Evening star., 1938-06-25
Climbing Roses May Be Useful We'll
.Children's
Exhibition
Success
Fine Sense of Line
And Color Shown
By Youngsters.
BY IKKO GREGER.

BY Youngsters.
BY IKKO GREGER.
THE children have gone in for flower
shows. When first was told that
few little girls at the Horace Mann
School were planning show had a
number Of doubts.
At first I believed that the en-
thusiasm would not last. Also that
the large amount Of work, over which
the adult chairman usually has COM
plants, would make the children drop
the venture. Last, that the perennial
problem Of every flower show, the lack
Of flowers at the proper time, would
become q hindrance
How mistaken was! Yet it seemed,
even up to the last minute, that moth
ing would develop. Then suddenly the
children came home covered from
forehead to fingers with purple hecto-
graphing ink. One hundred and twen-
ty-f1ve programs and entry blanks had
been finished. But still there seemed
to be no great interest among the
children as a result Of that work. The
boys laughed and wanted not to be
"sissies," and the girls did not take
it seriously at all
However, at S o'clock on the morn
ing OF the great day the alarm clock
shrills. What on earth :" "Oh,
mother, see. must cut my flowers be-
fore the sun is on them! I am entering
five arrangements. My containers are
in the basement. Don't come down
there, please, because you are -
judge -
In another home the eldest son
kicks of his covers to go to the
fields at early dawn. He wants to
enter. his Bunny Rabbit" filled with
field flowers, and they must be fresh as
the morning. Father suggested roses
from the garden, but the boy had
thought OF giving his Bunny the nat
ural setting. Another young man
worked till late at night to fix his
little deer with flowers just the way
he had planned them. He won the
prize for the boys most outstanding
arrangement.
What surprise the judges had! The
| great number Of arrangements made a
wonderful display of children's ideas
about flowers. 1t was an unpreteH-
tious. childlike show, with such a re-
markably high average in fine sense
for color, proportion and the grow
ing things Of mother nature that one
wished the whole town would come
and see.
Boys and girls had entered. Their
containers were small on the average.
Bunnies, swans, deers and little booties
were among those used by the young
exhibitors.
How fascinating is the working of a
child's mind with flowers! ~
Some attempt composition. Some
express an idea. A boy made little
faces out Of marguerites, and arranged
them in white container, looking full
Of fun and rather gossipy. Others
mixed colors or shapes for q studied
effect. so
The committee had lost the ribbons
when they returned from their first
unchaperoned trip downtown, but the
judges were supplied with 2 yards of
each color at the last minute. A Blue
ribbon class, of course, was first. "A
red-ribbon class (secon6 was followed
by third class with white ribbons.
Large gold stars glorified each of them.
On white paper, each child found a
message. 1t said, maybe: 'You have
shown very good taste and good work.
manship in arranging" Or. THE
red ribbon comes to you because you
could have added a few leaves to pre-
vent crowding your pansies. Try it."
What smiling, hopping and happy
exhibitors they were! If you have
been at shows where lovely ladies
were feeling depressed about having
their arrangements misjudged, you
would have felt great respect for the
Nddies' good craftsmanship.
The whole school began buzzing with
plans for another flower show in the
fall. Can the kindergarten enter?'
What about the sixth grade2" Can
! enter 10 arrangements?" May ]
grow my own flowers till fall?" Inter-
est was at fever-heat, and the whole
affair turned out to be tremendous
success n
I am convinced that nothing can
be better for children than their flower
shows. They develop an eye for color
and form, and sense of balance that
will help them all their lives. Their
interest in growing things Is stimu-
lated by the competition-and they
learn the fundamentals Of good sports
manship. Such shows should be en-
couraged by schools and parents; the
children will enter into the spirit OF
things with the enthusiasm that &C
companies the pursuit of any favorite
hobby or paStime.