The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-04-06
Continue the kindergartens.
vt WOULD be little short of a.
calamity to Scranton if the
Il board of control should with

vt WOULD be little short of a
calamity to Scranton if the
Il board of control should with
draw support from the public
school kindergartens at this time. That
some of the members consider the
movement in the light of an expert
ment which has been tried and may
now be dropped, is most unfortun-
ate record for the intelligence and
progress of those directing the educa-
tienal affairs Of this city. since else
Where no idea of abandoning such a
valuable department of the school sys-
tenn has been entertained. Indeed,
wherever kndergartens have been es-
tablished i'm other places, not only has
the original appropria tion been unfail-
ingly forthcoming, but it has been in
creased from year to year.
The first public kindergarten was
opened in st. Louis in 1898, through the
efforts of Miss Susan Blow and Dr.
William 7. Harris, now United States
commissioner of education. The eX-
pertinent for experiment it was in st.
L
failed ii would have been difficult to
have prevailed upon other cities to in
troduce kindergartens into the public
schools. The work, however, was an
proved by the Board of Education in
st. Louis and new kindergartens were
opened as fast as competent directors
could be prepared to take charge of
them. Today 5000 children are enrolled
in the kindergartens of that city. Com
mittees from other cities have studied
the work in st. Louis and one after
another they have fallen into line until
the kindergarten has been made part
of the public school system in eighteen
cities OF the United States, making a
total enrolment of 95,S67 children in
public kindergartens in 1897 and 1895
with 2,532 teachers in charge.
Philadelphia has 146 public kinder
gartens and last year the Board of
Education appropriated $40 900 for their
maintenance. Pittsburg annually makes
an appropriation for this purpose with
regular increase in the amount Last
years appropriation was $22, 900. Alle-
gheny City has pursued the same plan,
while Scranton the third city in the
state, appropriated but $4,000 last year
and now intimates that even this may
De cut or. .. s.
Scranton boasts of it's magnificent
school buildings and of the perfection
Of tho. school system. There certainly
should be enough pride among its citi-
zens %. insist that no retrogressive
movement which will so emphaticalIy
fehe6t upon the city shall be advocate i
BY the board of control. Free kinder
schools are more of necessity here
than in almost any other city in the
Inited states. and another most im-
portant argument in their favor is that
che; taxpayers are benefited in that 9
course in the kindergarten saves from
one to tWo years time in the lowest
Grades Of the regular schools. Instead
OF abandoning support of the kinder,
earten, or reducing the appropria tion
potsiess than $1,000 should be voted tc
their maintenance this year. 1t will
mean simply a slight cutting down II
other directions less profitable to tht
Cause OF real education.
-,,-~y -
d. DepQcratie chefs will doubtless S
engaged ftdpl-,now on preparing mile
dishes fof the Jefferson day harmon,
hanaueta s4ts.s