The stamps
of many countries show the heads of the rulers. One of the most
attractive of these is the United States postage stamp showing "Columbus
in Sight of Land."
The album should be kept on the reading table with the scrapbooks, in
order that pupils may have access to it during their periods of leisure.
Dolls may be dressed in the national costume or to represent historical
personages.
This form of construction work may be done outside of school hours by
pupils under the direction of the historian and artist. The dolls, when
dressed, may be made the centers of court, home, field or forest scenes
arranged on the sand table.
A _Musician_ or musicians may tell us of the characteristic music of the
country, and of famous singers or composers. She may also sing or play
the national song or air of the country, if there be one.
The singer should be dressed in national costume, if it is possible to
secure it, or to make it out of calico, paper, or some other cheap
material.
A _Man of Letters_ may tell of the famous men and women of the country
through which we are traveling, and may visit their homes with us. He
may call attention to the literature of the people and give selections
from noted writers, from or about the places visited.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE TRIP.
With maps, guide-books, time-tables and notebooks before us, we look up
the steamer lines and routes and decide when, where, and how to go.
(Good maps will be found in the railroad guide-books).
City newspapers publish once a week the lines of steamboats and their
times of sailing. The steamboat agents also furnish advertising matter
giving other necessary and interesting information.
When we have decided upon our route, we telegraph ahead for our
staterooms. Now let us plan for our baggage. What kind of a trunk must
we take? Why a steamer trunk? How large must this be? What will we do
with this trunk when we leave the boat? (We are advised to leave it and
part of its contents at the ship company's office. They will store it
until we are ready to take the return trip). How many pounds of baggage
are we allowed on the steamer?
What other baggage shall we take (hand bags)? Why not small trunks?
(Because every pound of baggage must be paid for in some countries.)
Many countries have not our convenient system of checking baggage. What
else will we need? (Traveling rugs.)
What clothes must we take? First, we must take warm clothes for steamer
wear, which may be packed away when we arrive. Then we must take
traveling suits for train wear, and thin clothing to use after arriving
at our destination.
We have promised friends at home that we will inform them of our safe
arrival immediately. How can we do this? By mail? Is there not a quicker
way? How many know of the cable? How many have ever sent a cablegram?
Can we cable from Puerto Rico? How much will it cost? Our guide-books
give us all this information.
We must have guide-books, phrase books, toilet articles and writing
materials. These should be packed in linen or canvas bags, because more
easily carried about than heavy leather satchels.
Our guide must be able to speak Spanish, for that is the language of the
Puerto Rican people.
If one of our party acts as guide, we must be careful to select a
polite, tactful, and, above all, a patient and good-natured person.
Why? - Because his patience will be severely taxed many times during this
trip.
Arriving at the city from which we are to sail, we visit points of
interest, the docks especially, and compare our steamer with others,
learning what we can about all the ships in the harbor.
If our lesson is well planned, we can accomplish a great deal the day we
sail.
CLASS WORK.
After two or three conversational lessons, let pupils begin their
diaries (composition books). In these may be written descriptions of
what they see, hear, or read about the place being studied or visited.
In most schools will be found one or more pupils who have been upon or
crossed the ocean. Let them give both oral and written descriptions of
the voyage.
In giving accounts of these journeys, have pupils describe the incidents
and details of everyday life on ship-board. They may tell of the ship,
its furnishings, rigging, engines, officers and crew.
Let them also describe the dining room, the meals, and the manner of
serving.
They may further describe a stateroom or berth, and picture their fellow
passengers in words or drawings.
It will greatly cultivate their power of expression to tell how the time
on board the vessel was passed, and to narrate any interesting
occurrences of the voyage. They may describe the ocean by day and by
night; also its appearance in a storm.
Many will be interested in descriptions of the birds that were met and
of the fishes that swarmed about the ship.
If time will not permit each pupil to give oral descriptions or to write
compositions on each topic, assign a different topic to each pupil. Bind
all papers together, when finished, to keep with scrap-books devoted to
the country visited.
These diaries or reproduction stories may be illustrated with pictures
clipped from illustrated papers and other sources or by original
drawings.
Try to secure specimens of seaweed to be exhibited to pupils during the
lesson on the sea voyage. Ask pupils to secure ocean shells, sponges,
pictures of sea birds, and specimens or pictures of other animal and
plant life in the ocean.
AFTERNOONS ABROAD.
At the conclusion of the study of a country, a topic may be assigned to
each pupil, or selected by him.
