New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-02-04
KINDERGARTEN SOCIALISM.

ParlOr socialism, the successor to pingpong,
will begin to lose it's popularity as a quiet fam
| lily game as the newly invented recrea-
ton Of kindergarten socialism is patented and
put the toy market. The New York Social
| list Literary Society began last Saturday a
! school Of socialism for babes and suckIings, an
! institution whose career Will be watched by
many with much interest. The attempt is in
teresting for several reasons. An ancient adage
often in the mouths Of school teachers says
! Give me the education Of a child up to his
! sixth year and you may do as you please with
| him after that" This was the doctrine Of an
eminent Jesuit, and It's frequent success testl-
fies to the presence Of much truth in it's
makeup. Evidently the socialists warned by
the staggering blows dealt them of late by
European and American political parties and
labor organizations have realized that grown
folks cannot be argued with, and that social
| isms one remaining hope lies In convincing the
unbiased minds Of infants.
Most authorities heretofore, however have
used the kindergarten method for the diffusion
Of knowledge about spelling, adding and behav-
Ing Thus far nobody has employed il in teach
| ing astrophysics or AssyIioOgy. The nearest
approach to such utilization is found In teach
Ing Sectaran doctrines: but 1rst-class educators
are unanimous in cOndemnlng the practice
Similar objection mus be taken TO kindergarten
matter of putting one and together nor an
obvious rule Of conduct teachable by example
will be absorbed by the unprejudiced child mind
Ike any other rigmarOle. 1t would signify to
the child only vague bunch Of war cries and
platform phrases, ali of which could do no more
than make the world more sadly tangled
puzzle TO the learner than 1t need be
This would surely happen if genuine socialism
were taught But the necessity of giving the
I.ir.,F ,{.l
soon force the teachers to preach the homely
virtues Of cooperation, charity fair play, atru-
ism and the many other excellent things which
though having helped To foster socialism, have
really nothing to do with it. Indeed, the first
teacher OF the new movement began by teach
ing the dignity Of labor, and promised her pupils
instruction IN natural sciences and ethics. Now
take this innovation seriously, because IL
must work tremendous wrong to the young
minds coming der its influence Irrelevant
virtues will be made to bolster up u complex
socinleconomic theory Of more than dubious
soundness. The same trick has been worked
with lamentable success by Mormons Dowieltes
and countless other eccentric sects. BY sheer
force OF habtuai association, children come TO
find IN abstract theories-lInOwn to them ONLY
by name-all the virtues preached by the advo-
Gates Of those theories. The dignity of labor is
made to mean the dignity OF socialism. The
loneliness OF socialism. The nobility and prac-
teal value Of cooperation are made TO signify
the nobility and practical value of socialism
When we look about us and see how many OF
the silly notions still current and active persist
from generation to generation simply because
they are drummed into the heads of little chill
dren along with good things, we cannot regard
the new sOcalstic school as a Joke 1t is a
menace, In so far as ii lives up to it's name
1t would not be strange however If It soon
lost its original character and became a social
settlement school, Boys and girls are too in
tensely individual TO accept more than the name
Of socialism. If they are ever brought TO real
ize that their playthings are only nominally
their own property, the soclalistic teacher may
be obliged TO make a hurried exit through the
back door. The human impulse to own some
thing and 10 make the most Of It is so deep that
there is infinitely less danger In training and
controlling 1t than in extirpatlng II The doc