National Republican., 1881-02-21
PUBLIC KINDERGARTEN.
An Appropriation Reauested-HOw the
System Should be Enlarged.


Senator Harris has presented in the
Senate petition from Mrs Louise Pollock, which
had been presented a year before by General
James A. Garfield in the House, asking for an ap-
preparation of 200 to pay rent and delray all the
necessary expenses of teachers furniture &C., of
public kindergarten, in connection with the
public schools. The petition approved by the
superintendent public schools. In the memo
rial provision is made that one lady well qualified
by education from every State shall receive her
normal training free. The kindergarten system in
the hands of teacher who simply wishes to make
q living by her profession, and who considers any
kind of preparation or training good enough
for young children, is great stum-
bling block to its being generally adopted in our
public schools Many of these ill-prepared teach
ers undertake to prepare teachers in their turn to
the great detriment Of the kindergarten cause and
the little ones intrusted to their care. If Mrs.
Pollocks petition is granted she hopes TO be able
to build model kindergarten. unless she can find
the right kind of building with grounds for play
and gardening purposes, ApOrtion of this build
ing will be reserved for pay kindergarten, for
the income from this will be needed to use for sal
aries of assistants fuel, furniture, &C.. for both
the public and private kindergarten and school
Early last fall the school board of trustees received
proposition from Mrs. Pollock that she would
give twenty free kindergarten lectures to the young
ladies of the normal school, which was not ac-
cepted for lack of time At their last board meet
ing the following communication was received
Being convinced that it will be very great
benefit to the pupils of the primary schools if
their teachers would have knowledge of and
adopt kindergarten principles and methods in their
schools, we hereby express our readiness to give
at our regular monthly meetings of the Washing
ton kindergarten Union an opportunity for
teachers see give free Kindergarten exercises
with public school children Qhc same as we did at
the State university of North Carolina at their
normal SESSION.. We pray your honorable body TO
aid lis in this undertaking by giving the use of
lighted school room or bear the expense of rent
ing lecture-rOOm or hail. the second. Tuesday
evening of every month Except July and August),
rooms are nOtlarge enough to accommodate
all whom these lessons are intended to benefit. |
We consider that this would be a great step to-
ward giving the public school children the benefit
of the kindergarten system of instruction.
The communication is signed by Mrs. Louise
Pollock and Miss Susie Pollock, principals of the
kindergarten Normal Institute of this city Wash
ington being the Capital of the nation it is just
the right place for national public kindergarten
and training school for teachers and it is to be
hoped that Mrs Pollock, who for twenty years has
been unremitting in her study and advocacy of
the kindergarten philosophy, will receive the aid
she demands for her praiseworthy undertaking.