The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-10-08
FOR LITTLE ONES
Continued from Page ID

than all the societies now in existence.
There are hundreds of babiss one
meets on the street, in the street cars.
everywhere, who are suffering from
troubles of all kinds, caused by or at
Least aggravated by lack of proper care.
An attempt has been made TO rea h
the most ignorant and careless moth
ers through the mothers meetings, but
1t has failed. They seem willing
enough and anxious for the welfare of
their children, but they need object
lessons to show them how. With a
worker, then, who would go into the
homes and he. p remove the cause OF the
troubles being treated in the kinder
garten, the work done would be eff
fective, and the need CT a sanitary de-
partment almost if not wholly disap-
pear. Could l but show you the pres
sing need of such a worker, so that
soon we might secure one, she would
demonstrate better than words the
good that can be accomplis he'd, and.
as L believe, open the gateway for all
the work Of the missions.
There is another physical need we
have taken steps to meet. About IL
o'clock in one of our kindergartenS. the
teacher was much annoyed to hear Il
want to go home" from several child
ish voices. Naturally it worried her,
for she felt if she were working Alright
the children would love the kindergar-
ten too much to care to go home at
that hour. Why was it? she asked
herself again and again. One day the
clew was given her, for one little boy
added, Ito get something to eat" AT
the next mothers meeting, or when
IL
made inquiries, and found that most
of the children were in the habit of
eating a very slight breakfast, if any
at all, often because there was lit e to |
eat. Now, in several of the kindergar-
tens where it is found necessary, a |
slight lunch of a banana, cracker, CT
cookie is given the children and a per- |
ceptable change is noticed. So much |
for the most pressing physical needs, |
though there are others which are sup
piled by the games.
The stories, songs, excursions, tails, |
occupations, gifts and games are all |
planned directly to develop the child
rem at their weakest points, physical
ly, mentally, and spiritually, as for in
stance: If they are heavy and awk-
ward in their movements, they are Civ
must be curbed, each child taught to
happy rythm in them, such as games
of sunbeams, the flying of birds. etc.
No attention is called to how it is
done, but all the interest centerS
around what is being done, for we be-
lieve with Col. Parker that as the
image is so will the expression be. If
the child seems to be utterly lacking
in concentration, small share Of
which he has at best, the teacher tries
n int |
to hold him to one thing three min
Ites today, perhaps four tomorrow. If
he seems to have no idea of the rights
of property, he is shown through OBJ
through games, S1Ories,
songs that each one has certain rights
which must not be violated. He is
given things for his is very qMA that rs Is
given the care of certain things in the
kindergarten, and must account TOT
them every so often.
The first principles of true living
must be learned, right impulses must
be developed and evil ones inhibited,
dominant faculties must be awakened,
and those which are over-develu ped |
must be curbed. each child taught to
see the good and beautiful in every |
thing, and an opportunity given b. m to |
work out his own individuality. One |
of our teachers of children who have
no honey" atmosphere anywhere,
who live from hand to mouth and
spend most of their time on the
streets because they have no place
worthy the name home, decided to give
each child a homelike feeling for the
kindergarten. So she bought twenty
little brooms twenty dust cloths,
wooden dishes, dish rags and other
necessary things, and now part CT
every morning is taken up in the per-
Torrance of regular household duties.
The children take turns in sweeping
the room and verandas, in busting the
chairs, tables and piano. They wash
and wipe the dishes, putting them
neatly away They water the plants
and make bouquets to brighten the
room. In this way they have a real
live interest in the kindergarten and
a foundation is being laid for good
home makers.
1t gives me pleasure to state right
here that children whose mothers have
been educated in our Girls Schools are
far above the average. They are well
cared for physically, and the only
trouble is that they are in danger OF
being spoiled by overindulgence and
| indiscriminate petting. How much bet
| ter off still would they be if their
mothers had had years training in
the kindergarten. l should like TO see,
! and that very soon, partial kinder
garten course given to all the grad
yates OF our Girls schools, not to make
| them kindergartners, but TO prepare
| them for life, for l believe more can
be accomplished in that way for the
next generation than in any other. We
have been pleased to see how much the
| girls who have taken the kindergart-
ner course have developed from their
contact with the little children. They
have grown sweeter, more gentle, more
| patient, more womanly and they lOoi
at life with different eyes.
One young girl, rough and uncOuth