TROISIÈME SECTION

— 412 —things to the course of study which we plan for ail; but it hasbeen demonstrated that to some few we should offer opportunitiesto learn kinds of work for which they have especial talents.Such work would be of disciplinary as well as of practicalvalue. To offer a troublesome girl a line of work that willabsorb her misdirected énergies is one means of starting heron the road to self control. For girls who have had educationaladvantages superior to most of the others, and for girls whohave been brought back from parole for further moral training,such courses of instruction would be invaluable. If such girlsare to receive the disciplinary benefit which they need, theirinterest must be held and their faith maintained that they canalways continue to acquire here something of practical value.Vocal Music.—Classes in vocal music, for ail girls, havebeen held four times a week.The plan adopted last year of selecting voices and assigninggirls to classes, regardless of cottages or grades and solelyon account of musical qualifications, has been continuée! withvery satisfactory results. Three groups have been maintained:viz., high soprano, médium and low voices, and ail but thenewest girls have been assigned to appropriate groups. Withthis classification, the two and three part singing has beendone with purer tone and greater intelligence.A book of words and music was introduced this year.Heretofore ail singing was done from words alone, thèse beingfurnished by duplicate printing from a typewritten stencil. Thebook is an improvement over the copies prepared on themimeograph and it has been appreciated.Physical Culture.—The purposes of the gymnasiurn areprincipally two :—the ability to control self and the ability torelax self, both of which require pupils to enter whole-heartedlyand unanimously into whatever is undertaken,—gymnasiurnwork, dancing or games,—thus acquiring he.alth, grâce and fun.With thèse aims in view, the gênerai lesson plan includes;1. Military work, which promûtes quick compréhension of acommand and prompt obédience to it, and shows the worth ofindividual attention and alertness in making a perfect unit.— 413 —2. Hand apparatus,—such as dumb-bells, Indian clubs,—are alsomade to supply mental as well as physical needs, and thepupils are encouraged to think out what a command expressesand to dépend less on imitation of the teacher. 3. Circle games,relay races, or fancy steps with music are given in everylesson and tend to cultivate a feeling of self-forgetfulness andgood fellowship.Spécial corrective work is given to the pupils who need it.During the summer months the time is devoted entirelyto games, ail of which are held out on the playground, andinclude tennis, basketball, tether bail, volley bail and croquet.The Garden Work.—The garden work is performed by thegirls under the supervision of the garden matron, who takesout two classes each day. The work is divided so that eachclass has charge of a plot of ground, preparing the soil, plantingthe seed and caring for the plants until the crop is matured.During the past year there have been about eight acresunder cultivation and the results have been even more gratifyingthan in past years. Ail the vegetables that could be usedduring the summer were produced as well as a larger portionthan ever before of the winter supply. Hotbeds are used forstarting the plants for both vegetable and flower gardens. Thecare of the trees, lawns, the rose borders and flowering shrubs,the private flower beds allowed each cottage, the small fruits,the spraying and ail cultivation, in fact ail of the work exceptthe necessary team work of plowing and harrowing is doneby the girls.This out-of-door work is of great value to the institution,not only from the standpoint of economy, but also of theeducational, physical and moral development of the girls.An interesting bit of work, accomplished chiefly by thegirls, was the clearing off of thorn bushes, some of largegrowth, from a side hill which had not been cultivated sincethe institution was established. The thought of Arbor Day wasin their minds and the work was done enthusiastically, withno tools except old hatchets. The land thus cleared produceda fine crop of sweet corn.