AND FLOWERS 



I have visited three country schools whose 

 grounds have been redeemed from the 

 ugliness of weeds and the ever greater 

 ugliness of barrenness, by the efforts of 

 ilie children, directed by wise teachers. 

 In all of these trees have been set out. 

 In two the yards are bordered by native 

 shrubs, arranged in a manner that would 

 -challenge the admiration of a professional 

 landscape gardener, and in the other beds 

 of annuals are relied on for decorative 

 effect. Inquiry showed that the children 

 look almost the care of the plants upon 

 themselves. They were divided into 

 squads, each squad working for three days 

 in succession. Not ouly were the children 

 familiar with the names of the flowers, 

 hut they could tell me many things about 

 iheir habits, and where most of them 

 came from originally. They were en- 

 couraged to write about them, and great 

 interest was stimulated by devoting half 

 a day in each week to legends and stories 

 about plants gathered by the children. 

 One teacher showed me some papers by 

 her pupils which gave evidence of keen 

 and accurate observation and study, and 

 two or three were really remarkable for 

 scientific kuowledge, wholly the result of 

 the personal experience of the young 



writer in plant growing. 



* * * 



Here, it seems to me, is an important 

 field which has heretofore been sadly neg- 

 lected. The object lessons which can be 

 put before the pupil can be made so 

 attractive that what he learns today will 

 make him eager for what he may learn 

 tomorrow. It is a relief to most children 

 to get away from printed books, and read 

 from the illuminated pages of the great 

 book of nature. The change, in itself, 

 will be of great benefit, and the thor- 

 oughly practical lessons to be learned by 

 working among "the green things grow- 

 ing" may, some day in the future, be of 

 as much service to many as the lessons 

 learned from the books in the school room. 



Turning the care of the school yard 

 garden over to the children is a good way 

 to encourage them to assume responsi- 

 bility. It puts them on their honor, their 

 pride, and helps to develop in them the 

 sense of self-reliance and ability to suc- 

 cessfully perform that which is expected 

 of them. If they do not know how, when 

 the task is undertaken, they will learn how 

 rather than give it up. What others of 

 their number have done they can do, and 

 they will keep on trying until they do it. 



MIDSUMMER DAYS' 



By Eben E. Rexford 



In long, midsummer days what joy to lie 



On mossy banks, and feel the warm winds blow 

 Through, leaves that make a music soft and low 



On branches stretched between us and the sky. 



Like that of waters lapping drowsily 



Against low shores where sunbeams come and go 

 In arabesques of gold on green below, 



And listen to the droning of the bee 



Seeking for sweets among late summer flowers. 

 What silence of sweet sounds is everywhere ! 

 From cares that vex we find a glad release, 



And dream away the still, delicious hours, 



For dreams that are not Sleep's are in the air 

 As Life lies nestled in the lap of Peace. 



