uits of
the earth" in a basket, as soon as Canaan became their possession. The
baskets of the rich, of these ancient Israelites were made of gold and
silver, and so valuable were they that when a gift was sent in one of
them the basket was always returned.

The ancient Britons were remarkably expert in the manufacture of
baskets, which were so beautifully made that they were highly prized by
the Romans.

Our own American Indians were, and still are, such adepts in the art of
basket-making that, for beauty and artistic effect, their baskets are
excelled by none.

The perfection attained in this art by the uncivilized is marvelous.
Adapting the materials about them to their use, they produce
masterpieces which the civilized man beholds in wonder and amazement.

Though handed down to us through many ages, this ancient occupation has
never lost its fascination. The adult and the child of to-day are as
eager to learn its secrets as were those dwellers on the banks of the
Nile, hundreds of years ago.

As a plastic art it lies between paper construction and clay modeling
on one side, and wood and iron work on the other.

A keen interest in the art may be awakened by arousing in the child a
desire for a basket for some practical purpose. In the autumn, the
collecting of seeds for next spring's planting, the gathering of nuts,
the need for something in which to take the lunch to school, or,
perhaps, a wish to make a pleasing gift for the coming Christmas, will
immediately suggest its utility.

[Illustration: NORTH CAROLINA PINE]

Of what shall the basket be made? Children enjoy those things most
which they feel that they have exerted themselves to obtain; and the
greater the effort involved, the greater the educational value. Every
child should be trained to keep his eyes open and to adapt to his use
the things he sees about him. Materials for baskets may be obtained in
just this way. City children may take a trip to the country and gather
the long grasses found in swamps and low places. Perhaps in the garden
at home there is a clump of yucca; when the fall comes and the bloom is
gone the leaves or blades may be cut, dried and stripped, and
transformed into an attractive basket or tray. Again, the husks which
are stripped from the corn cooked for dinner may be torn into narrow
ribbons and dried for use. Corn husks make a beautiful basket, for the
different shades of green change, after the husks have dried, to as
many