good care of their own property first, for unless
a child cares rightly for his own, he is not likely to take much thought
for the things of others.

3. Respect for public property. This is something that needs attention
badly. It is a very common thing to find people destroying trees,
flowers, etc., in public places, throwing refuse on the street, and
otherwise disfiguring their surroundings. A beginning of better habits
may be made by getting the pupils to aid in beautifying and decorating
the school building by means of pictures, either prints or their own
work, by flowers in pots, by keeping the floor and walls clean and free
from marks and litter; also in making the grounds around the school more
attractive by means of flowers and shrubs. Arbor Day may be made of
great use in this respect, if the spirit of that Day can be carried
through the whole year. A pride in the attractiveness of the school will
have its influence on the pupils in the wider life of the community.

A knowledge of the machinery of government may be based on the pupils'
knowledge of the organization of the school. The appointment, power, and
duties of the teacher are the starting-point. The next step will be to
investigate the composition of the board of school trustees. This may be
done at the time of an election for school trustees. The following
questions may serve as an outline of study for all the political bodies
by which we are governed:

1. Who compose the board of trustees? (In the smaller local bodies,
the names of the members may be mentioned, as giving a personal
interest in the matter.)

2. How and by whom are they elected?

3. For what period are they elected?

4. How is the board organized for the conduct of business?

5. What powers do they possess?

6. What duties have they to fulfil?

7. How do they raise the money needed for their work?

8. How is the board rendered continuous? (By electing a successor
to a member who resigns; by the trustees remaining in office till
their successors are elected.)

Other governing bodies may be taken up similarly, for example: Municipal
Councils (township, county, village, town, or city council), Provincial
Legislature, Dominion or Federal Parliament, Imperial Parliament. A
suitable time to bring up the topic of how elections are conducted would
be when an election for any of the above bodies is in progress.
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