Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-16
YOUNGSTERS JOYOUSLY
TAKE TO GARDENING IN
PUBLIC FAIRGROUNDS
Caro- Miller, Supervisor of the
School Gardens, Tells of
Methods That Make Play
Time of Work
STRESS LOVE OF NATURE

Phlladelphia's youngsters are slated to
have the time of their lives this summer.
lf all the plans for their physical well-belng
as arranged by William A Stecher. director
Of physical training work in the public
schools, be carried out. There are plenty
of wholesome, useful recreations for the
chll,ren that will keep them Off the streets.
And there are skilled teachers In every
branch of the swimming. playground and
gardening work to see to It that they know
how to play.
It sounds rather foolish to talk about
teaching Riddles to play--sort OF like teach
ing fish to swim, but Il isn't. Miss Caro-
Miller, who is supervisor of school gar
dens, can tell you, and she knows that
American youngsters have yet to learn the
art Of playing.
There is so much that is artificial in the
lives OF modern children and so little that
is natural We teach the children that
recreation means theatres and movies and
parties very much as we teach ourselves.
This is purely modern; youngsters played
for years before we had these things, and
they played with the very things we are
trying TO teach them to love now-fowers
and plants and garden and outdoor life.
THE homo and school gardening work
has been going on for the last 10 years,
but It ia only now that its Importance in
the schools Is being emphasized. Shorter
school hours and more playtime are the
chief reasons--the youngsters must find
some way to amuse themselves, and what
could be more useful and moro healthful
than n plot of well.trained flowers or vege-
tables7
These gardening plots are decided fac
tor in reducing the high cost of living. II
may be a 10 by 20 plot or It may be 20
by 90, but II belongs to the child alone,
and he chooses what he wants to SOW there.
He gets the seeds for a cent package,
but he doesn't waste them as the unframed
child does. His instructor is right there to
see 10 Il that the seeds are planted,
watered, the soil cultivated and everything
done to make the perfect garden.
"Of course, when the vegetables come
UP they belong to the child. II there Is
more than one youngster In the school who
is raising n garden, this adds considerably
are supervised as we'll. A child can start
his home garden and have the advice and
direction of trained adviser Her duty
is to visit the gardens. make weekly
report on their condition, supply seeds II
the child wants them and keep an eye
on the whole proceeding. So. you see, the
gardening system Is efficient"
The card index on Miss Millers desk
stating the name of every child. the con-
dition of his garden and his general aver
age shows the way In which the work Ia
carried on. The aid of the Agricultural
Bureau in Washington is great factor in
this work. Miss Miller declares.
There are plenty of opportunities In this
field, which Is rapidly becoming WIDER" she
will tell you; "the State Department is push
ing agricultural work more and more every
year, for II Is evident that there are as
many boys and girls from the city who are
going to return to the rural life as there
are boys In the country districts who will
come to the cities. We find this is so every
year Boys follow these courses in ele.
mentary gardening and get to like it. AS
n result, they go to one OF the big agrl.
cultural schools and become scientific
farmers
women who love gardening and under.
stand how to teach 1t and can offer the
requisite qualifications are In great demand
salarles-varying from $40 a month for
part of their time to S110 a month for work
seven months in the year. So you can see
that the remuneration is generous Then.
too. In 1914 the Smlth-Lever act provided
that two-thlrds of the salary of an agri-
cultural teacher would be paid. II he or she
taught scholars outside of the schools or
colleges, so the payment by the State is
light, indeed.
IT hope some day that gardening work
will be part of vocational training. we
do that now, to certain extent, but II is
not looked upon as a definite part of the
curriculum In the high schools. Children
from years old to or 10 take to garden
ing instinctvely. but the older children can.
and should, be taught to look upon II as life
work. Landscape gardening is an enviable
profession. and we hope TO be able TO con-
tinue the education of the children to this
point in the future"