The Owyhee nugget. ([Silver City], Idaho) 1905-1984, 1911-09-14

Professor BradfieId Tells OF Inter
estins Visit TO plant
Wizards" Home

One Of the side excursions provided
for the teachers attending the N. E. A.
at San Francisco was visit to the gar
dens Of Luther Burbank, who has been
called "the great plant wizard. =
The train arrived about two hours be-
fore the time set for Burbank to receive
the teachers and they interested them
selves in strolling about the town. About
an hour before the appointed time, they
began to assemble along the street in
front of his house in order to be sure Of
position where they could hear every
thing that he might say. In spite of the
hot sun, the crowd waited good humor-
edly, and with notebook or camera in
readiness, at the same time endeavoring
to learn something of anyone who would
stop and talk something Of the work Of
the great plant wizard One old man
who had toddled out hurriedly, cane in
hand, to learn the meaning Of the sud
den appearance Of so large a crowd in his
vicinity, was piled with questions but
seemed to have so little interest in the
great work that was being done in his
town as to be unable to give satisfactory
answers.
what is that thing for?0 someone
asked, pointing to what looked like FIVE
foot section of large smoke-stack which
was standing in the midst of the garden
and which was used for burning the un-
desirable plants, weeds and trimmings.
i can't fgger out what that is, the
old mad replied. Pears to me they're
a-cookin OF somethin' over there all the
time"
1t appears that Burbank, like the pro-
phet, is honored more abroad than in
his own country.
When he appeared there was trace Of
surprise and bewilderment in his express
sion. He had expected few dozen
teachers but there must have been at
least three hundred in the crowd before
him. Mounting large box which one
of his workmen had brought for him, he
expressed his pleasure at the privilege of
addressing the teachers and asked what
particular subject they would like to have
him talk about.
"Tell US Of your work, z someone re-
piled. 'How have you been able to pro-
duce all these strange and wonderful Gre
ations which we see around us2"
He laughed little at the thought of
telling so much in the short time at bis
disposal and his answer was as compre-
hensive as the question.
Il have done it by working twelve
hours a day for forty years"
Then he said that his work is the same
as that of teachers, Ia process of elimin-
ating, selecting and refining just as he
develops plants by casting out the bad,
only the good, and giving them
care and proper environment, SO should
the teacher endeavor to suppress evil ten
denotes in the human plant, encourage
good tendencies, and make its environ
ment most favorable to the highest de-
The child is the most sensi-
tive of all living things to outer impress
sions Every influence that affects it
leaves its impress as the outer world acts
upon the sensitive plate of the camera.
Even hereditary traits may be overcome
BY the influence eofenvironment. Hered-
ty, in fact, is simply the sum of all the
effects of all the environments of all past
on the responsive, ever-mov-
ng life forces. If child with vicious
.emper be placed in surroundings ofpeace
and quiet, the temper will change. A
Continued on page 81