Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1871-02-24
KrNDERGAERrEN.
An American VVOman's work.

An American WOman's Work. 3.
Miss Elizabeth Peabody has recent-
Iy delivered in Washington a series Of
lectures on the kindergarten method
of training children, as invented By
Froebel, and now extensively prae-
ticed in Germany.
Her interest was first aroused, and
her attention drawn to the subject,
from seeing the children Of Senator
Schurz, who had been trained by their
mother after the kindergarten meth
cd,
It is exceedingly important, says
Miss Peabody, that Froebel's method
should be carefully studied and fully
understood; because many Of the
schools called KindeTgartens are only
paTodies of the true Kindergarten, and
their faults and failures must nos be-
allowed to disgrace the true prihciple.
Froebel took his first lesson from the
mothers talk and play with her child.
and making this his model, returned
1t to her, broadened and sympathized.
The instinct that makes mother
play with her baby, is a revelation of
= first principles giving Che key DOfe
of human education, and uu0n $
FroebeI mOdnIated his whole SYSTEM.
The children are taught TO play. not
restrained from play and given less
ons to learn, as many think, and pro
nounee 1t barbarous cruelty, but
taught, uRcOnsciously TO themselves
through their plays. Froebel 5 idea Is.
to follow the plan of Nature il all her
works, and develop the child eradu-
ally, as a plant or a flower is devei-
Oped. Children are plants. Hence the
name KENasEgaTzeN, ehild's garden;
and the beautiful word Kindergarten,
child's gardner, instead of the old
harsh, much abused, time-worn teach
er.
A kindergarten course covers four
years, between the ages of three and
seven. Persons who have given the
subject no attention excIaim at once
at the idea Of sending a child of three
years of age to school" IF that were
really done. it would certainly be a
proper case for the investigation of
Mr.. Bergh But it is not school in
the ordinary sense Of the word
1t is simply a large playhouse, where |
the activity, the exuberance of child |
hood which of necessity knocks down, |
tears up, pulls to pieces, the person of |
the ';rrepressible infant" the perfect
pest" who destroys the comfort of |
many home,i is directed guided, assist
ed into harmonious development, ma
king it a source of happiness to him
elf and others, so that the child be-
comes literally the'aDgel in the house,
the ''well-spring of pleasure" that God |
intended il to be. In brief, the aim of the /
Kindergarten is, instead of crushing /
Or paralyzing the child's activity, to |
utilize it. And just here lies its inn
measurable superiority to ordinary /
primary schools, which are q perpetual /
antdgonism and struggle with nature.
because all the natural activity and
of childhood is repressed
instead of developed.
FRoEBEI's METHOD.
A lady who travelled in Europe to
study FFOebePs method, brought home
rom Dresden the whole series of
work done by class of children who
began at three years of age and con-
inued till seven aud no one has seen
t without being convinced that it must
laye educated the children who did it
o habits of attention and keenness of
observation, and quickness of percep-
ion that would make the learning to Il
cad and write and cipher a much
asier matter than it ever is under or /
Iinary teaching. You doubt i'll Well I
facts are stubborn things" so now
or facts. Rather more than a year
inee young lady, educated in Froe-
'el's method, opened a Kindergarten
n town IN Massachusetts,. A ma
lrity of the children sent 70 her were
TX years q age, as parents could not
e induced to send them younger. In
be course Of a year It was desirable
hat they should learn 10 read. The
sssons marked for SO many weeks
hey completed In as many hours and q
. three weeks could read fuently.
he previous training had given ex- {
uisite delieacy and keeuness to their
exceptions, and they did the work {
md these results are attained by
leans of blocks, sticks, balls, colored '
apers and children s mSmes and plays.
he "object lessons" of our primary q
,hools do not reach anything like the
anne results for the reason that they a
resent separate and disconnected
lcts while Froebel's system is a
radual building up, a symmetrical i
lining together of cause and effect,
laking clear impressions that be-
1me the basis of clear ideas" v