Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1890-04-11
sonErarNo roa TIE LADIES.

think I have before called attention to
the need Of giving children little spot to
cultivate and call their own not wholly as
4 matter Of encouragement. bat - means
Of keeping them more in the open air. than /
many children Little girls ard invaiiis In
particular would othsrxise lie. In select 1
ing little garden spot for the children do
90. give them . cold, shaiy north corner. !
out give them . good generous slice of your
own iJwer garden near an apple or pear
tree. where they can have the advantage Of
sunshine or shadow q coriins to their needs
~ we'll ~ their liking Little boy. are not
iof z 10 seeing that brother Fred owns
colt, . yoke Of steers, or has strip of land
planted to sweet cora or garden vegetables
or that he spends all his lei'Ure tine IN
strawberry or cucumber patch Nor are
the little girls deaf when sister Sue Is count I
ing over what her Pre- ifs will be II the eggs
all hatch and The chickens do we'll But
this fjver garden business believe should I
10 part be turned over 10 the little ones both
girls and boys - no are not yet old enough 7or
Otherwise capable of entering into any
heavier work. Very small Children can
with few good substantial lessons learn to
Trim and dig abou, plants without inluring
them. The very pride that they are their
own. will seven times in ten keep them from
breaking ~ pulling them up by the roots
Not as task would put gardening upon
small children. am not the one 10 write
of task for the beautiful buds of humanity;
do not know hoE. | never knew any
thing but sunshine, blue skies, and some
one TO care for M constantly until l was
quite . tall girl But withai | was never
idle. made my patchwork because 1t
gave me pleasure to do 1t. II was a!~ays
neatly basted for me and my needle
set in the third stitch. can well
RENE mber how proud l was when l
was considerel capable of setting the hrst
stitch. This you know was when pa'ch-
work was made by hand aud not on ma
chine as now. But oh the beautiful days
have spert in making and making over my
tilwer beds. The boys we're never to
busy TO help me, and being oil Ter than !.
they always had some mastery plan In their
own minds to which was always trying to
rise. We are ali creatures of imitation
and 20 the little ones are constantly trying
TO initiate the older ones. hav, seen a
mother work half the forenoon with
child in her arms or sit dow n and rock and
bounce it back and forth trying to make It
sleep when it did not want to, when there
was pie g. of good, clean dirt with
in ten feet of the door, which
if it could have come in contact
v it'll that chill i's bare feet would have pro
duced a quie log effect in less taan hve
minutes. A few years ago l spent the sum-
mer at Oil Orchard. There were children
in the company, two or three invailts and
physician. Our cottage was within few
rods of lovely pine grove, between which
and our door was large sand knoll Our
mstlo was No days, no at homes, nothing
but Iibe.ty and one long hoi lay" The
children were not squeezed into snug dresses
and when callers came. for some reason.
but never could tell why, we never thousht
of such thing as making excuses for the
chidren's bare feet. They stripped OF
and put on their shoes and ockings when
ever it pleased them to do so. They played
in the sand from morning till noon and
from noon until night. They built bridges
AID railroads and laid out gardens and grave
Yards. Our medical friend sat watching
hem closely 70. an hour or more one day,
fualIy he spoke. Ruth. do you know
that eand hill is better than
mustard draft, y half the drugs that e
given to bring the blood to the surface!
Why. if had family of small children
would give a thousand dollars to have that
little knoll in my yard
just see, and yet there are hundreds of
children who are denied the privilege of
playing aud digging in the good, clean,
healthy DIRT for fear they will make havoc
among the plants and flowers. or because,
IN too many instances | fear, it is too much
trouble TO teacL them TO tie orderly even
about their play. Children like pretty
| fower beds too, and how little IL costs to
make them all abloom with br ght colors.
Flower seed, cost so little row, that almost
every home. with little extra planning and
care, might stand in the mids. of a sea of
roses. What a teacher. too, is a bed OF
pretty flowers.