The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-05-09
ABOUT SCHOOL GARDENS.
HARTFORD CIVIC CLUE HAS 4
 SYMP0sIUM OYER 1HEM.
Mir. Wirth Tells of Child Colonies in Switzerland Talks on Needs of Out door Nature study.

Switzerland Talks on Needs of Out
 door Nature study.
 The Civic club listened to several in
 ternity Hall, in connection with nature
 study by children of the city, and par
 ticularly with reference to the plan fol
 school garden that is to be estab-
 lished on Albany avenue this season. thG
 first work to begin to-day. The first
 speaker was Theodore Wirth, superin-
 tendent of the public parks, who told in
 hn informal and interesting manner the
 story of the efforts of his father ln
 Switzerland to establish colonies fo1
 children during the vacation reasons
 and incidentally much concerning the
 child life of that country.
 The first of these colonies was formed
 in Zurich by MT. Wirth, ST., ana the
 idea was to take children of poor fami-
 lies, especially those who were in fee
 bio health into the mountains or high
 hills for a vacation Such children
 were selected as provided by melical
 examination needed the pure atmos-
 phere of the hills, better food, exercise
 and play The colonies are divided into
 parties of about thirty-five children un-
 der the direction of a teacher and his
 wife, who assume control
 The children walk about and play in
 the forest, learn about shrubs and trees, and busy themselves in planting minia-
 ture parks in their play. They have abundant food, plain and wholesome, and plenty of rich milk and the purest, most invigofating atmosphere. They remain about three weeks and the diff ference in their appearance coming home from that of going away Is most
 marked. These colonies are now re- garded as part of the system of educa-
 ton of the entire country Of, course, not all the children who apply can go so there is an arrangement whereby many of them are taken out of the cit ies and towns to the house of some far mer for half day where they have milk to drink and learn about things of the farm. In the towns many children are out of school at four o'clock who have no one to care for them at home. as their parents are working in facto- ries, and for these, summer and winter, the kinder hall is open. Each child re- ceives a piece of bread and has oppor- tunity to study, in the hall the lessons he would learn at home, and in addi- ton can make light articles which are sold, the child receiving his share of the profits. The colonies are supported by donations and gifts and are not expen- sive, the teachers receiving no salaries, but there are some little expenses in travelling and for food and milk that have to be met
 Principal w. I. Twitchell spoke on the colonies as shown by MT. Wirth and thought that the time was coming when Hartford would have to take some ac- tion In taking the children from the slums and into the fields that they may be in touch. with out-of-door life and close to nature The invigorating and hygienic benefits would be of great inn portance Incidentally, he spoke of the parks of the city as being a common wealth of life in which the young could we'll learn much. If children could be taught to use the parks and have a dis tinct value of the rights of others in such use, it would be a great lesson for them. The more the child is studied the more 1t becomes evident that we have not vet reached the best methods of in- structing him in our schools He needs to get out into nature and into larger, broader fields of activity than can be found in the crowded conditions of the city.
 Principal W. F. Gordy, of the Second North school, told something about the new development of nature study as It is being carried forward at the Willi- mantle Normal school. There the chil- dren above the third grade are instruc- ted to keep a weather calendar with re- cords of thermometer, direction of wind, conditions of atmosphere and the like, and afterwards are taught in relation to soil and it's foundations. Seeds are l then planted and by instruction in the school-room the pupil begins to know of ! their nature, and as the seeds sprout they make record, not only in writing, | but in drawing and color work of the progress of the plant. They learn of | the friends of the plants, the bees, the | Eoads, the butterflies, and of it's foes, and acquire an actual knowledge of things as they are. This he thought | was a great advance on the teaching 3f so many things to the children that 10 not hit them anywhere, such as eX- 3erts in science sometimes try to do It was the duty to bring the rising gen. sration into closer contact with nature IS nature is, in the interest of it's phys cal mental and spiritual welfare or we ,hall have a deteriorated civilization with all that such a civilization means.
 The last speaker of the afternoon was Stewart N. Cunning, who told of his experience with colony of fourteen ,oys in gardening on plot in Keney Park, for the past two summers, and letailed the plan that is to go into ope- ation on plot of land on Albany ave- tue to-day. Rev. Francis Goodwin has ,iven the land, about one acre, and hirty boys have been selected, ten each rom the Arsenal, the Northeast and the econd North schools, as being geo. raphically near to the land, and to ach will be given a section or garden yhich will be cultivated under direction f MT. Hemingway, the horticulturist at he Farm school, aided by MT. Cunning. ,ach boy will have instruction as to ow the seed shall be planted, and each i'll be provided with book in which e will make notes as to his work, and diagram of the garden upon which he i'll make notes of what he has planted nd of it's condition. At the close ot the