The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-16

,,a,r,t l- made TO tea'l' Iie'i i'"''ht'
",,,n, anA arithmetic. ~ ca'ried on IA
ny.r, Heights. H. south bro"E 'Yn' Inc
;,,.,.. ali I a Iiayhn'se ana the
,,u,,,ol herself prefers that hahie. Tor III
,',,,r,.,,.. schools in general, including all
,,,,,f,.u- and pu,lic schools, are fine
.l,. of "A system, uf lagogy, rather
,tan ,...,,,, Of education Her aim Is to
I',o,n ro compel child to learn t!ungS
,.o,h. ~ rStr is not to cd cate him,
me insists
r,iirln l"r neur ueiglDors do nor
,.,, h., ,i"w- for with two or three
I .,,,r,u.I. 'Irv do not send 'hel children
n hl Most Of the pupils there are oi'iy
8 aol,r. IT, al conc from distance and
a,s ,no ,nldren o! the very poor and m
-.,.c ..r, IF men Who ar al odds haif
h ,,a. ,.h the police,
,,Y.rc,!on. IN fact. Mlnvn some OF
-. 4r.g' rof- have I" th" pIayho1se L.
,,f,. o. IT. p'i 81. Anothe, Is that theS
...pnt II, schoolma'a'n Of harNor'hg
Advanced .u.unlis,ic ideas and OF Teaching
,N.. tu the Youngsters In her care
r, ,u,. Other hand, two Of the excel
,np. v,o were tirntiuned 10 sending their
,,'lo,,n 'orhe school and v no are persons
4 ,rear.- haNe taken ui' their residence
H. pykrr Heights solely to he near the
Z school They think so highly Of 1t that tn Y
have lrro,re it, financial haoNers. One o!
then. a vol al who formerly Fved l..
Philadelphia uilt and furnished the school.
lotse aur Tie other, who is native OF
Nnnpln- lerlL defrays the running eX-
}er,sr.
Unlike most pupils the world over, the
Youngsters who attend the pla yhouse
ton', repd urging TO 60 TO school. On the
contrary they put in an appearance Oh Sat
urca,, a. well as ON other days, and FIRE.
ouerlv stroll around of Sunday to e1-
change greetings with "Auntie, an they
call tho schools originator; Mrs Elizabeth
Fern.
M errn's Only assist ant 80 far in the
|, work is lei, husband. Mr.. FERN is a den
,i,t. hut hc dcvotes his mornings 10 the
rupi,, cf the playhouse. Neither he nor
Mrs Form will accept pay for work in CON
lection WIKI the school, nor will Mrs Fern
.os" paid assistant
THIS sort OF work can't be done by hire
4re. she says am anxious TO obliter.
!, ale all ideas of servitude from the minds
I he children who come here, To teach
Them freedom and equality. and that can Z
b done with servants around
In order t. I've consistent, Mrs. Fern: does
al. her own housework. The other day,
Nhert il visitor reached the playhousl. Mrs
FERN was vigorously welding broom al
her back door. removing some Garth n,
children had strewn Or the doorstep.
Putting away the broom with an apolog !.
hn n. r
impossible. she led the way through "A
small workshop fitted up with a carpenters
table into big. cheerful sohoolroorn
whirh takes up ruost OF the ground floor
and s furnished with piano, one long,
Iow table and Let Of small stouC chairs
There we're no desks OF blackboards or
pictures OF the alphabet. In a small room
adjoining, called the study. were picture
blocks and picture books.
Yes. I am always busy" Mrs. FERN
said. 80 busy that have no time to sell.
Have you ever thought that II no one had
any time to sell there could be no servitude,
and il there were no servitude the social
question would practically be solvedi
OF course it sounds utopian but is II not
true?'
is It true Mrs FERN was asked, that
YOU teach socialism and anarchistio pre-
ceps 10 your pupils9
why, who could have gotten any such
idea as that' she replied in a surprised
tone. I am not tagged with any ism
whatever. subscribe to no one creed.
| am net a Christian Scientist. mental
scientist, Socialist, an Anarchist or any
other Of the new tangled 'ists'.
The keynote Of the school is freedom and
personal responsibility. There are no rules
here. do not believe in any form Of
school government. I will not have any
child come here who does not wapt to come
and while here no restrictions are put upon
him or her
I have had pupils knocking at tho door
" early az in the morning others who
struggled In long after Q. and some who
would like to stay here all day long. can't
let them stay much after 4, though, because
must have a chance to clean up the place
and get it ready for the next day.
There is no regular hour you SEQ, for
coming or going; no prizes are given for
promptness no penalty awaits the tardy.
Our first aim is the cultivation Of initia-
ave and self expression. Emerson said
IL was time enough to answer a child
Questions when he asked them, but the
Shdergsrtens and public schools, on the
contrary, take the ground that they must
continually keep on asking questions Of
me child, They don't give him a chance
ask anything.
1t was realization Of this which after
eight years Of hard work in the Brooklyn
uuld klndergartens led me to start out
Independently on a new line. l became
dissatisfied with the kindergarten system.
=, froebel undoubtedly had the right
oea In mind when he started it, for he said !,
spfopoe Of the child. In every act insist
'pon spontanety. The original source
froeoeI's inspiration was the child,
whereas his up-to-date followers insist
upon celebrating the forms he suggested
'"hout studying the same source for new
Inspiration.
EDUCATION can have little or nothing to
10 with system, and by departing from the
p'$ 'ald down hy the present day kinder
s"F'en organization feel that | am truly
arriving on Froebel's work.
les, so far "a l know, this is the first
SnooI Of the kind in this country. The
tOAol School in Russia is, ! believe, con-
sue'ea on much the same lines, but did
Wv Know about that school when started
ue' which proves that often what we
'"uk IL original WAS discovered lonu a0o