The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1886-01-01
THE kENDERGAEFES AS PaoFEs-
SION.

/ nifies ehild-garden on garden Of children:
not, as many suppose, a garden of flowers
and plants. wh here children disport them
| selves At their own sweet viii; but gar
den where each ehild-plant is surrounded
by the conditions necessary to his harmo-
NOUS development according to the laws Of
his own being.
Children should be reared in an atnos-
phere of love and purity, for they absorb
into their very beings the conditions Of
their environment, even as the most sensi-
tive plant. The aim of the kindergarten
child, 50 that he may attain the stature Of
a perfect man made in the image Of God.
The kindergarten is mirror in which
the Kindergarten reflects her own person.
atty into the souls Of the little ones Who
gather about her
Some Jealous persons, realizing the III
iluence which the kindergarten excrts in
moiding the character of the little ones an
der his charge. insist not only upon The
teacher being christian. meaning a mem
Der of some evangelical church, but that
the children shall be Taught creeds and
texts. Nothing could be farther from the
principles taught by Froebel or more con
trary to the true religious culture Of The
child. Christ himself said unless ye be-
come as little children, yc cannot enter the
Kingdom Of Heaven. They are Chrst's
children
Rousseau, who created an education rcy-
oiution in France a hundred years ago,
whose effects are felt to this day, believed
that children should receive no religious
education; that childhood and youth should
be devoted to the study Of nature, and not
until the boy sought the solution Of the
mysteries and miracles with which nature
taunts her deyotces, should he hear the
word God Neither Of these extremes can
be the right course. Froebel believed and
there are many intelligent. Christian peo-
pie who agree with him. that religious IN
stfuetion to the very young should be
through the simple prayer, The tender story
and the every day lessons Of love, purity
and honor.
1t is popularity supposed that any one
can become kinderg and teach or
amuse children from 4 10 8 years Of age.
Such is not the case, as any one can see by
reading the history of the kindergarten or
the biography of Froehel. Frobel was 40
years Of age before he founded the kinder
garten, although tile subject Of infant edit
cation had engaged his attention for years.
He knew the old methods were wrong, but
ROW to find the right one and make it
adaptable and practicable.
His preparation for the work WAS extern
sive and thorough. He had been an archi-
tect, forester and keeper Of accounts. He
was skilled in drawing, music and The
classics He was at different times pro-
fessor Of mathematics and mineralogy. and
an earnest student of history, science and
philosophy He attended the University
of Jena, and when not engaged in teaching
was absorbed in private Investigations and
study. The kindergarten was the result
of these years of study and research, and
it embraces the elements Of all the arts
and sciences. Ii is a scientific and lhilcs-
optical method of development based ON
natural law
A Kindergarten, therefore. shonld be
an educated person. for She will find tile
kindergarten to be the counterpart Of her
self Some one has wisely said that man
cannot find in history what he has first
found in himself and it is equally appli-
cable to the Kindergarten. The kinder
garten is the microcosm or little world, the
counterpart of the great world.
The kindergarten course should never
cease. It's methods are as applicable to
the university as to the infant school.
The story is often told Of the young man
who went to Agassiz for instruction 10
natural history. Agassiz gave him fish
instead of book After half An hour
the student returned To him, SAYING that
hc knew all about the fish. 4 few well
directed questions from the great matura-
list convinced him that there was somc-
thing yet to learn about it, and he returned
to the labratory. The examination Of the
specimen went on several weeks, and not
until lac had discovered for himself all
that was known Of that particular species
was the lesson complete and another speei-
men supplied in its place. So the investi-
CATION and examination Of natural speci-
mems went ON. and not until he was able
to compile book of facts discovered by
his own unaided efforts, was he permitted
to read what others had discovered.
Agassiz was true kindergartener, and So
is every original investigator.
The kindergarten course for teachers
generally occupies ten months, hnt some
nomals require two years course. II
consists Of lectures on child culture.
psychology and pedagogies, in addition to
the practical work in the gifts and oeenpa-
tions and actual practice in the kinder
gartcn. To the mother, teacher, or. IN
fact any one who wishes to be thoroughly
educated. course of kindergarten in
struction is almost indispensable. Every
girl graduate, and il would be no disad-
vantage to the other sex, should have a
years instruction i'll the theory and prae-
tice Of the kindergarten. 1t would enable