Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-03-05
HOME GARDENING DIRECTED BY
THE SCHOOL.

rs offered by DR.. L. i. Claxton, United
States commissioner of education, as a
solution for some of the most pressing ed
ucational and economic problems in city
and suburban life. DR.. Claxton would
have every vacant town lot transformed
into garden, where boys and girls would
raise vegetables, berries and fruit for
pleasure and for profit He would have
one teacher in the community employed
IL months in the year to teach elementary
science in school and direct the home
garden work after school, on Saturdays,
and during the summer vacation.
"Of the 100000 children between the
ages of six and % in the cities, towns.
manufacturing villages, and suburban
communities Of the United States" says
DR.. Claxton. mot more than 10 per cent.
are away from home during the summer
vacation or engaged in regular employ
ment The remaining SIS per cent remain
at home without any useful, hcalthful,
productive occupation requiring any large
part of their time. On the other hand,
there Is much valuable land in back yards
and vacant lots that is serving no useful
purpose. The problem is to bring this
land and these children together.
| In every school and community there
should b. at least one teacher who knows
gardening, both theoretically and practic-
ally. This teacher should teach the ele-
Imentary sciences in the schools during
| the school hours and should, out of school
hours, direct the home gardening of the
children between the ages of seven or
eight and ii or 10 If possible the teacher
Should have the assistance of an expert
gardener, so that the work may be done
in the most practical and profitable way
The teacher and the gardener should help
the children find the plots of ground in
back yards, front yards and vacant lots
near their homes best suited for garden
ing work. aid them by some cooperative
method to have the lots properly plowed
and prepared for cultivation, help them
select seeds, show them how to plant,
cultivate and harvest so as to obtain the
| best results
Vegetables, berries, and fruits grown
should be used first food for the child
rem and their families; then the surplus
should be marketed to the best advantage
Through the help of the teacher this can
be done In cooperative way. Ten or
10 cents worth of vegetables each day from
the gardens of each Of POO children would
amount to $40 or $50. In the summer and
fall when the surplus is large and can
not be marketed to advantage, the teacher
should direct and help the children in can
ming and PRESERVING for winter use or for
sale. The canning and tomato clubs OF
the Southern States have already shown
what can be done in this way.
| 1T IS difficult to estimate the results of
this plan when it shall be in full opera
ton throughout the country. For the
Il :
in work, habits of industry, an under
standing of the value of money, as meas
ured in terms of labor, and such knowl-
edge Of the phenomena and forces of ma
ture as must he had for an understanding
Of most of their school lessons. They will
also learn something at least of the fun
damental principle of morality; that each
individual must make his or her own liv-
ing must. by some kind Of labor of head
hand or heart contribute to the COM
mon wealth much as he takes from it
must pay for what he gets In some kind
of coin.
This plan in full operation would prob
ably do more toward keeping Young child
rem out of the factories and mills than
all of the child-labor laws on the statute
books. A boy 10 or IL years of age, with
der careful direction. can produce more
for the support of the family than could
be purchased with the child's wages from
the mill Children should not be ground
in the mills nor sweated in the factories;
their strength should not be Slapped and
their nerves racked by working in the
heat and dust of indoors, yet all children
should learn to work; it is good for them
and tbe,- iOv N To Iyorlt with itS foot
| in the soil, its head in the sunshine and
its lungs filled with good fresh air Is not
a bad thing for any healthy child.
| '"rhis plan will also do much to solve
the problem of the idle negro. large
part Of the negroes of the Southern States
live on the outskirts of cities and small
towns, Their cabin homes are frequently
on large lots and surrounded with vacant
lots covered with weeds and rubbish
During the vacation months the negro
children roam idly on the streets. falling
into mischief and vice. Under proper d.
rection they might make, on these back
yards and vacant lots, enough to support
themselves and more; at the same time
they would be kept from vice and would
gain habits OF industry. Incidentally ne
gro quarters would be changed from places
of uglness to places of beauty.
probably one of the most valuable re-
suits of this plan would he to make it
easy for most children to attend school
three or four years longer than they now
do. thing more and more desirable. since
education for life and citizenship in our
Industrial, civic. and social democracy can
not be obtained before the age OF Adde'S
cence, If child can contribute to its
support while in school, it may remain in
school much longer than if 1t must be
carried as dead weight until it quits
school to go to work.
Compared with the results, the cost
will be inconsiderable. No addition to the
number of teachers will he required. 1t
will only be necessary to require different
lprepa ration for one teacher in each
school"
In the estimates submitted to Congress
by the commissioner of education for the
support of the bureau in the next fiscal
year an item of $500 is included to en-
liable the bureau to begin the introduction
of this kind of work In the schools of the
United States, The commissioner believes
that 1t will only be necessary to work out
details of plans and to present them to
school officers, together with full informa-
ton in regard to results of somewhat SIM
liar work already done at various places. |
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