Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1894-12-01
TO ADVANCE RURAL TASTE
The rupi,c school. should 10 Active
Work in Tins line,

Some efforts have been made Ia
late yeats IN country places, to pop.
ularile rural life through the public
schools. writes Phillip Snyder. Tree
planting (ou "Arbor Day. l. in
course OF experiment. and Tower
growing and gardening have been
suggested. aud practised occasionally.
But no large results have been re.
ported--and never will be under the
present system OF giving the bulk of
the summer to vacations
The system OF closing the country
schools in June aud reopening IN Sep.
tender has been acquiesced in, but
really, it is hard tn see any weighty
reasons for 1t in the rural districts.
Summer heat Is not q continuous fac.
tor In summer life, and even when IL
Is very hot children are quite as well
OIL Ia the modern school buildin as
at home. or such places Us country
children frequent in summer weather.
Were the schools kept open at that
season for at least four or five hours
"a dav there would unquestionably he
u fine chance to instruct them in
such details OF rural ornamentation
as they generally fail to re Give at
home. and u love for country life in.
stilied that city temptations could
not easily overcome
One great difficulty. even yet, to
combat Is the want of lana wherein
to grow flowers vegetables, hedges.
trees or grass. and to lay out walks
and groves. Land Is cheap enough.
N IN nr 4 ~ fn
school purposes strikes the average
patron as mere waste and nonsense.
But under u wise teacher, who Is
something OF a landscape gardener as
we'll as teacher, II would tic u very
practical matter Nothing is so
wanting in country life as cultivated
taste--the taste to appreciate the
beautiful when seen. Or to make q
landscape beautiful in the minds eye
aud then to develop 1t before the
physical eye. Every country school.
house ought to stand In the midst of
y beautiful little park planned by
some expert, but the work done
largely by the children and kept in
order by them the year round. once
taught how, they would delight to do
IL, and taste for II developed ut
school would be sure to lind ex.
preston at home whenever there was
serious occasion Tor It,
The writer can rene Der teacher,
over half century ago, who, under.
standing child nature and loving
rural lite himself, obtained the use
OF u few rods OF land ad dining the
school house and made a little garden
u 1t. to the intense delight OF the
pupils ard his own pleasure. But
what little Eden he might have
made OF that spot, IL he had had two,
or three, or dive acres under his con.
troll, In which to plant trees, flowers,
evergreens, hedge OF everareens to
inclOse II, fruit trees here and there,
and shady arbors. and had been able
to make us all feel that this was a
pcrnIanence-the property OF the dis.
trict, kept up for the cool OF the
children, q thing OF beauty for them
TO enjoy while lie and mcinor y
lasted! But alas. one short summer
ended the dream: another district bid
tor his services much more than my
district would think OF giving, with
their views of liberality. and he went
away am.d u flood Of tears such Us
gay and light.hearted hildren seldom
shed.
There Is no mystery about q school.
house park that would 2 izzle bright
children very long. Flowers they
love fiom the start; fruit, perhaps
even more than flowers; weeds they
hate when they know their nature
and o ce: trees they admire for the I
imposing presence and majesty: and
the green velvet OF a rich lawn turf
they would treat IA gently Us moth
er's carpet II only trained TO apprc.
ciate its wondrOus beauty. AS tC
hedges and screens and lOw.trained
aud well-trained eve greens, there Is
q concentration OF modest beauty
about them that appeals to "a sen>i'
tive nature with something like
spiritual power Awaken the ad
miration or love for these, and the
city's enticing temptations will have
small seductive power over them.
Even II they leave the country III
maturity, o tie Is formed that will
be likely to bring them back at the
nrst opportunity In any case,
country life will have tinge Of en-
joyment 10 which thousands are now
strangers, looking upon II as sort oi
wide open prison they cannot we'll cs
cape from
A schoolhouse park, well cared fol
by children, teachers, and Others who
love Il, would exert an incalculablt
influence ON rural taste. Now, ten.
OF thousands, even OF grown people
have never seen well.kept park
and the drcar, barrenness Of multi
tudes OF rural homesteatS and tn,
anxiety Of the younger occupants u
get away from them, attest thu
necessity for them. They would b'
oh, ect lessons to revoluti0nize rura
life and taste. What pupils Learned
there OF flowers, trees, plants, ant
Landscape setting they would en-
deavor To reproduce At home, draw
ing parents into 1t In So. te OF them
selves And that Is exactly what i
wanted. Country lie, TO be salts
factory, must minister to some othe
taste than that OF bread winning
even that poorly supplied. A fOOlisl
idea prevails that beautiful ground
are unattainable except to the rich
The instruction obtained through
the schoolhOuse park and gardel
would dispel that idea, and awaKel
an interest in amateur rural adOrn