Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1904-05-21
EDUCATIONAL BUREAU
Under Direction of KATE MARKHAM POWER.

mail these bright May days, | am
forcibly reminded by the numerous
notices Of commencement exercises,
and the dainty invitation Clearing SC
proudly the card of some dear young
friend for whom commencement
Is to open the door of Life that the
bright spring time Is flying fast and
the summer, with its long, hot days is
almost here. This fact admonishes
me TO hasten, II | would get in a few
words more about the improvement
Of our school grounds before 1t is too
late.
In many counties, where, alas, the
too short term prevails, the rural
schools have already closed and for
them this letter Is too late. But there
are many which have yet at least four
splendid working weeks before them,
and II only a small percentage Of these
will get to work at once, | shall be
satisfied. since most great movements
are Of slow growth, and this Is worth
waiting for a little longer, even.
We have been greatly cheered and
encouraged by the letters of approval
and Of inquiry which have found their
way to our department, and from
them. are led to believe that another
year will see a revolution in outdoor
education and a transformation in tie
school buildings and yards all over the
State. The time has long since gone
by when people thought that all of a
child's education was shut within the
dull and narrow lids of books. We
know now that one may know all that
Is shut up in books and still miss
many Of the sweetest and best OF life's
lessons. Nature Is the wisest teacher
among us all. and when she has taught
her pupils the beauty and the use OF
the things that grow about us--has
made us understand the power that
lies in a lovely flower or tree or vine,
and which may influence ones char
acter for good. then, indeed, has our
real knowledge begun.
1t is with the hope of encouraging
our children to study Nature more
lovingly than many of them now do,
that | revert to the subject of improv-
ing our school houses and grounds.
Some years ago, in New York Ia
State, by the way, which acknowl'
.lu.. - Ynot,rinI n,nnnpr ttc haaV ~
debt of obligation to the teachers and
children who. in the splendid per.
fOrmance of this work have added
wonderfully to the beauty of the State
and has increased its wealth beyond
estimate) the demand became SO great
for plans of work for the guidance of
the schools, that the great univer-
sites and colleges, in their Ma
ture Study" departments, too the mat
ter up and worked up many excellent
plaps. After going over these, 1t
strikes me that Cornell knew better
what was needed than did any OF the
others, and ! shall take some OF their
SUGGESTIONS to brighten up my own
ideas on the subject. Our desire is
to so arouse each child and teacher
who has to sit within the four bare
walls of our average school house,
that work will begin at once to change
what Is often the dreariest spot In the
country side into a place so attractive
as to be the pride of the neighbor-
hood, and worthy to linger. a bright
and beautiful picture, in the memory
Of each child.
First, we must make a plan, and to
no this, we must try to imagine just
how the spot will look when when
Mother Nature and Father Time,
with their varied and varying off
spf1IH, have done their wuIk. Every
body Ear help us, and the more help
ers W. have now, the more admirers
will We have later on. For people
are very prone to think well Of that
which they have helped to do,
1t will be an unusually interesting
lesson in drawing, if you will some
day put the children at the work OF
drawing plaps of the school grounds
(as they exist, then let their magma
tons rum riot among ideas about i'm
proving the spot. OF course, the plan
to teach the greatest possible
amount-should be drawn by scale,
and the children should talk over the
various improvements which occur to
them.
The first necessity is, OF course, a
fence to protect the yard, even though
1t be nothing better than the omni-
present Bob Wire las an old darky
friend of mine calls it,. The parents,
by combining, could easily give enough
OF their WI stock to fence the school
yard, If no better protection can be
secured. We will consider our plan
as II it were a picture and the fence,
with tall shrubs just inside, and fol-
lawing all around it, must be the
frame. OF Course, we do not want a
prim and even frame. as that would
spoil the natural look, but on the north
side say (unless the house faces
north1, plant as a wind break, some
of our beautiful, quick-growing forest
trees, then, all along transplant such
splendid trees, or shrubs, as our love
ly dog wood, the big, ~cool-leaved
"cowcumber," clumps of brilliant
sumac, towering huckleberry and
many others which beautify the wood
land all about you. From some of the
old country homes near by beg the
old-time Towering ounce, or Towering
peach-lilacs. cape ~jessamines and lily
bulbs, from which tall stalks will
spring, throughout the blooming time,
like incense cups on slender swaying
stems. Just go to some old.time
gardener, or flower lover, and see il
you do not come away laden with all
the plants land much more advice)
than you can conveniently carry.
With the children's help put lnese
out in the bed. which must be ready
and waiting before you take up the
plants. The next thing is to supply,
as 1t were, the beading, which makes
so neat an inside finish to a frame.
For this the smaller plants-of gay
colors, like nasturtiums, pinks, candy
tuft, etc, with the score of exquisite
wild flowers that make so beautiful
all wild places during the months of
spring, Just under my bed room win
dow | now have a little spot in which
| am nursing any number of little wild
beauties, that | discover in my morn
ing walks, and no cultivated hot house
beauty gives me greater pleasure than
the dozen varieties of v%iolets, the deli
cate phlox, the early trillium, my
gorgeous cardinal flowers and scores
for which | am too poor a botanist to
tell their name, but which give us
each day new joy, fresh from the
woods.
A cool, shaded corner should be set
for ferns and Il will amaun rnu