Evening star., 1895-05-25


fingers on its leaves, like hand. It had
veins, like the hand. Veins was a new
word, so they had a spell of learning 1t.
After spelling veins. and writing it in the
air, after the teachers tracing on the
beard they went to the board and wrote 1t
themselves, all very proud of adding word
to their vocabulary. Then they drew the
leaf, each one, on the blackboard, and
there wasn't a single specimen that would
nave to be labeled to know that 1t was
meant for maple leaf.
Then the whole fifty of them did some
sight reading of music. The teacher put
the staff on the board. and wrote in a cou-
pie of bars of music, running up and down
the scale in rather confusing manner,
but 1t didn't confuse those youngsters
lit. When called on individually to name
the note, give the time, the clef, or the
key, they did it, and made few mistakes.
Then they sang the notes. Forwards and
backwards and side wise, and skipping
about The teacher tried them almost
every way but standing on their heads,
and it is probable that they could have
sung that way, too. Some of them would
have been nothing 10th to try it, anyhow.
OF course, all this is advanced work in
the year, for the first two months of the
fall term are supposed to be all that are
devoted to the baby work." the unfolding
of the fallow mind.
The First Requirement..
"Our first duty said the bright teacher,
'fs to interest the children. A childs mind
fingers are an investigating committee Of
ten, and awfully active. If it finds toys
all made ready for use, its first instinct is
to pull them to pieces to see what force
makes them do certain things. In the
science methods of our first grade work
We teach them how to build up, and how
to make their own playthings. Their de-
structfve bent is turned in an entirely op-
poSite direction. a child is simply a huge
question mark for the first ten years of its
life, and L sometimes think that there are
parents who take a fiendiSh delight in
bunting it's sensibilities. and studying how
little they can aid it's inquiring mind. Then
we also reach the children habits of per-
Sonal neatneSS, and instruct them in cour.
tesy and politeness."
Training the Mind.
Froebel took the ball, cube and cylinder
to epitomize the universe, and his idea has
been generally adopted in first grade or
kindergarten work. With these and their
clay, their bright pictures their object les
sons-during the first months each child
brings some object from home to study, a
teacup or clock. a mechanical toy or
baby shoe, 1T does not matter what, and
from these the little ones learn the object
lessons that are SO valuable-with all these
they do not have much time for books, nor
is there any necessity for them It is Zine
upon line day after day. They are
in no way subdued, so long as they are not
rude. They are encouraged to interest
themselves in everything going on about
them, and to impart any new knowledge as
soon as acquired. One small youth of six
scant summers came to school Wednesday
morning, bubbling over with questions
about the Memphis drill. The teacher told
him well she could its import, and
was about to say something concerning the
companies attending from here, when the
little fellow broke in impatiently, "Oh, yesI
1 know all about the Fencibles. They didn't
get there. Tell US about the ones who won
the prize!'
What is Needed.
There Is a growing feeling among the
District educators that the important work
of the kindergarten should be done before
the child advances to the first grade, and
that the first grade pupils should have
more than a half days school. but, under
existing crowded circumstances, nothing
can be done. Certain it is that the thou
sands Of little ones who are in the first
grade are doing splendid work, work that
the patrons of the school should be proud
of, for some of these little children are a
little short of marvellous
Beside the first grade work along kinder
garten lines, Washington has four free pub
lie kindergartns housed by the school COM
missioners. The District gives them house
room, philanthropists do all the rest, and
not the least among them by any means
are the gentle, cultured young women who
are devoting their lives to the poorly paid
and not always pleasant work of saving
from the streets and alley sums the little
toddlers who else would learn swearing in
stead Of singing and pocket picking instead
of praying.
The Free Kindergarten.
You just ought to hear these free kinder
gartners warble! Thin, piping, wrongly
pitched little voices, most of them, but the
way they open their mouths and let the
noise roll out Is amazing. But singing
isn't half of the fun. Every song they sing
has a motif" and they motion 1t out.
They plow and SOW, harrow and NOW; they
go through a complicated gymnastic ex-
ercise with hands and feet and heads and
bodies; they initiate everything fmitatable,
and they are not once admonished to make
"Jaky' would go to sleep instead Of raking
hay occasionally, and rowdy little tow
headed Touissaint is inclined to fiirt with
small Zintka Luna, the Sioux baby of
Wounded Knee fame, much to her dis
tress. Among them there was little
Leah, with face like an odalisque and
figure like a foot ball, who rolled off her
chair numberless times, and whose garters
were a source of great trial, and small
German fraulien, whose prim braids and
tidily mended old frock told of a careful
mother. There was small urchin from
somebody's alley, who looked as though he
might be an exemplification Of one who
had been conceived in iniquity and
brought forth in sin," robbed before birth
of his heritage of healthy childhood, and
the little left covered by mortgage to evil.
Down in Shows court, that modern sec
ton of Sodom, where the children of Ham
herd like animals, Mrs. Hearst has estab-
lished a free kindergarten, with Miss Has
lup at it's head, and the thoroughly In
earnest young lady Is making a splendid
success among her small ebony charges.
Aside from the fact that they are learn
ing something good, little klndergartners,
are learning nothing ill.
The Poet and the Bon Vivant.
From tho Critic.
The Poet, crossing Madison Square the
other morning, met the Bon-Vivant. "Ahr'