Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1906-09-18

Munich, Bavaria, Aug. Is, 1906.
Having written TO the Gazette from
Switzerland regarding the public-school
work in the country districts there, your
"foreign correspondent" nov offers
you few lines besring upon the
kindergarten and school work in Ger
many. If the old-world systems have
the advantage of US in some points, we
surpass them in others, and student oi
kindegatren work could not fail to note
how far the American Kindergarten has
advanced, in comparison with the work
in that line in Germany. Froebel, the
founder of the kindergarten system, was
a German, and the kindergarten must
be regarded as German institution; but,
as is the case with many of our Ger
man American citizens, it is born in
Germany, and matured in America.
This is frankly conceded by educators
in this county, aud the writer was
told by the director OF the Munich
Seminary, for kindergarteners, that
while this system of education has
become philosophy-a science
in America, the standard OF the
work here, puts it almost on a plane
with day-nursery work-an altogher
different thing. The fact that this
gentleman occupied the position he did.
proved his statement, for he was pro-
Noted from the public school primary
work to the dictatorship of a kinder
garten training school for teachers with
out any special qualification or prepa'
ration Tor the work. He was pleasant, re-
liable, and thoroughly experinced in
elementary teaching; but that is far from
kindergarten! Miss Fawcett and her as
sistants, in Alexandria, are conducting
a kindergarten such as is not to be found
in this great Germany metropolis. One
of The writer's children attended for
seven months the first private kinder
garten in this city; it was conducted by
bsroness-a person by no means dsz-
cling to the "vulgar American eye. ="
She was what an Englishman wOnld
have described as ga decayed gentle
woman" Her school was open from s
a. m. until p. M, Saturdays in
cluded; forty children attended; she
had no assistant and no piano;
some of the pupils were children of nine
or ten years, cases Of arrested develop
ment" and chronic disease. 1t would be
useless to describe the life during school
hours-a little weaving and sewing, a
few songs, great many squabbles dis
cipline was enforced by the primitive
process of slapping the offenders, or in
extreme cases, dragging the criminal by
his feet--should he refuse TO walk-and
locking him up in the clcak'room. To
prevent bstteriDg down of the door, it
was necessary for the baroness to share
his imprisonment, during which time
pandemOnium reigned among the thirty
nine.
1t is not customary for any family to
enter a child in a kindergarten, If a
nursery-msid is kept at home; so the
kindergarten is not place where,
unconsciously to itself, the child
forms ideas of beauty, habits OF
thought, and a process of reasoning,
but merely room, warmed and
lighted, where a responsible woman
receives children for the day and relieves
the over-taxed mothers. The element
ary principles of religion, of govern
ment, of citizenship, of social courtesy,
of art, music and architecture, enter
largely into the life of well.con'
Quoted American Kindergarten. The
children do not know how much knowl'
edge they absorb there, nor do they
need 10 know. But the parents should
know.
am glad TO report to the generon:
patronesses and able teachers of the
home kindergarten that German kin
dergarten teachers say openly that they
desire to improve their work, and art
initiating our beautiful kindergarten
methods.
Afr informing myself more definitely
in regard to the public school work,
will be glad to send you few lines OIL
the subject. Nj. Nj. A.