The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-08-10

Plight Of Hundreds OF Children on New
Works Lower East Side.


New York Herald. Astonishing cases
OF ignorance. not only OF nature. but OF
their own environment. on the part OF
the school children OF New York have
come TO light ms the result OF Joint Ia
bors OF the American Museum OF Nat
ural History n the board OF educa-
ton. Thousands OF pupils have never
wandered more than three or four
blocks from the street I'm which they
were born. and the book OF nature n
practically sealed to them. The only
animals they ever have seen are horses.
dogs and cats: the only bird with which
they are familiar 10 the English par
row.
How many children on the cas-, side
have ever seen a COW. for instance 90
asked George II. Sherwood OF the mu.
there are thousands and thousands OF
them. The question was asked OF =
class of sixty the other day. Only one
boy raised his hand.
well. how big II n cow 80 big.
was his rerlv spreading his hands To q
width which would indicate the length
of a dog. Did o ever see one as
WAS asked. oh. sure was the reply.
i saw IL In the window OF n dairy-a
picture OF IT."
Answers such M that. q In argued,
show the futility of trying TO teach any.
thing La h way of natural science by
pictures or photographs.
IL would be thought. for instance,
that pupils might 20 to the parks 10
observe the ways OF birds and animals.
There are many east side children who
have never seen Third avenue. a street
which In less than three-quarters OF 70
mile from a school In which inquiries
were made. DIR. Bumpus. q director OF
the museum. recently instituted n -
ries OF lectures for school children
They were brought to the lecture hal.
OF the museum. Hundreds OF them new
err In all their lives had been on the eles
waited railroad, and often I'm one clasA
there were Ave or xix children who were
III after their journey.
Mr.. Sherwood n new engaged In the
preparation OF his annual report In
connection with his work OF bringing
the museum In touch with b common
schools.
Many OF the teachers" he said. "a
year or 80 ago wrote TO DIR. Bumpus
asking him TO give them n few speci-
mems for use I'm their nature talkk.
which are o required. The director
gave orders that small collections
should be made up and lent TO h
teachers who applied for them. Small
cabinets were made In which were
placed collections OF stuffed birds. mol
lusks. insects. crabs, spongcs. corals
star fishes. mineral and native woods.
There were eight kinds OF cabinets
IN nil. and each school got n for three
weeks mt a time. They ave been circu-
lated I'm the ear closing on June I
through $50 schools. and the specimens
have been seen and handled by about
s10.0 900 pupils. The result has been ART
Increased interest la nature study.
we have had n course OF lectures
FOR teachers and the attendance OF
school children at the museum has risen
from 5000 n year 20 $4,000. The most
popular OF the collections have been
those OF the stuffed birds. OF which
there are ninety boxes.
DIR. Bumpus has received many let
ters from public school pupils telling of
their appreciation OF the collections
Here In one from an cast side girl. who
says she thinks the blue jay Is pretty.
but she likes the English sparrow best
OF all. because II was the only bird
which she had ever seen. The stuffed
birds are taken from the cases aud
handed about the class room. Often the
teacher has TO make n descent To- res
cue some OF the birds. for the children
will press the birds upon their breasts
and stroke their plummage for half an
hour at n time. a principal In n school
In the lower part OF the city kept an
unruly class for whom he had no teach
err still for more than nm hour by let
ting them look at some OF the bird cases
which he had received. The children
have been induced to make excursions
To Coney Island. whence they return
laden with sand. clam shells aud sea-
weed"