Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1909-04-08

servance of A Dor Day by those who
are nov actively engaged in school
| work.
Teachers should try and arouse an
! interest in Arbor day, not only among
the pupils but also among the parents.
Ii the day and the exercises usually
participate ed in are to mean anything
| to the pupils. there are two classes of
work that should be planned for and
carried on throughout the year. The
! two classes of work which [ would
suggest, are:-1>t. beautifving the
school grounds; and 2nd, making a
close study Of the utility Of he for
eStS.
The grounds Of many Of our school
| houses have been made much more
beautiful during the past few years,
! through the planting of trees. gardens
and Shrubbery, butin large number of
our country school districts very little
has yet been done. Before any ap-
propriate exercises can be held on
Arbor day yoL must begin at the very
beginning, That is to say, any dis
cusSion as to how TO make more beau
tiful your school grounds is entirely
out of place In building that is not
kept in clean and attractive condi-
tiOn. 1t is argued by some that tlis
is not part of the teachers work,
| but the fact remains that whether or
not you have an attractive interior.
rests very largely with the teacher.
Ii the patrons of the district are not
sufficiently interested in the school to
keep the building and its surround
ingS in repair. then it is up to the
teacher to try and arouse an interest
to remedy these evils. Not only
should there be good floor in every
school house. but it should also be
kept scrupulously clean. The ceiling
and the walls should be kept freshly
painted. and there should be a har-
u ony Of cUlorS. The windows should
also be kept entirely clean, especially
the wood work where the upper and
the lower castings meet. A number of
good pictures hung on the walls will
add much to the attractiveness of the
room. Unframed pictures that have
become sOiled or diScolored should be
taken down and destroyed. If your
school house is in this condition, it is
not inappropriate to hold in such a
building exercises that wilh tend to
arouse an interest in keeping the
grounds in more perfect condition.
From the interest cultivated in set
ting out trees, flowers and Sh rubbery
on the school ground, a child will
learn to do more of such work in the
garden at home, and quite naturally
this will lead up TO a greater interest
in the farm home. The teacher may
make herself valuable to the entire
district if she will learn all about the
care of an orchard as we'll as shade
trees, including the different insects
and diseases that attack orchards and
the proper care for each. If the pupils
can see any practical benefit from the
instructions given them on Arbor day.
it is easy to secure their cooperation.
If you cannot show them anything of
practical value, it will be almost i'm
possible togain their interest, and you
might as we'll let the day pass unob-
served. Referring again to the school
grounds, l would suggest that some
part be laid out in flower beds and
that you have we'll defined plan as to
what you intend to plant, and that
you show your pupils what it will be
like when the work is flushed.
After the school house and school
grounds have reached the ideal con-
dition, the subject much talked of
by the people Of the entire country at
the present time, The Preservation
of The Forests, should be given some
attention. Schools grounds vary SO
much in different parts of the state
that it is difficult to give a plan that
will apply to all. Children who live
in the timber regions know probably
more of this subject than their teach
er, if she comes from a different Sec
tion of the state. Again there are
schools that are surrounded with small
timber and under-bruSh, and the
problem in such case for the teacher
and the pupils, is how to get rid of the
brush. Here the teacher can do valu-
able work in showing the pupils how
to trim away the under brush and
leave the best and straighteSt trees
standing. AS part of the Aroor day
program, l would suggest that some
pupils prepare an essay on the forest
laws. This part of the program cah
be made especially interesting in
localities where the lands are being
cleared. Have some pupils tell at
what time of the year the clearings
may be burned without permits, and
also what is necessary if they wish to
set fires during the closed season.
1t would also be wise plan to have
several of the older pupils or the
teacher prepare paper or an address
| developing some of the following ideas:
The value of forests in relations to
| rainfall and running streams; the
| commercial value Of the lumber in
dustry in Wisconsin; how the forest
may continue without interfering
With the lumber industry or the diff
ference between the legitimate clear.
| ing Of the brush land from the waste
lands and the destruction of forests.
| Attention should be called to the
conference of the governors of the
states at Washington. D. c. May 1915
1908, for the purpose of considering
the question of the conservation OF
our national resources.