The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-10-13
BRINGING Up
CHILDREN.
What The kindergarten
Teaches.
.FROEBEL's GREAT SYSTEM
Interesting Article by Miss Lawrence
on the Inner Nature Of
the Little Ones.

/
cially the kindergarten tots, has eminent
" fitted her as an authority upon the doc
trines and teachings of that greatest
hild-lover the world ever knew-Froebei-
has embodied her strong, sensible. loving
sentiments in the following forceful es-
say, which she read few days ago at
the annual meeting of the Kindergarten
Association
The child is a social being. Through
association with other human beings his
faculties are developed, his activities di-
rected and he realizes his highest posi-
bilities Left to himself as records show
the fate of few children to have been,
he develops little above the animal.
His first experience of society is in the
home. Drummond shows us how, in the
development of the race, it is to the fam
lily that we owe the birth and growth of
the moral sentiments. Primitive mans
first love was for his offspring, and as
the period of infancy heightened, being
longer in man than any other animal,
and longer in civilized man than in saw
ages, the dependence of the child upon
his parents, changed the mere parental in
stinct to conscious, emotional love.
Through family and community relations
the love for his child developed into a
love for all mankind, the gateway to
higher spiritual life In the child, love
for his mother and faith in her are the
first steps toward love for and faith in
God.
FAMILY A WORLD.
The family forms little world for the
child typical of the larger world beyond.
What he finds in his little world he will
expect to find and look for in the big
world What kind of home he has, and
hi Ia
what sort of a man he will be. 50 any
thing which affects the home life of to-
day will be felt IN the generation of to-
morrow.
The end and aim of all education is to
fit each child for his duties as a member
of society, and as a maker of a home.
But what of the little waif whose home is
well, most anywhere; whose mother is
best forgotten2 What of the child who
lis treated as a slave, to bear burdens far
beyond his years? Or as a little animal
whose needs are purely physical? And
what shall we say of the future useful
ness of the spoiled child, whose foolish
mother, through mistaken demonstrations
OF affection has petted him into a condi-
ton of helplessness?
Men and women We meet all about us.
! by their warped and crippled lives and
their distorted views of the world in gen.
eral, are a living reproach to the homes
in which they were bred.
FROEBEL THE FIRST.
Froebel was the first educator to recog-
niZe in his plan of education the influence
of the home. He began his teaching in
the university, his aim being to turn out
young men of strong moral character.
He was able to do little because of the
poor condition in which his pupils came
to him. So each year found him teaching
in lower grade, until he became con-
virced that education, to be effective
must begin in/the cradle, with the mother
for teacher. Even in the best homes hs
saw a serious social defect for children
over three years of age; that all the peo-
pie the child came in contact with were
either his superiors or his interiors. Thi:
is overcome TO some extent in large fam
lies, but not entirely.
And so for the children of the streets
for the children Of good homes, and espe
cially for those poor little unfortunate
who have no brothers sisters, ht
planned his child-garden.
No one knew better than he the long
ings and needs of the infant nature, 70
haC he not suffered the lot of a misunder
stood, unappreciated, unloved, unsatisfe
childhood? Picture to yourself the littl
lonely Frederick trying vainly to build
house with the only available objects
chairs and books. AS each attempt prov
ed unsuccessful, he became more an
more discouraged until he burst into
,
body come and show a little boy how t
build a house" The memory of this i
: later years led to his planning plaything
which should satisfy the building instinc
, so dominant in early childhood.
, A HAPPY HOME.
The kindergarten is large, happy HON
and while Froebels plan was to have
merely supplement the home training
, and by social contact with other childre
OF the same age and his equals to Civ
+ the chud training he cannot get q
1 hCme, yet ii is the only home worthy tn
, name many of our children know
In order to produce the best environ
ment and the healthiest atmosphere. a
/ much freedom is allowed the children q
2 possible. Miss Skates, in the Elementar
/ Record, sums up the rules for obtainin
the necessary order in the kindergarten
as follows: mot to interfere with one
ne.ghbor, to help where one can, and I
{ look out for ones SELF Or in otht
\ words, helpfulness and independence. III
/ der these motives, his activities soon a!
6 sumo useful and orderly lines
The homelike feeling is further increa.
ed in the kindergarten by the responsible
ity each child feels in the rooms an
g grounds. They do all the work in clear
S ing and arranging they can, regular p,
!. rods being devoted to this work
: CHILDREN ALL WORK.
: One class put up nails by which to han
II tteir brooms. Another put in hooks f,
their hats. Some of the children ha,
: made dust clothes which they use ever
o morning. In one kindergarten the chi
:, ldren oiled their chairs and tables In Sc,
: eral they made pillows out of calico ar
q picked the grass to stuff them with f,
their sleepy period. The children help
the preparing of the lunch, setting Il
tables, and in several instances washir
: and wiping the Dishes The words "our.
d ard together" thus assume a new signi1
canoe.
The subjects under discussion are
y subjects relating to the home directly
s sterling with the community life, leadir
n TO the home life. This latter we ha-
e found to be the only method we cou
Il pursue with some of our children. II
housekeeping in their homes is so simpl
- ana they are so little then we had to b
: gin on the subjects of paramount int
&c est
= Inc fathers work of earning the mon,
n as street-car driver, merchant. tailor. n
man, carpenter, and the mothers wo
CT cooking, sewing, sweeping. washi,
'. ana ironing, all suggest important acti,
/. ties around which our work centers
le "A doll house has been constructed
each kindergarten. the children furnis
ing II throughout. There they can find