THE LURE OF THE GARDEN 
their work all the energy that, before a garden gate had 
opened to them, spent itself in mean and ugly deeds. 
Even the child who is brought up with the utmost 
care and all the advantages, but who has never had this 
privilege of the garden, has lost a precious possession, 
has not been treated quite fairly, has been deprived of a 
host of lovely memories and much valuable experience. 
Though your place be small, try to reserve a bit of 
it for the children; and where this cannot be managed, 
at least let the youngsters into your own garden. Let 
them live close to its flowers, even though a small foot 
treads over the borders now and then. Give them a 
pair of scissors and let them help cut the blossoms for 
the house, or snip off the dead ones; teach them to 
weed, to transplant, to train vines. You will be sur¬ 
prised to see how well a child becomes a garden, how 
much lovelier each is for the other. And it is they 
who, in the spring, will find the first snowdrop or 
crocus, or be found lying flat on their stomachs in 
the grass, solemnly staring at a violet. Teach them 
that a garden looks to them for consideration and 
care, and must be gently treated. It is a lesson a 
child learns easily, and if he does work any havoc, 
he will be in greater distress over the accident than you 
yourself. 
Many a memoir or biography testifies to the strong 
impression produced upon the mind whose earliest 
years were spent in a garden, and though most of 
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