The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-11-30
Prizes FOR CHILDREN.
ToWN ENCOURAGES INDUSTRY IN
YOUNG ONES.
UnlquS and Interesting Custom Fol-
lowed at Ashfield, Mass.--Awards
Given for Sewing, Washing
and Other Work.

Boston.--The town of Ashville,
MASS, has one custom which Is
unique as we'll as interesting to its
citiSens and to the outside world, so
fer as 1t has come to notice. This Is
the children's labor and prize day.
For the last nine years, on Labor
day, there have been distributed to
the children OF the town under is
years of age prizes to an amount in
aggregate of nearly 500 for the best
evidences of their industry, ingenuity
and special intelligence and capacity.
These prizes, which are nearly all In
money. are given by citizens and sum.
ther residents and are awarded by a
committee chosen for the purpose.
This year, following the usual Gus.
tom, there will be an exhibit in the
town hall on the day appointed, at
which time the names of the winners
will be publicly announced. All
through the year the children Of the
various schools throughout the town
have been preparing for this event,
for besides individual exhibits. col
lections are made and work done in
common by the children of the differ
ent schools with the aid Of the
teacher
This work consists Of the adorn-
ment Of the schoolhouses or school.
yards, the making of school gardens,
collections OF wild flowers and OF min
erals, lists OF birds seen In Ashfield.
xs,fA JatA ~ nd IN
habits, drawings and paintings. mod.
els, compositions. number work, etc.
Each school in town has its school
garden, and these are visited once or
more during the summer by some
member of the committee. either in
person or by proxy, and such garden
products as may be in season will be
exhibited on Labor day.
The exhibits for individual prizes
are divided into the following classes:
/. Plain needlework and darning:
(a) prize for the best dishcloth or
towel with plain hem and three ini.
tiais in crossstich. by child under II
years Of age; tb) for the best apron
or undergarment with hemstitched
hem at the bottom, by child under
II years; (c) for the best shirtwaist
or skirt, by child under IS years.
2. Embroidery and fancy work.
3. Knitting and crocheting.
4. Plain washing and ironing.
8. The best arranged bouquet Of
garden or wild flowers.
s. Collections: ta) OF pressed wild
fowers; lb) Of pressed leaves of for
est trees native to Ashfield; (c) Of
woods Of forest trees, OF sections not
less than two inches in diameter; (d)
OF grasses; te) Of ferns; (f) of fungi;
go of seeds of native plants; (h) of
insects found in Ashfield; Cd OF relics
OF, other curiosities.
z, List Of plants observed during the
year on any single half acre.
8. List'of forest trees native to Ash.
field, with statement Of the special
locality in the town where rare or re.
narkably fine trees are to be found,
with the measurements of the largest
trees and with an account of the uses
to which the different kinds are put.
O.. Wild animal, squirrel, woodchuck,
or, any other. tanned.
10. Chickens, rabbits or other tame
animals.
R11. Work with jackknife or other
tools.
IL. Miscellaneous, any work showing
Ingenuity. such as basket making,
frame making, ETC., or anything not
specially enumerated in the list which
may seem deserving of a prize.