The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1917-01-26
TEACHING THE CHILDREN
ABOUT FLOWERS
BY 1. M. BENNINGTON.

One Of the things that wise old folR
Of many generations have repeated Is
that II n child be taught until II Is
twelve years of age II doesn't make
much difference who has the subse'
quent handling, the direction OF the
mind will he fixed and the career
pointed. This truth is shown In no
way better than I'm the development OF
a love for flowers and for the garden.
Country folk imagine that children
in the big cities have no trees, no
grass ana no flowers. Quite the re-
verse; They have the benefit Of see
ing the best development that Is made
by the leading culturists of the world.
They are now being taught the value
of flowers. The time was when n
child could not be trusted alone In n
city park where flowers were eXhib-
tied. They pulled the plants and they
despoiled the gardens No vandal
Aver hit a place with heavier hand
than the average city child struck a
park flower bed. The fear of the po-
lice did not deter them. They had no
particular thought for the reprOof Of
their parents.
Now the people who study parks and
flowers have gone to studyilsg children
and strangely enough, they have dis
covered that children are rational hu-
man beings. thoroughly susceptible Of
being taught the value Of flowers and
the care that is required to produce
and keep them. In many of the big
flower plots the little fellows are be-
ing regularly taken and told all about
the way that flowers thrive. They are
being taught botany as a kindergarten
study-not in the dry terms of the ex-
pert, but in the plain, interesting way
Of the amateur. They are learning
how seeds are planted, how bulbs
come from the queer land of the dykes
and all of the other secrets.
The trulsm that the greatest and
most valuable crop in the world is
the crop of children is impressing IT.
self In the pursuit of this hitherto neg
lected branch of garden work. When
a child begins to get interested in the
study of flowers, made pleasing by
the avoidance of dry detail, there is
no end to the possibility Of pleasure
that can be derived from 1t. The in
structiOn affords the grown-ups a sim
pie way to enjoy the society Of the
young, which is the best tonic that
age ever had. More gray hairs can be
lodged and more wrinkles irOned out
by assOciating with children than by
the application of any known cure
Once this is fully realized, the value
Of taking up the flower study with
children will make an appeal to many,
many older persons who now seek a |
book and a corner when they might |
be finding renewed youth with the J
tots.
Tell the children things that viii in |
terest them. Point out how the bees, |
away for hard-hearted queen |
who lives in a cOne-shaped palace, run
from flower to flower seeking to col
ect the tribute of sweets for the re-
entless task-mistress of the hive. Tell
hem how these little bees, without
it, are carrying from one fra
grant blossom to another the germ
If life that makes possible the repro
iuction Of the flower and keeps alive
he beauty and the Joy Of having the
)lant.
That study ought to appeal to a ma
ure mind; 1t certainly does to the
mind of a child. The truth has but