New-York tribune., 1907-06-30

been showing Tribune reposter the garden where
the children Of the modsi school maintained in
connection with the training school raise vege-
tables according to the latest methods the kitchen
where the girls taught to cook and the shop
where the boys learn TO make all manner of useful
things .Sst OF wood. "I believe in manual training,
certain amount OF II And the children love IT.
1t satisfies their natural desire to be doing some
thing. It keeps many q boy in school who would
otherwise get tired of the routine and leave Why.
tho worst punishment we can inhct on boy here
Is to deprive him of his hour in the shop
Lucky the children who live in North ia
Iaica and attend this model school There is
mething rather alarming in the thought OF being
used object lessons for student teachers. but
the reality In this school is all right. The build
Ing itself, high up on the ridge of hills known
the backbone of Long Island. with forest be-
hind 1t and wide view from the front, is cool
even when the town below is swelterinS. There
is there for ball grounds and lawns, pastur-
age for sheep and facilities for the genuine
mon garden variety OF nature study such
school children in the city can never hope to
have.
Miss Letta r. Burns is the nature teacher
"Our garden is trhe backward this year" she
told the reporter, lowing to the cold spring, and
also to a delay on the part of the Board of Educa
ton in sending our seeds. You know this
school, which formerly a state normal, has
been taken into the Greater New York sys-
tenn We're finding that have to wait for
things longer than Ue used to. However. we got
the Seeds and everything is up and doing well. A
few days had garden party. and the
children ate sandwiches made with the lettuce
they had raised. We've peas and beans growing,
too. and nasturtiums. and any number of things.
What becomes of the garden when school closes?
Why, three four of the boys who live here
take turns coming up TO tend ii, and II supplies
their families with vegetables, and also supplies
the vacation schools in New York with lot OF
material for nature study. Boxes of young plants.
seeds etc, sent to the city every week last
summer"
There is a half of ground in the garden.
and the young teachers, aided by of the big
boys. spaded UP every bit OF this In the spring.
there some difficulty about getting plough
man. There five hundred children in the
school, and most of them have their turns at plant
ing and wedding.
Mature study may be made rather absurd IN
some schools Miss Burns said but practical
nature study 1 believe in thoroughly for children.
OF course we're admirably situated for it here. If
want some leaves anything of the kind to
in class work, I've only to send one of the children
out to get them. and garden and botanize at
our very door This study makes children kind,
for thing. It's all very well to say n boy.
You mustn't kill BIRDS but a boy with a head
knows that there's more cruelty in killing a
bird than in killing d chicken. Both have life,
both suffer. But teach that boy the relation
between the birds and the crops. and he perceives
the unwisdom OF killing birds The other day
OF my boys brought in young bird that had
fallen from the nest. / have cage / keep for
such cases. and the children were interested in
making that bird comfortable and taking care of 1t
till it grew strong enough to fly"