Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-06-16
A REMARKABLE SCHOOL.
EXTENDING THE KINDERGARTEN PRIH
CIPLE TO ELDER CHILDREN.
the Society for Ethical Cult.
ure In New York,
NV York. June S. 1859.

mean-the drawing out and developing of
the faculties of the child, and the ineulca.
ton of knowledge through means addressed
to the chi]d's imagination, fancy, natural
tastes, and natural desire to be amused.
Thus kindergarten school is really play
school, where study is not task, and
where object teaching in its simplest forms
is the method of instruction.
WE HAVE HERE,
In New York, a society for ethical cult.
ure. DR.. Felix Adler is it's director. He
is among the more advanced of the liberal
thinkers of the day. But he is by no
means so radical as to live in the cloud.
land of theory. Very far from it; he is
practical man in the severe sense. His
theories he desires TO see worked out to
practical results. Adler and the society
named, of which he is the chief, believe
that the Kindergarten system is applicable
to elder children. That object teaching in
the realm OF industrial education is the
best OF all teaching, and that the very best
work we can do
FUR THE POOR
Is to be educate them, and at the game
time give them the means to use or apply
what they learn. The ordinary school,
says the society, turns the boy out in
structed, but helpless. He cannot do any
thing. But with our school, we will turn
them out instructed in practical methods
II we teach him mathematics, we show
him their use in carpentry, masonry, cabi-
net work, etc. II we teach him chemistry
and philosophy, we show him how to ap-
ply the principles in the production of
food, the preparation Of clothing ETC., and
so on by like methods. Thus, according
to the Adler school, the boy or girl leaves
it knowing how to do something by which
an honest living can be earned at once.
THIS IS A GREAT WORK,
If it will work. l have Just visited the
school-or rather on four different DAYS
have visited its sections. Shall 1 en-.
deavor to explain it @? 1t is difficult to do.
and no ordinary letter will be long enough
to do so in detail. 1 will therefore speak
of it in general terms, and touch upon the
principles involved, for believe they may
be applied in every city in the whole coun.
try, and that they solve the question of
industrial education. The school was es-
tablished in Forty-sixth street over five
years ago, and the teachers were volun.
teera. Very soon salaried teachers had to
be employed. 1t began with a simple kin.
dergarten. In three years some of the
kindergarten pupils were too large for the
primary grades. What should be done
with them? " 1 will carry them into up-
per kindergarten grades, said Adler. and
he went to work with his society at his
back. How did he succeed
YOU SHALL SEE.
He noted that the little ones in school de.
veloped their tastes and inclinations some
had an aptitude for construction, some for
copying, some for originating, some for
fine handiwork, some for heavy manual vo.
cations. Now" said he to his teachers,
"we will direct these pupils in these chan.
nels, where we are certain they have fixed
tastes, and those the children will develop
in to the best advantage" Taey found
out that physically child can endure
certain degree of work, and be all the bet
II.
was graduated to that knowledge, So the
Workingman's School was established
| 1t consists Of eight grades. When the
child has been three years in the kinder
garten he passes to the eighth grade, from
that, IN one year. to the seventh, from that
| to the sixth, etc. Thus at the end of eight
years the child is from IA to Is, and is
turned out and finished, not only with a
| y,r9cEiaaI Eel
trade, or at least with the means of subse.
quent perfection in trade, and the pres
ent ability to earn living, and fully &C.
quainted with the necessity for labor and
economy, and the very best means of max.
ing labor pay.
! HOW IS THIS DONE?
l will endeavor to explain. The chill.
dren are all from the poorer class; those
whose labor is early needed to aid the
family. Their tuition is free, and even
clothing is given those too distressed to
furnish proper garments The girls are
nearly all clothed py the ladies of the so.
cietv. The building is 80 by 80 feet, and
Is i've stories high, with a ground floor
hall addition that will seat $50 children.
This building cost SS6. $50. Now the $50
eiety for Ethical Cdltdre has certain re-
lgious views, but 1t in no way introduces
them into this school, As consequence,
many people contributed the money for the
building, to aid the organization, who do
not at all believe with Professor Adler's
society. These people also aid it in raising
the 3d. 900 a year needed to keep the
school moving.
THE SYSTEM OF TEACHING
Is according to what Adler calls the
creative method; :" that is, he teaches
that lessons in production of objects is an
advanced kindergarten system. In the
latter children learn from objects; in the
former they reproduce them to create
others. He holds that the industrial edu-
Gators make the mistake of making the
! pupils machines. His method is to
teach them how to produce what they
need, and, so far as is possible, to evolve
the means of doing SO from their own
knowledge. The inventive faculty, there
fore, is what he largely cultivates. This
creative method, by which the child is not
only taught how to execute, machine-like,
but to develop originality and elevate his
numanlby-lS taught, lnueeus HOW 10 thlnh
and reason as we'll as to act and do-this
creative method, the society holds, de
velops and trains the intellect, refines the
taste aud directs the impulses of the char
actsr in the channels that they manifest
as most agreeable to the being. In the
school-room the child is not only taught
the forms and dimensions of, say the tri.
angle, rhomboid, square, cylinder, circle,
etc, but is taught to produce the objects
in wood or metal and demonstrate their
properties and forms, and apply them to
something he knows of and can under
stand.
KNOWLEDGE THUS ACQUIRED
He cannot forget. It is forever impressed
upon him. Then, his next lesson carries
him to combinations of forms and objects,
| and he applies them. and tests their rela.