St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-07-12
Four Of Them in Operation
and Doing a Very Good
Work.
Value to a Community Of Just
Such Free InStitu-
tionS.
The President Makes a Timely
Appeal to the People for
Aid.
To the Editor Of the Globe.

| w IA lOd oRoSO IL
your columns to report to the public the
condition of our free kindergarten work?
As the public, by their private cOntri-
buttons support this work, they have a
right to know how their money is being
spent. and with what results. And they
will be interested in the success of the
| good cause.
The free kindergarten work began in
September. 1856. with one kindergarten,
in the hall of the relief society. The
next year there were two and then
three 'gartens. Another year saw a
| fourth 'garten started, and the closing
OF one which we thought was not in the
best locality; and then the opening of a
fifth 'garten; thus leaving four 'gartens
| in operation. These four have been do
ing very good work up to the present
/ time.
One 'garten has been located in the
hall of the relief society, on Ninth
street near Jackson street, in charge of
| Miss Mary 5. Clarke; one on the "Swede
| Hollow FILL" at 624 East Seventh street,
| in charge of Miss Alice c. McCray; one
| in Faith chapel" Chicago avenue near
| Custer avenue, West st. Paul, in charge
| of Miss Susie Green, and one in the
Bohemian chapel OF the Plymouth
| Congregational church. ON Erie street
near ST. Clair street. in charge of Miss
| Gertrude Berry. In the four 'gartenS
about 200 children have been enrolled
| during the last year. Children of the
! poor are taken, IRON three years to six
| years of age. The average attendance
| has been good. although affected by
| severe cold weather, storms, and preva-
! lence of sickness among children.
During the last two years we have
| also maintained a training school. to
| train young ladies to be kindergartnerS.
! The course has been ten months each
year, including both instruction and
| practice. The pupils in the training
school receive their practice by assist
! ing in the four kindergartens.
A class of ten kindergarthers gradu-
| ated last year, and another class of ten
| this year. Two of our la { years gradu-
ates have been i'm charge of two of our
| 'gartens during the present year.
| All our 'gartnerS have done well; and
we greatly desire to retain all of them
for next years work.
| Gradually the community is learning
to comprehend the work of the thorough
| Kindergarten.
And still there are some who seem to
| think that a kindergarten is merely a
! nice place for the children to play while
| they are kept out of mischief, and their
! mothers relieved of their care. But this
/ is not the idea of the kindergarten; it is
rather the idea of that other excellent
institution, the DAY Nursery" But
| the kindergarten is school for giving
| to infant children their fundamental
mental training, which shall develop
their minds in the right directions and
| shall thus save them from the disOrderIy
| mental methods and habits which they
would otherwise be likely to adopt.
The kindergarten proposes to ''get the
first chance" at the little opening mind
before it is bent in wrong directions.
The plays, etc, are merely the meth
| DDS by which a thorough systematic and
| consistent mental training is carried on,
and the mind of the child symmetrically
| developed. And the attention and in
terest of the child are secured by the
! fact that he is attracted by the play.
But. in the play, he is guided and led
through successive steps of mental de-
velOpment. deep meaning lies in
childish plays"
Now, to average families, this kinder
garten training is afforded by the vari-
Gus private 'gartens. But the poor are
not able to afford even the small price
of tuition. And, for these poor children,
! our free kindergartens are sustained.
It may be supposed by some that the
parents can give such training to their
! children. But there are few parents
who are prepared to do such work, even
I if they can find the time, and the great
! majority cannot give the time. But it
| is almost impossible for the labOring
poor to find the time for such work.
And because of their constant occu-
patton and limited premises, their chill
! dren are likely to run in the streets.
| Their opportunities tor useful mental
development are very few.
And even if the parents themselves
| are among the disorderly classes, we
take the children into the kindergar-
! tens and eounteract the influences of
! their home surroundings.
And very often we find that the in
| fluence of the kindergarten reacts upon
| the parents, through the children, and
| thus helps the whole family. The pa
rents will bear, from their children, a
criticism which they would not permit
from others.
A few cynical persons have declined
! to aid in the mental training OF the poor
children on the ground of Gains ques-
ton, "Am my brothers. keeper"
But it can be demonstrated that every
man is his brothers. keeper, to the ex-
tent of his influence. Those who are
more faVOrably situated owe sympathy
and aid to the destitute. And even if
| the destitute adults are unworthy, this
| fact does not justify Indifference 10 the
welfare of their innocent children. In
every way, spiritually. morally, phySic-
| olI nd SnnnniaIixr II IL 70 hot
| the child to come under good influences.
| And the more he Is denied those in
| tiueneeS by his natural guardians, the
more his fresh and loving little heart,
and his opening intellect, full of the
| greatest undeveloped possibilities of
manhood, cry out to US for sympathy
and help.
And, even on the more selfish ground
| of policy, the community cannot afford
to allow such child 10 grow up within
its bounds neglected and unprotected.
| Every wisely-trained character has a
positive value to the community. But
every child growing up without good
opportunities is menace to the COM
munity. Even as matter of policy it
| is cheaper to feed the Indians than it is
to fight them. And, because the free
kindergarten for the poor is a potent
| influence for good, it is mercy and a
protection to the whole community. 1t
gives to the wise poor the golden Oppor-
tunities which they gladly embrace ;
and it reseues the innocent children of
| the vicious poor from their imminent
peril.
The kindergarten makes the child a
better citizen. 1t trains him to observe
closely the world in which he lives; to
delight in it; to use it without abusing
it: to do his part in the community; TO
practice self-eontrol, patience and con-
| tentment Give Us the little children in
| our kindergartens, and we will check
| the spread of grumblers. winners. nihil-
lists and anarchists. We will help you
| develop a class of young men and women
who, though poor, shall be worthy; and
who will be worth to the community
! far more than their training cost the
| community.
No money is spent more wisely than