The times., 1898-01-09
A CHILD's PARADISE.
The First kinderea rten School in
the ITnited States

the United States
An erroneous impression prevails that the
kindergarten movement In the United
States originated in the East. It's an his
torical fact, published now for the first
| time, that the original seed was sown in
Ohio. The sower was no less an authority
than woman personally associated
with Froebel in much of his tentative work
at Keilhaw. 7 his woman opened the first
practical working Kindergarten school in
merica at Columbus, Ohio, in 1853 Her
name was Miss Caroline Louisa Franken-
berg, a native of Hanover, Germany.
The humble one-story frame house in
which this quaint spinster set up her house
hold gods and labored TO inculcate In the
capital's infant prodigy the theories of the
master, Froebel, is still standing on Rich
street, east of High.
Beyond few articles on Froebel, in
DIR. Barnards American Journal of Ed
ucation OF 1856 5S. nothing was said in
America relative to kindergartens, nor
was any attempt made to put Froebel's
theories to practical test, until some
ten years later, when Miss Eliza beth Pea
body went TO Europe and studied the
kindergarten esta ablished and taught by
Froebel himself. Meanwhile, unkno wn
to the East the Columbus school was
making desperate struggle to breathe.
Miss Frankenberg made her first visit to
ONO in 1888; to return to Germany in
1910 Previous to this she lived, 1t is as
serted for time In Froebels household
and was identified in some manner with
the educational institute established by
Frobel at keilhaw.
In remarkable essay on "The Renewal
OF Life printed by Froebel in 1896. the
master pointed 10 the United States S the
country best fitted by virtue of its spirit
offreedom, true Christianity andpure fam
lily life, to receive his educational massa se
and profit thereby. Undoubtedly this
prophecy precipitated Miss Frankenherg's
Journey TO America two years later. But
the time was not ripe for the woman or the
cause. Returning to Kilham in 1910, Miss
Frankenberg taught six years under
Froebel direction: then Dresden and
DantZen shared her labors for eleven years,
when she again set sail for A nerica and
established the kindergartnen at Column
bus.
Ihe woman and the cause, however. |
were still far in advance of the times. |
Miss Frankenberg did not escape tbe trials |
and tribulations insepa rable from the nj |
oneer. The filesof the Weslbote. the German |
ne ewspaper of that day, reveal her modest |
and German citizens recall |
with laughter the attempt of a contempo- |
fo fro
ner, then unknown to our vocabulary
III was with the greatest difficulty Miss
FfanSenberg gathered few pupils into her
modest room. The highest tuition she re-
'eIved was 70 cents week per pupil To
he parents the making of paper birds,
'oats, caps, modelling in clay, marching and
singing, were simply child playa capital
way to amuse children and keep them out
II mischief.
of the underlying principle or motive
hey had little or no conception. AS
Hiss Frankenberg taught in the. German
anguage, the kindergartner found new
'atrons among the English-spea king popula-
ION. 10 this fact, no doubt, was largely
lue its slow growth. , -,
Miss Frankenberg was an accor,n,,,r,ad |
woman of force and determinations There |
y as much of the aristocrat I'M berrnns,nnar
ma bearing. She invariably Wore a lace /
ap lied under the chin, willie black, iace
nitts covered her shapeIy hands. }7tTo eke
Ut hving she was finally forced to add
aee-lnalling and various needlework. in
Vmeh she was skilled, to her kinder.
artner school.
disabled by an accident, she BECAME In
ct silleth year an inmate of the Luth-
ran orphan Home and Asylum at Ger
lantown, Pa. In that institution she
iccessfuliy introduced the Kindergarten
ysteIn in 1865. Miss Peabody is said
, have visited her there, and got many
the Froebel ideas she tried to put in
ractice' in her tentative efforts at Boston
efore she visited Europe.
Miss Frankenberg remained at the homo
ntil 1882, when she died of old, aqe
er tomb may be seen in st. Nicholas {
raveyard' adjoining the home where the
system is perpetuated ON the
mes laid down by Froebel's first die. I
PIE III America.