The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-05-21

and the dainty invitation Clearing 81
., proudly the card of some dear youn,
friend for whom commencement
is to open the door of Life that thu
bright spring time is flying fast ant
the summer. with its long, hot days is
almost here. This fact admonishe:
ME to hasten, if | would get In a few
words more about the improvement
Of our school grounds before it is toe
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 the
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 n 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-
iAAG ~ HIll'cl llOuDtS anu SlbtllISt |
Some years ago, in New York "a
State, by the way, which acknowl-
edges in material manner its heavy
debt of obligation to the teachers and
children who, in the splendid per
Torrance 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.
stiles and colleges, in their Ma
ture Study departments, too the mat
ter up and worked up many excellent
plans. After going over these. it
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
has to sit within the four bare
walls OF Il average school house,
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. I
First, we must make a plan, and to
this, we must try to imagine lust ,
now the spot will look when when !
Nature and Father Time, -
With their varied and varying off q
have done their work. Every =
body can help us. and the more help. y
RS We have now, the more admirers !
Will we have later on. For people :,
re very prone to think well of that =
which they have helped to do, =
1t Will be an unusually interesting -
essen in drawing, if you will some =
lay put the children at the work of =
lraWing plans of the school grounds .
as they exist, then let their magma =,
ions run riot among ideas about i'm. ~
rowing the spot, OF course, the plan =,
TO teach the greatest possible ~
mouht-should be drawn by scale. =
nd the children should talk over the
arious improvements which occur to I'
hem. b.
The first necessity is, of course. a &C
n c to protect the yard, ever though II
De nothing better than the omni. p
resent Bob Wire las an old darky "
lend OF mine calls it,. The parents, IL
J comhlntnS, could easily give enough W
thelf W stock to fence the school III
ard, II no better protection can he al
sEured, We will consider our pIan pl
5 IL II were a picture and the fence Wv
itn tail shrubs Just inside. and fol Sc
wing all around it, must be the Ut
anne. OF course, we do not want a va
and even frame, as that would sc
1oil the natural look, but on the north We
de say tunless the house faces gr
orth), plant as a wind break, some WI
II beautiful, quick-srowing forest WI
ees, then. all along transplant such WI
'lendid trees, or shrubs, as our 1--we as
dog wood, the big. c~oof.Ieaved We
'owcumber, clumps of brilliant 10,
mac, towering huckleberry and luI
any others which beautify the wood.
all about you, From some of the ms
q country homes rear by beg the III
o'tlme towering qllince, or Towering lal
'ach-lilacs, cape jessamines and INV sci
ibis, from which tail stalks will &c
ring, throughout the blooming time wa
N"BN va 6lClltItI SH1N1nU ~
ems, Just go to some oId.tima on
rdehef, or Hover lover. and see If I'm
u do not come away laden with all to
Q pants land much more advicel IN
you can conveniently carry. be-
WIN the children's help nut ,nese :
In the bed, which must he ready ~
q waiting before you take up The ~,
ants, The next thing is to upply, At
II were, the beading, which makes isa
neat an inside finish to a frame, hn.
= this the smaller plants--of raw fnr
Iors' Ike nasturtiums, pinks, candy ba,
etc, with the score of EXQUISITE an,
ID flowers that make so beautiful ~,
Wild places during the months az VIZ
ring Just under my bed room win cnr
" ! now have a little spot in which Ia,
IN nursing any number Of little wild tsr