San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-18
MAUD WILLIAMS WILCOX
SUPERVISOR is WANTED.

To the Editor:
/ have recently made two appeals
through The Light for a trained gar
den supervisor to direct the 5000 larg-
er boys of San Antonio in home gar
dening. care Of the 10000 pecans soon
to be sent out to be sprouted in sand
boxes in the schools and planted in
the back yards of the homes; also to
direct these young people in the bud
ding of pecans planted two years ago,
and the setting out of fig cuttings and
the proper care Of these. AS no one
so far has been moved to contribute
the money to employ this much-need-
ed supervisor, it becomes the duty Of
every citizen who believes that We owe
this direction to this army of boys
soon to be men, promptly to get in
touch with the members OF the board
of education and with Superintendent
Rhodes, who are in office to serve the
taxpayers.
Permit me to explain why 10 supply
this supervisor is great Christian
virtue, and to fail to do so is griev-
GUS sin. 1t is the supreme duty and
pleasure of every one to do the will of
his Heavenly Father. No one can
doubt that it is His imperat tive will
that each of His children use his in
dividual gifts and the forces and re-
sources of nature in the greatest pos
sible human service. II these San An
tonic young people are TO make this
greatest possible service contribution,
they must be trained therefor. Through
the schools, society is furnishing an
approximately adequate training in
books, with some industrial training
to q small per cent of the pupils. Howf
ever, it would bankrupt any city 10
attempt to give the industrial train
ing in the schools that the homes are
equipped TO give. The parents and
other adults in the home who have the
in the juyenile-industrial Projects OF
the home outnumber the school teach
ers fifty 10 one. Besides, no commun-
ity could afford to purchase for the
schools one-tenth Of the rich industrial
plant already jim the homes--in gar
dening, poultry raising, cooking, sew
ing. canning. a variety of minor re-
pairs-and last, but not least, tree
planting. care of lawns, and the eI-
termination of injurious insects.
Through the centuries, civilized man
has learned that it is wrong-a sim
TO lie. to steal, to cheat your neighbor,
to rob, and to fail TO pay honest debts
If it is possible to do so. But 1t seems
that a majority Of citizens in urban
communities do not realize that it is a
grievous sin not TO give adequate sup
ervisioR in industrial projects to the
army Of boys and girls who have so
little work that will train them in
habits of industry and thrift.
This supervisor is especially neces-
sary now because the way has been
prepared, during the last several years,
for a supervisor to do a great work.
For years l have. in talks to the pu-
pills, been appealing to them to I'M
dertake the independent and habitual
performance Of tine leading juvenile
industrial projects Of the home. In
$4,000 circulars sent into every home
in February OF each year. 1 have been
appealing TO the parents to inspire
their sons and daughters to undertake
these industrial projects and be per-
sonally responsible for results and,
il possible, to encourage these young
people to form a savings account from
their project earnings. Both to the
pupils and to the parents have held
up the goal Of fig trees at every home
and one or more pecan trees in every
back yard. The time ought soon TO
come when the churches, the Sunday
schools. the fraternal organizations
and clubs would bend their energies to
this greatest of urban reforms-the
training of our young people for
maximum of human service. As
people. we must realize more and more
that God is to be found in the garden,
in every phase of home-making. and in
every occupation quite as well as in
the church and the Bible.