The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1912-07-25
OUR TEACHERS DEPARTMENT
Edited by Prof Charles ID. Lewis


raj schools is that they do not con
meet the work of the school with the
life OF the pupil in the home. For
that reason l am putting into tho
Teachers Column this week a story
of the Corn. IL 10 taken from a col
lection of Nature Stories for Rural
Schools which will be put upon the
market before another school year.
Emphasize the following points n
the story:
The need for selection of good
seed in the field.
The Importance Of crop rotation.
The evil effects Of bad blowing and
cultivation.
The expensivencss of weeds.
That all of these things are the
result of the farmer not knowing
about the better way Of doing things.
The story is written in the form
that 1t is IN the hope that II will
catch tho interest OF the pupil more
quickly, and with the desire Of get
ting the child to look upon the plants
about which they work as personali-
ties, with struggles, desires, disap-
pointments even as we.
THE CORN STALK STORY
Did you ever notice the gentle
rustic OF the corn, late in the even
ing, as a breeze passes over the
field? 1t sounds like many whispers,
and like to think OF 1t as being
the stalks Of corn talking together.
We cannot understand these whisper
ing voices, but | VIII tell you the
story which a stalk told me as I stood
in a field after sunset one evening
In August.
IL was n very poor field in which
walked. Tho ground was cloddy,
weeds and briars were plentiful and
the corn stalks were slim, yellow and
with but few bearing ears. 1 stopped
near one Of the largest stalks TO
examine It's ear, when. quite to my
surprise, the silks spread apart, a
tiny face looked out, and a small,
sad voice said, Good evening Sir"
said good evening in return and
my new friend went on:
"You seem interested in us, so 1
am going to talk to you a while II
you care to listen. Most people think
that we plant people cannot talk,
but that is because they do not
care for us, or try to understand u.s."
Il shall be glad to listen as long
as you care to talk" / answered.
Please do not think that l like
to complain, but | believe that 1t
might do other Corn good II / should
tell you some of the troubles that
have had" she said.
IL am sure that you think have
a very poor ear and | suppose that
have but II is not all my fault. My
stalk is slim, and my blades are yell
low, too, but l am not to blame.
have done the best | could under
the circumstances"
In the first place cur family has
not had good care for years and years
In fact do not believe that we have
over been cared for as we should
have been. Mother told me before
she died, while | was still a baby,
wrapped up In the husks, that the
men who had raised us had neglect
ed us in every way. We have mostly
been treated as we have been this
year. and you can see for yourself
how that is. Then worse, II possible,
than the way We have been neglect
ed while growing. is the way that
our seed has been selected, or rather
not selected. No thought was given
to seed until in the spring, and then
the man who raised US went to the
crib and took whatever he could find.
The result was that he often got
ears from very poor stalks. Besides
this the babies had often been damp
and cold all winter. The result was
that many Of them were dead, and,
worse for the crop. many more were
SO weak that they could scarcely get
the ground.