Morning journal and courier., 1894-03-29
KINDEReARTNERs mRET.

/
Public Meeting OF tho Elm
City Association Last Eveniog-a Die
Papers Head BY several Members OF
the Association. |,
A largely attended and exceedingly in
public meeting of the Elm City
Free kindergarten association was held IN
the chapel of the United church last even
ing. Ex-Mayor Peck presided. Reports
of the visiting committee and Of the free
kindercarten located on Oak street were
made by Rev. Mr.. Mossman and Miss B. 8.
Pierson, after which papers on the follow
ing interesting subjects were read: "A Plea
for Ktndergsrtens," written by Mrs. n. T.
Gridley and read by Miss Penney; ''Kin-
dergarten Associations" read by Miss E.
J. Phelps; "The kindergarten from q
Psychological Standpoint" read by Dr.. E.
F. Buchner; "The Memorial Kindergar-
tens" written by Miss Rose Porter and
read by Mas Mary O. Ltvermore.
Following is Mrs. Gridley's paper:
PLEA FOR KINDKRaARTEHs.
The thought that stirred the heart Of q
hild-loving German less than . century |
ago, and which in his active brain took
shape in the kindergarten, has to-day
taken deep root in many lands, and like
bsnyan tree spreads out kindly branches,
sheitering multitudes of little children
from the destroying power of evil. Ma
tions of the east and tbs west feel the in
dueuce of that thought. Missionaries of
the gospel laboring in foreign lands under
stand the Importance of laying founda.
lions we'll for the future, in winning and
training children for the right at the very
beginning of their dawaing Intelligence.
As the little child dsvelopes so the man
will be. The fundamental thought of the
kindergarten method is, that as soon az
there is conscious action the character be.
gins to be formed and the powers to take
their direction for life-that By simple,
natural, kindly methods adapted to the
child, character and process may be right
~ directed.
The first kindergarten movementin New
Haven was made in January, 1884, when .
school was started, first with the day
nursery and afterwards on franklin street.
This kindergarten began under the care
and instruction of Miss Brooks, With an
| assistant. Very soon the roll numbered
| sixty, the limit to the capacity of the room.
| There for six years noble work was car
4
to five years of age. Many of them at 6rst
dull, with little intelligence in their face s.,
after years training were bright and
| alert and when taken from the kindergar-
ten entered the public schools in a higher
grade. The homes of the children quickly
felt the influence of the kindergarten. for
the mothers, not only were ambitious to
have srheir little boys and girls neat
and clean at the kindergarten, but
ttey brushed up their own homes,
making them tidy and attractive.
Johnny says to me now" said mother,
thank you, NAM and yes, IMAM, rs you
say at the kindergarten never had such
| words said to ne before" One little fel.
low brought companion with him, whom
| he eagerly aeked the teacher to take in the
kindergarten. COB, teacher" he said, che
/ knows all the swear words.n That boy was
/ taken young enough to be nodded for good
a- quickly az he had been for evil and be
came one Of the best boys In the school
l The brightest hours in the children's lives
l were those spent in that room with the
kind teacher, the flowers in the win
dows, the bird in the cage, the pretty
| pictures on the wall, the sweet songs and
interesting games. But more than these
| we're the new thoughts that came to them
each day, making them rich in the posses
sion, and the new feeling of self respec
that crept into their hearts. In the Gum
l mer of 1880 the school board took this kin
dergarten under Its care, leaving, however
| all the children under four years of sR'
! unprovided for. The committee found /
l 70 difficult to secure the necessary money
was not thought best at that time to star
another kindergarten. Happily this gooi
york has been taken up again on bettel
basis
Six public kindergartens have under in
struction three hundred children of foul
years and over, but where are those o
three years and two years and half, Jus
/ the years when the child is most easil,
moldeda What is ths duty of the Nsu
| Haven people towards these waits on tn
| streetsa Are they to be left there, thos
who are to be future men and women; mel
who can vote, women who will WELD |
! power for good or evili Does not ever,
motive of patriotism bid us put our shout
/ der to the wheel and try to lift them int
/ characters that give promise of good ant
/ usefulnessi
In 1899 there were in the New Havel
| county Jail three Thousand and eight Grim
inals, while the expense to tho city of New
Haven alone of the maintenance of tn
. | alnshouse and its poor was $50, 1877, will
| boy or girl sent to the reform or industria
, | schools the state pays So per week. Twen
| ty children from New Haven placed thi
gear in the reform school would cost tn
, ! state nearly as much as three kinderRar
0 | tens of fifty children each. Not only is
criminal direct loss to the stat
e in the support Of prisons, police ant
! courts, but he robs the state of his indus
7 ! try and skill and of the infue ce of al
, | honest, upright life, the vslue of which
cannot be computed by dollars and cents
Cannot this criminal class be- reduced ant
much of this money be saved to the state
Experience says yes. From California
/ comes the report, after eleven years of sue
cessful work, with 1000 children unde
their care: 1--WE have yet to hear of tn
first offense commit ed by our kindergsr
ten children during all the years of on
work." From Boston 1t is reported that
kindergarten is better in a community thai
police station.
In our own city, the police and neigh
bors of the kindergarten on Fsnklin stree
testify to Its refining and purifying effect
| not only upon the children, but also upol
the Inhabitants of the street, Let Us tax
this testimony also from experience. 9Th
! most conspicuous and noticeable trait o
the true criminal is that he SENS to lacl
| the element of continuity of effort. fhi
ex.c,ly what the kindergarten 10 de
signed to accomplish. The little children
at their daily tasks are taught systemati
activity, perseverance, and industry; thes
traits become as 1t we're, q part of thei
very life, go as to be essentially automati
in tction, and for this reason voluntary.
1t Is with the children of the crimtna
classes, of the ignorant and degraded, in
heriting tendencies to all sorts of evil, tina
the kindergarten has to deal. But there
q mighty power over the child In tbs kind
patient, well directed effort; there is al
Infinite regenerating power in the love tina
/ said, LET the little ones come unto Ne
| and forbid them not" We do forbid then
If We do not give them a chance, If We d.
l not take them from the street and evil SUI
roundipgs into a true, pure atmosphere
: where they can learn obedience, self con
troll and responsible action. Two dollar
given each year to the free kindergarten
fund is very little to give out of abundance
but it will mean to some child the advsn
tage of the kindergarten for q year, an,
may mean for that soul the difference be
tween criminal life and an honest, usefu
one; chance here and hope for the lif
: | that is to come.
Three years ago the New York Ere
kindergarten association began its worl
, and have now eleven kindergsrtens, aver
l aging fifty children each. Through tn
S influence of the association the board o
, education has voted to introduce kin
, dergsrten in each primary department a
rapidly as possible The kindergarten ids
does not antagonists the public school sya