The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-09-05
cHlLr'REN's HOME GARDENS
Notable Work That is Being Done at
Af $500 a LyndonviIie .s,


Children's Home Gardens is the
subject of an int .esting article in
the June number of the Gardeners
Chronicle ! II Is written by Mrs. Eliz
abeth Chase of Lyndonville, this
state. Mrs. Chase five years ago
started a little class Of children i'll
home gardening. In FIVE Yeas tho
CLASS has grown to 2jS members and
the wo X has become such nctabie
one hat II is attracting attention all
over the country. Mrs. Chascs ar
ticle in ting ChrCnic is as follows:
"a tragedy has been apparent to
many who have taught school in YER
mont during the past few years.
Slowly but persisteptly it has dawn
ed upon the minds of those who have
had to do with education, or think
about II at all, that something has
been. vitality wrong with our elu-
cational system. There has been a
remarkable SPECTACLE of people rear
ing children whom they love and for
whom they toll, and yet, in whom,
from earliest childhood, they have in
stilled th9 idea that they should live
their lives when grown up in some
better place than that in which they
were born. They, the parents with
the help of the public school system,
have diligently and constantly edu-
Gated their children away from their
native environment. Their eyes have
grown long sighted in looking for the
pot at the end of the rainbow while
stumbling over the opportunities at
their own doors. This training adj
ded to the natural tendency to mi
CRATE which we all inherit, has made
sad havoc of our small villages and
rural communities. Each year the
best OF the youths have gone away
leaving inefficient ones behind.
There have been exceptions to this
rule always, and yet it. is true that
the best, to an alarming extent, have
been encouraged to leave home as
early as possible. and have done so.
Following them to their distant
fields we observe that in most cases
they make no greater nor less sue
cess of themselves there than they
would have had opportunity to make
at home. Their native places have
frequently fallen to decay which is
cause of regret as they grow old
er, when the thoughts naturally turn
with sad reflection and affection to
the undeyeloped opportunities and
scenes of their birthplaces. Villages
have not thrived as they should, not
having been well fed by the outlying
farm districts. The boys who have
left the farms when young finding
themselves without work in trying
industrial times may return to the
farm but they have untitled them
selves, many times very seriously. by
not keeping pace with farming meth
DDS.
The idea grew in our mind that
parents and educational systems
might better train the children by in
teresting them in the occupations of
their home environment, training
them to make the most OF home OPP
portunities. In this way they might
become more useful and better citi-
zens, developing greater love and re-
spect for their native town and be
better equipped to live their lives
either at home or in bigger places,
il called there.
That is why small attempt was
made some twelve or fifteen year,
ago to interest some children in
Vermont village in school gardening
After two years trial il was failure
Why? First. because the children
came from scattered districts ana
when the long vacations came school
and all that pertained thereto was
left far behind. Secondly-we found
human nature to be selfish. No few
children, however convenient for
them. would take care of the school
garden when the other pupils were
scattered and not able to do their
share of the work Since then we
have learned TO look upon this trait
more as a part of the natural indie.
pendence which is developed especial
ly in every individual who lives in
farming districts. We also came To
realize that when almost every boy
and girl has plenty of land at home
that they do not need to have
small tract loaned them. So. then,
because of the scattered conditions,
because of the Independent natures
and because they have land of their
own upon which we want a goodly
number TO remain, we concluded that
home gardens were best for our
country boys and girls. School gar
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