The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-04-12
In The INTEREST OF
THE KINDERGARTEN
Interesting Meeting Held in the Albright
M:morial Library.
TALK GIVEN BY MISS UNDERWOOD
She Tells What They Arc Trying to
DO by Means of the kindergarten
for tho Future Men aud Womcn--An
Incident which showed the Wrong
Way of Correcting the Disobcdicnt
Child Of 4. ID. Holland.


In Albright memorial Saturday night
the Scranton Free Kindergarten asso-
citation held n kindergarten symposium
an evening devoted to the interests
of the work and to show what has beer
accomplished in child training I'm this
city.
The executive committee, in charge
of the affair, had issued invitations an-
a number of ladies and gentlemen in
tcrested i'm the work were present. The
committee consists Of Mrs. j. n. Price
Mrs. Alfred Hand, Mrs. l.. l.. Fuller
| Mrs. G. y. Simpson. Mrs. 6. S. Westor
and Miss Elizabeth Howell. A. D. Hol
land presided. Reports of the severa
! officers for the year were made. Mr.
Holland in remarkinE upon kindergar
ten work in this city said that the wort
had not been instituted in this city
with the intention that it should bC
adopted by the state but for the pur
pose Of demonstrating that lNndergar'
| ten work has come to stay.
Some people are yet under the impress
sion that a thief is born thief and 9
gentleman a gentleman. There may ID,
| found, upon analysis, n grain Of truti
I'm this but that iS about all Scientists
say that insanity is not hereditary bu
there Is a tcndenc- to inherit it. So
/ it is with the child mind. There is tn,
same tendency to inherit bad qualities
and according to the environment Tho
child mind shapes itself. Mr.. Holland;
talk was very interesting. He suggest
ell that those present write to the loCa
| representatives in Harrisburg urgini
them to support the bill and making
an appropriation for kindergarten Wort
in the public education.
MISS UNDERWOOD'S ADDRESS.
Miss Underwood. chief kindergartnet
Of the local association, delivered AZ
address which held Interested attention
In part Miss Underwood said:
First and foremost the gospel q
! cleanliness of body, OF thought and o
decd is preached; with many practica
specific hints upOn hygiene and tn,
physical care of children.
Fer their moral training the kinder
garten offers SCme ideas at first almos
unintelligible to the mothers for i
would change the whole system of pun
ishmcnt, substituting for the arbitrary
| beating n retributive punishment en-
abling the child more readily to under
stand the nature Of his OffenSe ant
consequently to avoid Il repetition of it
/ Mothers whose educational oppOrtuni
ties have not been SO limited as ar.
those of the Other hale are beginninl
to understand that their wisdom Il
proportional to the nicely with which
| they make the punishment tit tbs
crime and the clCa"neSs Of their apprc
citation between the intentional act O
disObedienCe and the act that is the
result of not understanding how to ap
ply the mothers directions"
In showing the wrong way to train {
child Miss Underwood cited the follow,
ing incident:
ONE INCIDENT.
"A poor Hungarian woman at Arch.
bald Ridge came into the kindergarten
one morning and found her small boy
suffering exclusion from the circle OF
children because instead of COntribut.
ing to the happiness of all by attention
and participation, he was disturbing
the peace. Although this was care.
fully explained to her by the kinder.
gartner yet knowing no language but
that of force she attempted to empha.
size in her own way the lesson I'M.
pressed by the teacher by soundly
sllpping the boy on both checks ani
twisting ficrcely a top-knot of hair og
the head, eNclaiming engrlly, agar
and again, i kill you The boy who
had been softening under the reason.
able influence of a Just retribution nov
became stubborn, sullcn and unrepent.
ant again."
During the evening an entertainment
was given by the following young
ladies': Miss Hull, Miss Edith Hull
Olvphant; Miss Abbott, Carbondale;
Miss CoWan, Miss Annie Rose, Miss
Rice, Miss Gregory, Miss Msrccreau, Miss
Sweeney, Miss Hitchcock. Scranton
Training claSs-AIlss McKickinc, Tor.