.- tlehool Cnrdell AI'II'" .eauee No. 1. NlIycmhcr, lOll}, ~- I USSG I IUSSG' UNITED STATES SCHOOL GARDEN ARMY DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR BUREAU OF EOUCATJON W,\SITINGTl)N HOllE GAB,DBl\'L~(jFOIl 'fOWl\' CllUDlIBl\',' I:l;\' P. 1'. OLAXTON, CCllnlllldloller of Educ~t1pn. Tlu~l'e ts UC(l{lof snunure educuuve, purposeful, producttve cccunaec» roe mjfltoue uf seuoot ehlldreu in vur cutes. towns. mauufucturfng \'llhlge~, nud euunrtmu (Ustricta who 110'1'unve no proper employment out ot school uoucs. III tho entcs, tOWIIl>. 1Ullllllfllcl\lI'jng vutuges, llml $u1.)\11'1)1l1l eonuuuutuos of 1IlC United States tuere IIr.) npprcxlnintely 13,000,000cjumrcn between the ngcg of (j 1111020, 01 usee, uUOll(, 0,75(1,000 IlI'C cUI'ollc(l In the puuue 1111tlVrh'I\t'l Schools. 'J'hc nverege dnlly uttendnnee 1&lIpj)I'oxlllll1lel;i' 0,1500,000, two-ttllnlll or. Lbo enrollment nun one-hmr of tile lIchoo] 110pulHlIoll, The nvernge JerJglh oc achool rerm tu tnc entes Is 180 J111;i'Il,1'11euvernga uttemtuuce 19 120 l1Ul'll. Prol>llbly 5 pel' cent of. tnesc cbuuruu nre IIwn~' .fl'OI11uome clurtng the euunuer vncauou months with thetrpnrents nt summer l'ElOIOl'!J; or \1~IUug III tile country. Between G nun 10 per cent nre CUllllored III 80\11C useful, 1Jeu1thf(ll, protluctive occupntlcn. Elghty-Il\'O 1)01'cent remntu nt home wtuicut Ill'Ollel' (lm[Jlo~'ll\m\l for I\llr large prn-t ClCtheir limo. srcst of tI1C11l!In\'C ume Ol\l)ortllllll~' fOl' pllly, Some of them WOI'];: II j)O]'UOIi of the time at occupllt1ollR at which lIlC;i' eill'u very little ond which nrc not suIted for cl1(J(1I',m of t.lielr USC, 'I'11011un- gers or hllencsi! nnd un$nltnDle occullation.'> llre \'er~' gr~nt fOl' 1111, A largE! l)J!ljorlly \:Ielong to families tht' lllQllIDel'l:; or WlllclL (lUi'll I.liell· 1l1'lllg' by theil' tlnlly llloor f)[ld whose cllrnlnjf.-i lire 80 lI1Elflgel' Lhut Huyllling whlcli call h~ atlc1l!'d by the ehll(1l'{'1l Is much needed, :\t:lll)' of Ihem are cold In \'I"illfCI', UliU l·.l::iO"O'-l1) must go hungry much of the time. More of them live in p and in poorly furnished homes. More than two-thirds of them ^ 14 years of age or earlier, to become breadwinners. Because of lack of proper " contact with nature and the experience which comes from suitable, purposeful, productive occupations, most of them do not get from their years in school such education as they should. Home gardening done by the children under the direction of the schools seems 'to offer what is needed. In all of the manufacturing villages, suburban com- munities, and smaller towns, and in the outskirts of the larger towns and cities, there is much valuable land in back yards, vacant lots, and elsewhere which might be used for this purpose. In every school in a community of this kind there should be at least one teacher who knows gardening both theoreti- cally and practically. This teacher, who should, of course, be employed 12 months in the year, should teach the elementary sciences in the schools during •chool hours and should, out of school hours, direct the home gardening of the children between the ages of 6 or 7 and 14 or 15. 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 shoulil help the children find the plats <>t ground near their homes best suited for garden work, aid them by some cooperative method in having the lots properly plowed and prepared for cultivation, help them select seeds, and show them how to plant, cultivate, and harvest, so as to obtain the best results The teacher should spend the afternoons and .Saturdays of winter, spring, and fall, when school is in session, and all of the vacation days of summer, if there are summer vacations, visiting die children in their homes, directing their work, and giving to each child such help as it most needs. Once a week or oftener, during the vacation months, the teachers should assemble the children in groups for a. discussion of their work and of the principles and methods involved. Vegetables, berries, and fruits grown should be u>ed fust as food for the chil- dren and their families: then the surplus should be marketed to the best advantage. Through the help of the teacher this can be done in a cooperative way. Ten or fifteen cents' worth of vegetables each day from the gardens of 200 children would amount to S'_'O or $:Hl. In summer and fall, when Hie surplus is large and can not be marketed to advantage, the 1each«r should direct and help the children in canning and preserving for winter QOVMB use or for sale. It is diliicult to estimate all the results of this plan once it is in full operation throughout the country. For the children it will mean health, strength, joy in work, habits of industry, and understanding of the value of money as measured in terms of labor, and such knowledge of the phenomena and forces of nature as must be had for an understanding ,,f most of their school lessons. They will also learn something at least of the fundamental principle of morality, that every man and woman must make his or her own living; must, by some kind of labor of head. hand, or heart, contribute to the common wealth as much as he or she takes from it; must pay in some kind of coin for what he or she gets. The economic and sociological results are also worthy of consideration. Ex- periments already made show that with proper direction an average child of the ages contemplated can produce on an eighth of an tctfe of land from .$f>0 to $100 WOrth of vegetables. A third of the children in the city schools of the United States might easily produce $908,000,006 a year. This plan in full operation would offer a valuable supplement to the child-labor laws. A boy 10 or 12 years old, with a small plat of land, working under careful direct ion, can produce more for the support of the family than could be purchased 3 wlth the same boy'J; wage!'! workIng tu ructccx. SJ10p,or mill. Chlld.l'e:n s.bonlll net be grounu III the mills nor: sweutea III We ruceortcs und SI101)!>;tuctr strengtu should not be sapped lind their nerves rM:!ioo 11~'wor-ktug 111tl:hc trent llllll dust UIH] noise of indoors; set 1111children S110\l1(1 learn to work. II I;; J;OIJd fat them, und they joy in It. . This ptuu III cperuttou wQ111(1/lo Illuch 1:(1 solve lhcpl"Cltllolll of the iille tcearo. :\ large pai-t of the Nt'gr(lt'>: Clf tho $out1\('rn Stares 11\'0 on the outskirts ot clLles utrd smau towns. ]~hE'ir cnhlu homes nre 1'I'I!f\\\!1nUy on. tnrge loh and surr-ounded with vacant lots coverot wnn weeds und 1'111,1)1511.Durtug the \"II,{'II111)11 1I10nth", the Nugru <;1111\11''01) roam illj~' on the streets, fn1111JJ; Into mlschil.'-t IUU! \'1('(:, Under Pl'OTW1'dil'(!ctloil lll",y mIght mnke. on uack vnrds and vuennr IO\1:l,{)llo\lgll to support urcmsetvee uurl more. In~iuelltl1.Ily these Negro \1111Il'ter~ wOUI(l btl dlllJJ;;ed rrom places nI' nglill('li;.S to places of beauty. l'l'olmuly uiorucst vutuaure reautt (lr thlSI)lnD would 1)I;lf(l\\I111Iu rue tad umt it wouta nmue it eitll.\" COl' lllo~t euudran to nneun school three or rour- yelll'S rouger- thtll) lll(!y noll' l!o, It thlllg 1\\01'(' alld lllOI'('! dC'Slroble, slnco edl.lClItirJlj f(lr Jlfe nnt1 l\U~(:!nllllljl hi om' ll1<\lt~tri{ll, ('lV/C, Illl~1 sodal {lpmOC1'(Le~' Cl'Ill nol be l,lbtuln!Xl lJ(:fOl'C Ille Jlge of tlrlOI~C(:IlCl(!, OOllllltU·l..:1 with tho results, t\llOlCl)~l. w(lUW Ile ineOll~hlerl,lblk\. NOIHldilioll to lhe nlllnbel' of leuchtri> wOll1l;1 bCl'(,"]ufL'oo. It \\'oultl only he lle<,-;:S$nty to rll(luirc (lll1'eL'ent Ill'CllUI'UL'lu!\ t'tll' olle ten~lI{'r In ctu,:h ~cll(l(ll. lnfty tbQUS>l.l1ilsuth Wllcllel's wO\1ld be ~uni(-icllt l'(Ji' ull lh~ dty, town, IlIl{LDlILllIlfat:11l1'lll!; \,111I1gQ.selwol;: ill tile Unlled Stlll.{'i', To atlll $500 II) til"" $llm'y of (lUI> tl;'ll<::her Iu cilch SChool In (lrd{l\" t.o n:lnln Ilil> 01' IWI" I;('n'lce~ Lhl'oug.lllJut the cllUre 12 Ilwllth~ would !'Cllulre. nn .uldIUoul\1 cXpfmllturn (ff. *25,(1)0,000, onl.1" one-twelfth of the present loin I (.'ost of th(~!;lclu.lOl~ aUII Ie&." UII;lJl ',mc-elghllJ 01 We lOl,itj value of wlll'lt might C'J.llll~' lie IlL'o(lL1C('lI \VIm !lOW :i;pulill nmdJ IUOI'Ctholl halt of theil' wllldug hours ill ld!el\~, hmtful to thelll nhrO:!<:liJly, lllcntnlly, IIml 1II0I'1l1l~'. WOl'k ulHlm' thl~ plUll i>llQuld becomu Il I'Cg\lltll' pllrt of lila schoo] cUl'l"ieulum. Gardening: lil~l'it" lift {leflllite. tt Illace 10 UI~school CO\U'1:Wl)S tlUr oll(\!l' il.lIl:rJect. TI~ United Bmtes School Gal'den Arlll.\, mIlt ol"gllul~\llJ tQ1' L!)e 1.1lll'IWRe of \iS$lstlllg 8chopl QlllChllS jjl lIl/lklng g[m]enlug II jllll't of so:huol wm"k. Till' eu· rolllllelilof Il\l\lIlR In :1 NIlt!oual Ol"g:ll\lzlltloll will InCl'll-llse iutCf{'l:jL III ~Ul'denillg, tell.('!1 \l1.lltl' of RCtiOIl, lincl hclp to t.'t"ellie R Sllh'll ().i' lmll'iot;lam,. • ,~ - _. PROPER EDUCATION INCLUDES KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO PRODUCE }'OOD. 1'11<:questton Defore tue ]lubl1<; tc-duy of vttuj tnterest to rue xettou ts the klnd of etucuuon the cnncrcn ./ii!louh.l have In oruer to uinlse meru tuteujgont cnteeus. It Is an ul1dISPU1(!(! filet thot uie power of th(J Oermnu people fOI" desrructtcn nud desire tor I1lnttlll'~' power caine nu-ougu ~'cl\rs of etlncullo'n nntl ruscrpnue of lite enuureu In nnumrtsm. 'rue rnture of OUr C(t\1ntr.l' depends on .1\lS! whnt educuttounl Ulcthoth; nrc nnrsueu here. The questton mm now ccnn-onrs _"'mel'lCO 15 wnnt ldnll of ertu- canon our chtlclreu should hnve. Tile esnoneoces of war taught us lhut me Qulr ron» of ouueauou nmt wns ndequute to uie »eeus or Cl\'ilize,IIHe demt\ll(ls umt the ChillI shull be Develope{l In " Lhe ndded YUille of rv(Xl IwotlucUon-lJllt 1\lso through develolling In tlle chlHl fill irltlmotc rC/.:lll'\l fOI' lile soli of his I,'OUlltl'y nud ills country's 1)I'Ollpel'ji~' 118 well n~ II ~I)lril of tllrHt l1nd ItlfJustr~'" Tile lel'ms" IIlQU\or cnnh" nU\1 lhe" IUOlhm']nml" will lHlI'llll llCI\"lInl1 df~I)Cl' ~1\>'1Ill\C[lncll" There wlll lie ue\'cIIJIlOu In tile child f< I'llI'Cl"encc to\' counb'Y II.nd fOl' the IltlWIlI' of SCI'l'lee, null he w"lIl fcel lhnt lie Iii II Illlrt-IUlli IlQ Slllnll [lnrt-:o'ro~ : G"OVI:U:>:MeS'1' l'RI",-rlllll OFFICIl: UIU