The sun., 1910-01-16
SCHOOL FULL lOF GARDENERS
CHILDREN INfERESTBDoxN
WOMAN'S EXPERIMENT.

pertinent Made IN SSWtffttn Town.
The best kept school grounds in our
town are in the factory district and the
children do all the garden WoflH and
cleaning said the president -of a i&0tHan's 3
club that is at present devoti6k its ener-
gies to beautifying its home townSn q small
manufacturing city or the tnEidEs south.
The assistant principal is az Southern
woman who received her training ih our
home schools. and ! suppose would have
continued In the same Old rut n She Hadn't
spent one OF her summer vacatfof4s ia the
middle West. w. 'ui c'>,1s @ss
| while there she saw one or their district
schools. The grounds of this osthocI
were all kept in. order by the pupiis. who
also worked a small experimental farm.
think. When our teacher returned
home the grounds about her owl school
seemed so untidy and in kept sby COM
parison that she decided to see what shg
could do to improve them n'"s sso
when school opened the next autumn
she told the pupils in her room about
what she had seen in the West And sayd
she wanted them to help her TO do soma,
thing TO make their school ward 1ootr
better. She knew it would be- jis.sIeas
/ MONEY!
for tools and seeds. so she started out
with what she could beg and borrow sEe:H
the members of her own household ana
her neighbors The first borrowed. FOOLS:
comprised two hoes, one rake. and opn.
spade with weak handle. within IN.
first week the children had manax,sd
TO berrow all the other tools, Asesssary
spade.
They planted all the iower seeds thsv
could get for nothing. Then on ths,frst
OF January the school janitor. b negro.
gave up his job, and several OF the larger
boys in the school suggested 20 the assist
ant principal that instead Of hiring ARefher
man they should be allowed 10 do, the
janitors work The pay was Na.a nsnth
and the boys pointed out that within
few months they would be able to buv
with this money all the tools and .secds
necessary for their garden, K, a.Se
This proposition was aecepted om fhs
condition that new man. was .so.i ihe efi =
gagged il the children did not do tltp worik
as we'll az it had bAen done by tbe FORMER
janitor The teacher was oareflil fostsoIstt
out that the money used i'm payink the
4 janitor's wages was pubic smonnN rand
that the teachers and trustees were M
honor bound to get good workinreturn
for good weE4s. .e.4sie5s0
The sweeping was apportiostedrht the
boys. the teachers making the BF,polnt-
ments each Frdav afternoon for the week
following. The lighter duties were as-
signed to the girls. 'sDt ,S6NoE
ITO guard against the possibilitx OF
hegiDrinR dav in cold eaheoihouss
the assistant principal spoke TO the night
wstohman Of ore of tho factories, who
4 rasFed the school i'm Ipoing to HIS WORK.
His son was publ and had been irrexular
in his attendance. THE 1otvatchnsau
grasped tho situation et once andynrom.
iced tn ston at tho sohoolhouse on hiSfwav
from the factory and make sure that the
fire had teen started every nloFhIhRss he
was not to do the work himself, but only
10 roe that it was being done csprEisa
~The week after this agreement Estween
the teacher and the watchihaRa hfsp son
returned to school and asked To be ptft on
the working squad for that week. He
wis large and strong, but because OF flon-
attendance more than IaeIS 7e6f e1jshins
was backward in his strdies HIS e>xer-
ness for n place on the working sduad
gave the teacher new idea. isk
"She told him tHSths 'couldTtEe tffssted
with such work until he had proved HIS
interest in IL bv regulsr attendance She
explained that all children were NOT
equally ca aoable OF taking high stand in
their studies, but all could prove their
interest by coming to school regularly.
That was the last times that Boy had TO
be reproached for MOI, n,attandance. He
became one of the most faithful pupils I'm
the school and one OF the most Interested
in improving the grounds.
This plan OF doing the jahftors I, work
proved 80 satisfactory that it %&s con.
tinued to the end OF the school year.
givin0 a surrlus OF forty S-odd foilars
after the purchase OF all necessary tools
and seeds for that year 2 D. ttsH ~
| when the next school year began the
assistant principal determined "a begin
her gardening all over aOain. She had
learned a great deal herself, and Wishing
J 10 rive her pupils the benefit 1F IT. she
had the school grounds broken DIP and
laid out the flower beds All this was
| done bv the pupils, working under the
teachers direction. excepting the lactual
| plo'' ching.
done in the morning before school bekins.
With us the regular opeping time for
| schools is o'clock. At this school the
teacher in charge OF the grounds for the
week meetS the WORKING SQUAD AT the
appointed hour, which il never earlier
than a quarter after s. In the asftsimn
when the days are short the, teacher
remains after school to superintend and
instruct the working squad. At this
season the work consumes less than q
half hour n dav. 'Ns-M
~The children get credits for working
on the grounds itIst Ps for their rsepuIar
studies. one for attendance, one toseMoinR
their work we'll and one for g1od be-
havior. During the blooming season tke
flowers are picked every day and divided
among the WORKING squad In thatfans-
planting season all surplus plants and
bulbs are divided among the children.
and any pupil is at libertv to 90tharseeds
for home use after a sufficient q1aatitY-
has been saved for the use of the school
grounds. The result OF this be that nearly
every house in the factory district has
some sort OF flower garden. ,,iS Iisd y
~The interest the children took IN this
work was surprise even to the woman
who inaugurated it.a From standlnx at
the foot of the list for attendance AMONG
the city schools it rose during the second