New-York tribune., 1905-03-03
MISS BLOW HITS HARD.
Her kindergarten Foes Suffer at
Her Hands.

! Miss Susan E. Blow the veteran Kindergarten
threw down the gauntlet against many and divers
foes in her lecture at Brooklyn Institute yesterday
afternoon A roomful of kindergartners hung on
her words with intense interest as the warhorse of
the conservative school OF kindergartening dealt
scientific blows at the constructive" school, Her
bartianism. the vagaries OF the child study move
rnent and certain recant tendencies in public school
education which she grouped under the head OF the
! community idea
ut is said that the conservative school condemns
itself by its aloofness from the general movement
going on in the schools" said Miss Blow. There
is but one way to meet this criticism. and that is
by the simple truth. We are not Indifferent to the
| present general movement OF education. We are
scanning it with eager eyes. But we believe it is
! going in the wrong direction. and cannot go
! with It"
There are two schools of kindergarten theory to-
| DAY, the constructive" and the CONSERVATIVES"
The difference between them arises chiefly from
the unerence in the thing which they take the
centre OF Interest To the 'constructves according
TO Miss Blow, utility is the core of interest To the
conservatives 1t seems that beauty the core OF
| interest The "cOnstructives" are following that
educational movement led by Dewey. Hall and
others Of their way of thinking Miss Blow did not
hesitate an instant in lining herself IN opposition
to this element.
| according to this new movement" she said
| d. d human being has to live in a community he
should be educated by participation in community
HIe' The school is to be transformed into q
| nInlry. The needs Of this community to sup
| Ply It's centre or interest It's activities are 10
! consist in supplying those needs individuals are
| to be educated and disciplined through this pro-
! ductive activity work. With younger children
who know only home life and feel only those needs
| supplied by the home. the domestic occupations
are naturally taken the centre of interest This,
| then, is the addition substitution which the
| constructive Undergraduates would make to the
| kindergarten gifts and occupations of to-day"
Miss Blow then enumerated, with both energy
and humor. the things which an up date author
7Gar puive add he
| kindergarten. Among them were a kitchen, gas
range. wash boiler. double boiler. washtub. wash
board. wash bench; sieve, mixing bowl. butter
"a few miseenane9us things" Here the little
etlu cFaLLDerry sauce Tor thanksgiving popcorn
for the Christmas tree, make jelly for a playmate,
! tion really up to date Kindergarten would have
a Workshop attached. where the little ones could
make the utensils they used in the kitchen the
washboards and rolling pins. and so on. The older
they'd all get interested together around that lit
Now. We conservative kindergarteners believe
that the old Yankee nation always has led the world
What we want IS the kind ' Of trahn that Viii
turn out great artists and teachers and preachers
dency to place the accent utility rather than
beauty. And if this strictly utilitarian idea
be correct for older pupils, children OF five six
are too young either TO perform these tasks or to
see any meaning or get any education out of them
The The chiid from to is all play and al maginao ina
make bei;eTe evarI@tFfTy on tbs face ~ the eaTth
Realities are not necessary for his enjoyment Give
MN 4!itu anu 4Iio4Stule anu ~. LeftSL
reens We fnTrt1ar aaa sael co
leave the child 10 his play and his imagination but
/ to supply him with an idea II he plays bad
| mother or drunken father he will If he sees
them, he is going to be injured Fill his mind with
beautiful images to be acted in play. Let this do;
/ n1estC utilitartan idea be accepted and shall
have no more moon songs or star songs or butterfly
! songs but only This is the way wash our
| clothes. wash our clothes. wash our clothes?"
Miss Blow demanded a strict line drawn between
the work Of the kindergartner and the mother and
declared that Of the reasons Of the degeneration
| Of the American home the with which
! the American mother transfer her maternal
| duties 10 some one else She condemned Mrs. Gill
mans idea Of the baby garden in scathing
and declared Rather than multiply day nurseries.
! where mothers may leave their babies while they
go TO work. philauthropists would do better pro-
! vide means for each mother to care for her own
| child"