The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-03-24

Owing to the artificial atmosphere !,
surrounding childhood, the teacher OF
nature study In the city has more
difficult problem to solve than the
ono In the country Professor Shnlcr.
late eminent geoloEist OF Harvard, In
despair, gave up trying to make
EeoloEist OF n city boy. Nothing"
said he, "iB loft for him to exercise
his ingenuity upon. When he wants
| to know weather conditions he turns
| to the weather report in the daily pa
per instead OF forming his own prog
nostications. If he needs Il light, he
presses a button" Should he acci-
dentally note n phenomenon of nature,
he searches the science books OF the
| libraries for nm explanation. The null
| tiplicity OF fceting impressions uopn |
| the nerve cellS Of city children Is not |
! productive Of n questioning nor rea-
! soning mind nor of thought ndcpcnd-
I cnce. Their opportunities for such de-
/ vclopmcnt become fewer and fewer.
Convenlenccs OF city lie. particularly
i department houses, offer attractions 70
| fathers and mothers that far otlt-
| weigh, In their estimation, the benefits
derived by tho children from space In
which TO exercise both motor and SEN
sorry activities.
4 psychologists toll us that an adult
! may be approximately defined as the
4 sum Of his youthful nerve reactions.
I7Takc5 tho sum OF the youthful nerve
reactions Of child brought up In an
apartment house or the cramped sur
4 roundings of a home in the solid rows
4 OF city houses, and what Is there Of
| God s. out -of doors In the result--man?
/. He seldom finds pleasure IN vacation
: spent In the country unless Its object
! lis destruction of life--fsh!ng or hunt
r ing Tho crowded boardwalk OF
i seaside resort, the theatre. cards, must
Il be his amusement in vacation, or he
r is thoroughly bored. The woman OF
!, the tenement house, who returned to
a 5her povcrty-striclsen home after one
o night in tho country, because she
!, liked people better than stumps, was
d only bored like her weather. neigh
8 bors. Land in the city Is too Vainanie
e to be used as play grounds. II TINS
!, were not so, where S the neighborhood
u that would gladly welcome one? There
are too many nerve-w worn people to be
e disturbed by noise. A hoy is in trouble
r IL he plays ball on the streets. City
$ ordinances forbid him standing on ne
sidewalks and corners with his COM
panions. There was strong bat
:, fortunately unsuccessful effort recent
n Is at the national capital to prohibit
" lchildren using roller skates on the
streets and sidewalks. One energetic
policeman attempted to srrest party
OF skaters hecaL.o they carried sticks
l. to balance themselves, for re felt sure
i they would strike stone or bail,
% should they sec one, and this would -
! against tho law Coastins is forbid.
!, den Pets arc nuisances. With such
:. forbidding ordinances how can city
I. teacher build such an education thai
y the floods Of time i ay beat upon 1t III
e vain? The task is .-upendous. The
~ teachers thei- selves are but the sun
IT Of their youthful nerve reactions ant
to that youth has too often been spent ii
le gathering knowledge from books ant
e, not from things and opportunities
T. study nature and not hooks" Wa'
Agassiz's Instructions TO his class 4
large proportion of teachers have stu
died nothing but books, and know NJ
4 other way to train. But occasionall!
he Hin the teaching profession n voice from
re the Wilderness Is heard. tho voice o
Ms one feeling the Dnrrenncss OF cduca
-, | tional ideas in vogue, would turn hi
I'd fellow teachers toward the cverlast
~ ing hills and out INTO God. Such hav
is been DR.. Hodge, of Clark University
=, Professor Bailey, OF Cornell, and Dl
~ Jackman, OF Chicago University. The
=. would teach the pleasures of the sim
~ pie things of life; the wonders In til
w common things about us-tho dande
~ lion, the ant the earthworm. Sue
60 teachers with Lord Bacon, have trie
ne to show that "the garden is the pures
Ito of human pleasures; IL Is the creates
los refreshmcnt to the spirit Of men; thu
30 men come to build stately sooner tina
as to garden finely as IT gardening wei
III tho greater perfection"
10. Through tho untiring efforts OF sue
es, teachers childrcn's gardens have II
Of creased rapidly the last six years M
Of so thoroughly established yet that the
ncr are a REQUIRED part Of school GU
,ct5 riculun. These gardens, known by
ing variety Of names-Childrep's Garden
School Farms, Community Garden
a. School Gardens--Were fostercd !
school authorities In every State I
the United States In 1906, with the O
ception OF Idaho and Wyoming, Son
localities have made home gardens Il
strongest. Cleveland, Ohio, Is u not
un- BILE example OF encouraging the mass
10. to home Improvement through scho
out children. Philadelphia stands prom
IN" ncntly for tho garden of individl
pc, plots. Washington has made mo
' ,i' prominent the improvement Of schc
~ grounds. though the home Garden a
~ community garden have been further
with much success.
10, ~, No two schools can follow, n
a , should follow. the same plan for teae
taia ing gardening, or, rather, ''practit
t,os nature study" The ago Of the CHI
70 tho amount Of land, the purpose Of
poor Bufue'' ~ l''5a, >" g. -,
mn. study the needs of her class. The
cra,, are. however, some things that apl
bo,,t to all schools. A plan Is the first
rio quisite-one SO Well laid that GO
inlv, years work strengthens il. II 7
line, school garueh - " ss,Ye SO ~.
tho ment around INC ilu'as, 49, -. :, =,
nec-s simple Pl}Hciples u ia'iuepapu az 49, ~
in Il Ing. Make tne cen st'e,
h Ia J. flower beds scattered through
,plo5 lawn, Be mindful Of the color schel
ensv Assign portions of the garden to q
- .schnnl In tho hulldluE. and urEe. VI