PARK AND CEMETERY. 
59 
ence in the looks of a schoolhouse; and the mere 
looks of a schoolhouse has a wonderful influence on 
the child. The railroad corporation likes to build 
good-looking station-houses, although they have 
no greater capacity than homely ones. Plans tor 
the improvement of schoolhouses may be obtained 
of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, Albany. 
The following sentences are extracted from the 
“Report of the Committee of Twelve on Rural 
Schools,’’ ot the National Educational Association 
^1897): 
“The rural schoolhouse, generally speaking, in 
its character and surroundings is depressing and de- 
grading. There is nothing about it calculated to 
cultivate a taste for the beautiful in art or nature. 
“If children are daily surrounded by those in- 
fluences that elevate them, that make them clean 
and well-ordered, that make them love flowers, and 
pictures, and proper decorations, they at last reach 
that degree of culture where nothing else will please 
them. When they grow up and have homes of their 
own, they must have have them clean, neat, bright 
with pictures, and fringed with shade trees and 
flowers, for they have been brought up to be happy 
in no other environment.’’ 
“The rural schoolhouse should be built in ac- 
cordance with the laws of sanitation and modern 
civilization. It never will be until the State, speak- 
ing through the Supervisor, compels it as a prere- 
quisite for receiving a share of the public funds.” 
In reference to how to begin a reform Prof. 
Bailey says; 
“We will assume that there is one person in 
each rural school district who desires to renovate 
and improve the school premises. There may be 
two. If this person is the school commissioner or 
the teacher, so much the better. 
“Let this person call a meeting of the patrons 
at the school house. Lay before the people the 
necessity of improving the premises. Quote the 
opinions of intelligent persons respecting the 
degrading influence of wretched surroundings; cr 
even read extracts from this bulletin. The co- 
operation of the most influential men of the district 
should be secured before the meeting is called. 
“Propose a ‘bee’ for improving the school 
grounds. John Smith will agree to repair the fence 
(or take it away, if it is not needed). Jones will 
plow and harrow the ground, if plowing is neces- 
sary. Brown will sow the grass seed. Black and 
Green and White will go about the neighborhood 
with their teams for trees and bushes. Some of 
these may be got in the edges of the woods, but 
many of the bushes can be picked up in front yards. 
Others will donate their labor towards grading, 
planting and cleaning up the place. The whole 
thing can be done in one day. Perhaps Arbor Day 
can be chosen. 
“ 1 he plan of the place is the most important 
part of the entire undertaking — the right kind of a 
plan for the improvement of the grounds. The 
person who calls the meeting should have a definite 
plan in mind; and this plan may be discussed and 
adopted. 
“Begin with the fundamentals, not with the 
details. If an artist is to make a portrait, he first 
draws a few bold strokes, representing the general 
outline. He ‘blocks out’ the picture. With the 
general plan well in mind, he gradually works in the 
incidentals and the details — the nose, eyes, beard. 
“Most persons reverse this natural order when 
they plant their grounds. They first ask about the 
kinds of roses, the soil for snowballs, how far apart 
hollyhocks shall be planted. It is as if the artist 
first asked about the color of the eyes and the 
fashion of the neck-tie; or as if the architect first 
chose the color of paint and then planned his 
building. The result of this type of planting is 
that there is no plan, and the yard means nothing 
when it is done. Begin with the plan, not with the 
plants. ” 
THE VICTORIA REGIA. 
The question is often asked us if it is really true 
that the leaves of Victoria Regia will sustain the 
weight of a person. Mr. James Gurney, superin- 
tendent of Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, answers 
this impressively by the photo herewith made in 
his park the past summer. Six persons are sup- 
ported by the leaves of one plant. Strips of plank 
were laid on top of the leaves in order to distribute 
the weight of the person, but the leaves have no 
support except water. Finer specimen water lilies 
are seldom grown in this country than those by 
Mr. Gurney. Geo. B. Moulder, 
