The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-04-23

to this end, the effect in the home will lasting womanhood.
 We could not leave the subject or school improvements without touching on mater that IS as dear as it is beautiful l refer to the love and study of our birds. Strive to have the birds about your school house, put premium on the knowledge or tneir traits and habits. Let the boy who carries a sling-shot know that his is a lost cause. Turn your hunting parties into protective associations. 1 wish every teacher in the state would strive Tor local law against the killing of the birds. Have printed The Petition of the Birds, cent by Senator Hoar to the Massaehu setts legislature. Circulate this among your people and hang it in a prominent place in the school room
 Make Free Lunch Counter.
 Make somewhere on your grounds a free lunch counter for your bird friends; have the children place here the stale crumbs from their luncheons and 1t will be an investment in a choir of glory which will give your children more real joy than anything. Aside from the ap- preciation of their beauty and song, im- press upon the children the serViee or the birds in the destruction of Injurious insects, as scavengers of deeayins aai- nal matter the eating of seeds of weeds and the scattering of see1s of delicate fiuits. Teach your children to protect the birds. Shame upon DIT colonies when they passed law putting ,, premium on injured the corn and wh .at fields. Sc;enee, the heads of birds. whien they presumed however, has not been slow to condemn such law. Now that May Is near ana bird travel is at its noodtide, let us re- celve them with open hearts and prepare for their sojourn among us.
 Another phase of this education which do not like to leave untouched Is the value of visiting home industries. Take your children to the briekyards, the cot ton gins and the blaming mills. Here Is knowledge which they should gain
 Since I have been brave enough to mention the many needed improvements in our conditions, l can see the brave little teacher gasp and ask how one head and two hands can do it all especially with her present full curriculum. She sees and feels the need, but Is made quate to 1t all. Here is where the asso- citation will help you. Organize your community at once into an educational association and let the association do the work, with your guidance. Fron the association you will have committee on school gardens, whose duty It shall be to secure seed for planting and aid in any
 
 who shall help you supply the school room with proper pictures Have com mittee for the protection of birds, com mttee for the equippng of room Tor the girls to learn to sew and cook in. Such a room could easily be fitted with decorations from the different homes.
 And your association will be com mittee of the whole for the building of a school house. These committees, com nosed of good strong women, will carry on the work and there will be an inter est in the town school which has not been before. The people will feel that the school Is theirs, and around 1t will hover all the affairs of interest in the community.
 My purpose in speaking to you has not been to give more work to the teacher, but to place responsibility upon the peo- pie. Quite enough has been written about the duties of teachers. l believe that they do their duty. Ii is our duty. the duty of parents, that I would emphasize. This Is our campaign-not so much to make better teachers, but better parents. The lives of our children are in the hands of the teacher; let us help her to better them I trust that every teacher here will go home and organize an association in her district, and if she feels that her community can aid but little now. and that she has none of the things desired, she is yet rich and can make her chill dren happy She can carry her children out in the woods and under the blue canopy of heaven Instruct them in the beauties of Gods world. In the woods she can give a lesson in nature on the trees the birds and the wild flowers, which will touch d responsive chord In every child's heart, giving him an eye | to see nature heart to feel nature, and S-it ttarn