Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-06-07

HpSudy, June \, lJOL, III the Mcfle /
hall of the main college building.
1t was at the hour of II o'clock. a.
M. that President Foster. with the
faculty, graduates. and board of re-
gents filed onto the rostrum and took
seats, the hall having been appropri-
ately decorated with flowers and ever
green. products of the famous Mesilla
valley.
After the orchestra had rendered
Sunshine in January Rev. w. A.
Cooper, who took Ex-Governor l..
Bradford Princes place as a member
of the board of regents, stepped for
ward and delivered the invocation.
This was followed by an overture from
the orchestra. and then
Extract from Thesis-"The Kinder
earten; Its Origin n Develop
ment," by Miss Elizabeth Foster, as
Follows:
When the Nineteenth century opened
schools were in a most deplorable con
dition. Schoolmasters were ignorant
and brutal. believing in the old adage,
Spare the rod and spoil the child
The teachers were taken from the
ranks of the broken down. Failure in
everything else had always the re-
source of school keeping. Charles
Dickens has given us vivid pen pict-
ures of the horrible condition of the
English schools, and those of other
countries were on a par. This system,
or rather non-system of schools, on
tinued until about the middle of the
century. when the reformation move
ment began. 1t resulted from h eff
forts of a few earnest men.
One generation after another pro-
duced an educational reformer, each
succeeding educator basing his princi-
pies upon those of his predecessor.
Prominent among these were Pestaloz-
ri and Froebel. They saw the need of
change in the schools and sought a
way to accomplish it. Pestalozzi be-
lieved that it could be done by sympa-
thy between the parent and child; and
by a system of discipline based on
love. Froebel took the principles of
PestaloZzi for a foundation, and upon
these he builded his own reform. He
gave his whole strength to the work
of the cnild's early years, and was es-
pecially fortunate in the name he gave
to his system. kindergarten" mean
ing literally a garden of children. In
natures garden, plants expand and
grow to best advantage under the
warmth of sunny skies and the quick
ening power of genial rains; for moth
err nature knows well under what con-
ditions she gains her best results. In
Froebel's garden of children, thought
is growing, intellect unfolding, and
character forming under the quicken
ing power of loving instruction, and
careful direction. The gardener stirs
the soil, to give the sun and air free ac-
-, V,bn Il oro ,to =, Ctiru tho ohilH'S
mind to action by her interest in his
little world, her sympathy quickens
growth in all his powers, and h hui
man being expands under this infiu'
ence as a flower opens in the sunlight.
The Kindergarten was the result OF
much patience. diligence, and fore
thought; but more especially was it the
expression of a deep n true love for
children. PestalozZi was without doubt
the originator of the idea; but he lack
ed the ability to express his thought
in action. He had already established
"a school in a small German village,
when Froebel conceived his idea of
teaching. Having long admired Pes
~talozZ('s scheme of education as well
as the brilliant intellect of the man
himself, Froebei became his pupil and
lived in close touch with the teacher
and his principles for two years. rms
wonderful pupil of Pestalozzi.s was a
great lover of nature, n this o w
brought little children nearer to him.
He taught school for some time, but
felt that he was not accomplishing
what he ought. and he was restless be-
cause his undertaking vas no larger.
While occupied with other things, his
thoughts still dwelt with the little chill
dren, and he sought some way of aid
ing them. His W early life had been
so deso!ate of love, and so lonely, that
he strongly sympathized with child
hoods wrongs. The lack of means so
crippled his early ~endeavors, that they
seem failures. He worked for some
wears to evolve a system that should
embody his principles of education,
and finally brought forward what is
now known as the Froebelian system
Out of this grew his kindergarten. The
name came to him almost as an inspi
ration, and so long as there are little
children, the kindergarten will he q
memorial to Froebel.
By studying nature and humanity
Froebel came TO the conclusion that
the development of children and plants
were analogous. He saw that a plant
could be bent into any shape and train.
fu To grow III any way NhSh SOuh5
hut later on, 1t would break under
training and could be changed only
with difficulty. Under his interpreta,
tion of creation. the laws of growth
and development that govern plant
life. govern child life. He believed the
early years to be the educational
period, most vitality important to the
whole aftergrowth; and he sought, in
natures garden, TO learn the secrets OF
The springtime. Life is motion; growth.
directed motion; interest creates spon.
taneiry, and strength results from
unity. Childhood is a period of intense
activity, so Froebel planned the plays,
the gifts. and the occupations.
Environment ~prOphesies the future;
children. whose surroundings are bru-
tai or degrading. rarely rise above this
level; on the contrary, those brought
up where natures beauty and sweet.
ness are never lost sight of, have a
tendency to rise to higher levels and
nt 4tUTha ahf1A 10 father