The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-03-28
IT MAKES TALK.
East Side People Interested in
Park Proposition.
Much Discussion Of the Three
Proposed Sites.
School, IDEA
SCHOOL IDEA
Meets With Much Favor From
Practical People.
Want Their Children Taught
How to Work.

| "A group OF East SlOeFS WOiS olSSoSS-
ing the park question yesterday and
the State Journals article of Thursday
about the three parks and the natural
| location for lake out by the ceme-
terry. They were all heartily in favor
| of the proposed Improvements, but
some of them were afraid that If they
went after all three of the parks at
one time they might have too bio
proposition on hand. Said one OF
them:
st am in favor of going after the
| Santa F'e park with might and MAR.
That is the best proposition or the
| three. A park is needed there worse
| than in any other place in the city and
| the site could not be improved upon
| The Kline grove park is also good
proposition and should be pushed at
| this time 1t is close to the Santa Fe
shops and would be boon to the
shopmen and their families during the
| heated term. But the site between
| Eighth and Tenth and Branner and
Lawrence streets, where it is proposed
| to have the East side park, is not so
available for a park as the other two
places. The dust from the streets on
| four sides of it would be rather bad
| in dry weather. Still. at that, it will
make a good park. 1 should like to
see the school board buy this tract
and put in a kitchen garden school
here.
]
| with marked success in many other
cities of the country, especially in the
| east. This site would be admirable
| for such a school,
An East side lady who takes great
| interest in public affairs also spoke up
| in favor of this garden school plan.
| She went on to explain about this
| school and its practical benefits. She
said:
ga garden school of this kind is
| no in, ri
| the times point to a change in school
| methods. The people want sense
taught in the schools as well as nom
| sense. They want their children
| taught helpful, practical things as well
as Greek and trigonometry. The OBJ
| ject of this school is to teach the boys
/ and girls how to grow and care for all
kinds of plants and flowers and gar
den truck and grains. They VIII pc
made to set out beds on this site and
care for them. and taught how to
| utilize one bed for plants all the year
around There are plants that can be
made to thrive in winter as well as
| summer Valuable lessons can be
| taught the children in a garden school.
The girl is taught to successfully raise
| flowers of all kinds and everything
| that grows in the garden. How to get
| the very best results under the most
adverse conditions. The boy is taught
| about grains of every kind. There Is
hardly a back yards in this city that
| can not be made to yield 500 per year
| if properly planted and cared for. I
| know a man in this city who has a,
| plat 25 bv so feet and he has some-
| thing growing there the year around.
| BY working there during his spare
/ time he makes this little place yield
| him a yearly revenue far in excess of
| 800 If this school should turn out
/ a hundred bows and girls each year
| who would follow up its lessons and
| apply them during their spare time,
| they would in a very few years make
| enough money to pay for the tract of
ground for the proposed school and
| for the school itself"
| The sentiment of this group of East
| siders was strong and unanimous for
| a garden school on the site of the
| proposed East side park. They want
| the school board to buy the tract and
| put in the school. They say it is not
| an experiment. but has been tried and
| made a success by many cities in this
| country: that it is practical useful and
| euuips its pupils with a knowledge and
| habits that will put money in their
| pockets. And this money can be
| earned right at home outside of regu-
| lar working hours. 1t gives girls prac-
| teal ideas on how to beautify a home
| with flowers inside and out. Not one
| child in ten learns how to grow a
| garden on a small tract or how to
| care for flowers or graft fruit only
| by accident or unless he or she has
| been raised on a farm or has a natural
| inclination that way. This school goes
| further than the teachings of the farm.
| The pupils are made to work in the
| flower and garden beds every dav and
| learn and apply the latest methods of
the science of botany and garden and
| orchard