Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1895-05-23
THE KINDERGARTBN.
lContinued fro n secondIp go ]

The soul is developed by constant exercise
in right don,. The kindergarten believes
that the soul grows by exercise as well as the
body and mind; that to become unsel6sh a
child must act unsel6shly; that to become
kind, he must have constant exercise in acts
Of kindness; he must "learn through doing, 4"
here as elsewhere.
Every child has in him powers, possibilities
and capacities that are his alone, and unlike
those of any other human being. He is like
the seed which contains all of the future
plant. In the right soil, with the right
amount Of air, sun and rain, the seeds Of
power will grow, and the child become what
God meant him to be. While at home, the
child has the right soil, sun, air and rain, per-
haps. His parents are willing that he should
be an individual and in the happy freedom of
home atmosphere, he grows and expands
naturally during the first three or four years Of
his life. If he goes to a kindergarten, this
kind Of growth will 60 on, for there is place
in the child garden that is his alone. He is
no more expected to be the child his neighbor
is, or to do the exact thing his neighbor does,
than two flowers growing side by side in a
real garden, are expected to put forth the
same number of leaves and blossoms. Each
child has opportunity to develop what is in
him.
But suppose, as the years 60 on, he does
not 90 the child garden, which has been tried
and proved to have the best soil, the right
amount of sun. air and rain, and where the
gardner has been trained for child cuture2
He will be very like flower in tolerably
good soil, with chance amount OF sun, air and
rain, in the care Of a more or less skillful but
unframed gardener
The kindergarten stands for individual de-
velopment; and knowing it, you will at least
wish yonr child to have the training for a
year or two, even if he does go to public
school later en-, where a large number OF
children make class work necessary. Atleast
you will put the tender little slip in the right
soil, and in sheltered, sunny garden, even if it
has to be transplanted to the open prairie later
on to grow there as best it can.
Another reason for putting child into a
kindergarten is, that he must and will have
the companionshp Of other children, and it is
right that he should. Man is by nature
social being, and child can no more be
happy without the companonship of his
equals than his father can. In the kindergar-
ten world, where he finds the society he
Graves, he gets in songs, stories, games and
work, his first lesson in citizenship. These
lessons are especially emphasized in the games
he plays, as the principle underlying them is
largely sociological. A child comes to the
kindergarten from home, where for long
time he has been the center Of not always
wise thought and observation, This is more
or less true OF all children, but especially true
of an only child. lie at once finds himself
one Of number, and while tenderly watched
and cared for, he is Of no more importance
than any other and yet the games cannot be
carried on to their happiest issue, unless he
does his part, unless everybody plays. When
he refuses TO play, as he often does at first. he
is not allowed TO reap the benefit OF the united
play OF the others, This, Of course, is after
the first strangeness has worn of, for he is
always allowed 10 be a guest and locker on
for awhile, il he wishes il, but he soon learns
ia a small way, that he must do his share Of
work in the world, whatever il may be,
The change from home to school is a hard
one for most children. To shy, sensitive OF
nervous child the strain Is often great one.
Even the normally, healthy and happy child,
who goes gladly 10 school the FIRST day, finds,
after the novelty wears oil, that lie Is very
different thing all Of sudden Than what Il
used 10 be. From home life, where he
could move about Al will, speak when he
pleased, rest when he was tired, and change
bis mental attitude whenever he liked, he u
plunged AZ once inlo place where be must
sil still stop talking, work whether be feels
like il o. not, and keep his attention 6sed IN
ssIlain objections
i Is time he should DO All lhess things, bat
lhey arc al 70 new thal 4 usually tskss some
dane ioI him 70 gsl msnially snd physically
adjusted 10 the nsw conditions, Ohsn the
pfooess u psioul one ~ both pupil aDd
lsschef,
10 lhs kindergarten child, snlIsnes iaio
school llis 10 bai = stop, ior be hss aeguilsd
habls u hsdlsaes, ofasG seli'eonllel aRd in
iuslIy Accustomed ~ che lsw slmpis rules
VI lhs kindslgsiisR, hs comes ~ oaee Into Ihs
aeeesssIy dlseipllns " sehasl NE, lis d
assd ~ aeing lhines 10 ~ oIdsliy ssy snd -
Ihs nghi nms, lis hss lssIned 70 sod
lsislly 81 NhslsYsi ls glgsn blm ~ 90, ~
Ass lsss lspghl consisting VI lhs lmpansRes
a pgag gissl ssd lsgslsg ailssdaass, ~ ,s.,sl
h,s a,sihsl hss, 4 lbs klHdslgaIinsl bss dai,s
l,si avly aad tssl " sll, hs bee lsslasd ~
sall lhs tludsigslfe y lbs slsss eoasbl
aslies a se,l snt plsy A hsi, ~ ihs
nllls sui yssreld y issms sll pisy, bsl ~
glias, aslpislly ssd ssslly lels sufb lssl
ssnsH sa't, - g'sl . ehllt . pesa v ~