The courier. (Lincoln, Neb.) 1894-1903, 1899-04-29

fertile sources OF improvement in our
educational system. Valuable criticism
must come from one Of varied experience
and broad, thorough knowledge Of the
subject in hand, and related subjects.
BY what right does Marion Carter Ham
'lton rush into print to attack an educa.
tional force so widely commended? Who
is she anyway? BY her own admission
she is a college graduate. She is a
primary teacher who once began study
Of kindergarten methods which she did
not complete. Also, che has recently
been appointed as primary teacher in
the New York city public schools.
1t is evident from the contents of this
article that the author has come in con-
tact with one Of those kindergartners,
OF whom there are indeed too many,
w,o, with no foundation of general edu-
cation and armed with a superficial
knowledge of kindergarten methods, but
without grasp OF the fundamental
principles OF psychology and pedagogy
which underle them. has boldly ven.
tured in where angels fear to tread, to
direct the growth OF little minds. The
mistakes Of this misguided person have
been accepted by the author as essen
tial features of the kindergarten system.
On the contrary scarcely one of the
the things she criticises are to be found
in any good kindergarten today. You
may Prove it by stepping into one OF
your own public kindergartens any day.
The eongs and games that are ridiculed
were long ago laid on the shelf. In fact
the article is amusing in that it shows
so clearly ignorance OF the thing criti-
cized. 1t is evident from her article
that the author believes that education
consists in.teaching the child facte, cold
icy facts alone; "A stone is stone and
a leaf is a leaf and don't you forget it,
Whatever interferes with the prescribed
lesson in arithmetic. ding and writ.
ing is mere waste OF time.
There are many profound thinkers Of
the past and the present who find
themselves unable to agree with the
author. Jennie B. Merrill, the suIer.
visor OF the public kindergartens OF New
York city, has replied to it in the New
York Evening Post OF March Is Super
intendeut Dulton of Btookline, Mass.
and Eme,iae Abbey Durham answered
it ably in the kindergarten magazine
for April. The latter publication may
be found in the city library.
simultaneously with this article and
hence not at all in reply to it Miss Sarah
l.. Arnold wrote to the kindergarten
Magazine for March, giving her testi-
mony and that # some of her primary
teachers as to the value of kinder arten
training and the use or continuation Of
these methods in the primary school.
Miss Arnold is the associate superin.
tendent Of the Bo ton schools and ia
considered one OF the most brilliant
women in the educational world OF toe
day. She says among other good tbiuge:
1.-The spirit Of the kin ergarten is felt
more and more in the primary school
where 1t tends to overcome the old ira.
ditio' of sch Dol Keeping" She goes on
to state that in the schools where they
have DO children who lave had kim
dergar'en training and those who have
not, the kindergarten children have
been able 10 advance far more rapidly
than the others.
Here are some extracts from letters
which are signed by her primary teach
ers. Trose who have read Marion