Worcester morning daily spy., 1898-02-11

/ luFe IN the DeSt sense or the WOru. III
is necessary to distinguish between the
different qualities of education, and the
theory that a child has learned some
thing when he has learned 20 say it out
Of book is one of the greatest stumb-
| ling blocks to true education. The way
out of this difficulty lies in substituting
| quality for quantity, in pondering more,
in substituting realities for words and
symbols and in returning as far as pos
| Slole and until the growing compleXity
Of the young mind requires a change, to
the natural method by which baby
learns in its first three years of exist
ence Activity Of the pupil is the key
note of modern education, and from the
universities and high schools down TO
the kindergartens, the effort is being
made to draw out what is hest from the
students, and thus to bridge over the
hiatus at present existing between ed
ucation and the pupil.
Turning next to the work Of the So
ciety, DR.. Hodge noted the efforts made
to popularize horticulture, and said that
what the society needed to do was to
ascertain the extent of what can be
done and then to cultivate the ability
for and practice of it, For this it was
necessary to take account of the city 5
horticultural interests, and among these
probably the most important considera-
tlon was that each house be furnished
with the possibilities of flower and fruit
raising. In quarters Worcester is for
tunate as to this, but the most serious
obstacle to extending the area is the
trespassing of boys, an evil which is
rapidly developing until the theory is
coming to be accepted that 10 private
property In flowers or fruits is possible
For himself, Dr. Hodge said he had
In nfk
were so pestered and abused by juven-
lies as here, and the seriousness of the
situation could not be overstated.
Now what can be done about this to
stop it? Do we realize that the best
way to stop it is to encourage children
to cultivate flowers and fruits of their
own? The fact is, children can be
made by this way to do of their own ac-
cord what no law or punishment can
accomplish.
As a second item Of the city's stock in
trade of horticultural interests, con-
tinued DR., Hodge, l will put roadside
parks and trees 1t is a pitiful tribute
to parental control that we must ex-
clude the chestnut tree on account of
the temptation it offers to hoodumism.
| should be willing to pledge $100 to any
any way by any boy of mine, and if
other parents would do the same, we
might nave chestnut trees to burn
Again, there are two lines of interest
which the Horticultural Society might
legitimately include among it's activi-
Ties, of which the most important con-
Germs itself with birds, the sayiors of
the crops, to encourage and protect
which is certainly within it's province.
80, too, with the destruction OF insects.
IL would cost nothing for apparatus
ana laboratories to get every child by
the time he reached the eighth grade, to
know 100 insects and what to do with
them, among the number being the cod
ding moth, tent caterpillars, borers and
scale insects. Of course, in undertaking
anything OF the sort we should have to
make sure that what we were offering
was good, SO that it might be sub
sttuted in the school curricula for
what was less good. Boxes are to be
| otfered by the horticultural Society to
schools where they are desired, and the
children will be encouraged to collect
insects mounting them and observing
their growth so that they may have the
entire life story Of the different species.
Inc Natural History Society offers to
save whatever collections may be made.
| %
destroyed or the work of one wear
nulllted by summers neglect. Still,
another class of objects which has an
important bearing on horticulture is the
pat, which Is the farmers valuable ally
IN destroying the noxious insects of the
night, and our education fails while it
IS possible to kill these creatures, when
one OF them in an orchard may be
worth $50. Toads are stilq another class
/ Interest," n
case of bats, so with toads if we under
stood their value and significance, we
should protect instead of killing them.
Wh1le laboratories are studying how TO
| relieve farmers from the cutworm, we
need the support of public education to
protect the toads, which perform a work
valued by some at $19. .S8 a season per
TOAD, CHIEFLY in destroying these pestifer-
Gus worms. If this valuation be lust.
the CITY loses about $40, 900 for every 500
toads killed. DR.. Hodge said he did not
blame boys for killing either toads or
pros, and to prove that they did so
from ignorance, he related how the
Slaughter of toads all over the city had
peen practically stopped within 25 days
IN consequence of an article contributed
by him to the local press.
Among the legitimate means for the
society to adopt in furthering horticul-
ture, Dr. Hodge suggested encouraging
the school children to raise flowers by
system Of competitive prizes. This has
Deen introduced at Upsala street school.
but while disappointing in some re-
spects, 1t was eminently successful in
others, and if continued will ultimately
succeed in Transforming that whole
ilelShoorhood. If such practice could
become general in the city, said the
speaker, l know of nothing of greater
vague, going as it does to the very bot
tom OF education, In time I hope that
a snow might be given under the aus
plces of this society for the winners of
prizes, thus unifying the movement
through the city. The same system
may be applied to the raising of straw
berries, blackberries, grape vines and
the like with desirable results, one ad-
vantage being that it would familiarize
children with the nature of insects and
plant diseases
In conclusion, DR.. Hodge emphasized
the necessity of seeking the co-opera-
ton of the children against these pests.
1t does not lie within the power of any
one man to cops with them, and our
only way Of subjugating them is to use
the splendid organization of the public
schools. BY so doing we shall bring out
the moral element in school life, for
knowing about these things lays upon
one great responsibility, and thus chill
dren might help develop the best kind
of civic morality. With such an educa-
ton as could be got only by working
through the public schools, the whole
community could work as one man,
cleaning up and exterminating these
pests, which hang over it like blanket.
Mr.. C. S. Harrison financial agent Of
an agricultural college at Yokohama,
opened the discussion which followed.