The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-03-30
The Kindergarten Movement

That isl ne least part y is the '.learn-
nS e y fS as idea q eest s
en,p1ificaton. and II is the actual re-
,formatiPn In personal and moral matt
ters that counts. When the Chicago
they dh Not receive 's very ss warn, WY wsi
come from the parents 81 heirehal Se.
ess b yean ty ns ts gospel e Of
other children and brought then, glown
with the poliss request that the teach
teacher meetings. brought both has siasA
gospel found It's application at home. |,
~ is wonderful. this Influence that
ik where It counts most. The Society
for Ethical culturerin New Yorkgopen-
ed 'kindergartens In New York CsI, IN
1878. u year after tho work had B,en
vidual cases OF up1ift In homes. In ono :
instance 1t was found that a father
Longer pawn ed. his chi M s
dren to go to the new kind OF school.
One mother stopped beating her chill
dren; another, who had attended a
Where She could have %more light and
clean walls''; the children OF the alleys
fought less among themselves ana
sang songs and played games instea1,
things that the fortunate ones who had
gone to kindergarten had brought back
to the others.
! The New York kindergarten Assoc
citation spends $1,000 a year for each
drop in the great bucket OF need. In
one OF their schools alone. down on
tho East Side there are twenty-nins
such material they are early moldng
good American citizens. The first New
York kindergarten was opened by MISS
Boelte in 1871. though German cit.
made some attempt at such schools
without success q few years before.,st.
Louis established the first kindergarten
there sn 1871 and BY The so school n, year
rolled. The Board Of Edhcation OF
for primary work with special refer
ence to her knowledge OF Kindergarten
there was In 1885. 1t Is fitting thee
the international convention should be
held there, for that is the city OF Mar
Egaret;' the untn.ored working Woman nan
trained children and who worked that
she might leave money to help them
| Margaret" the first woman to whose
memory a. statue was ever erected IN
this country.
It is interesting to know that the
| first kindergarten teacher In America
was the wife of Carl Schurz. that
broad minded politician and man Of
letters. Mrs. schurz came over richly
imbued with the ideas OF German kin
derg artens. From her Miss Elizabeth
Peabody Of f, Boston !ea an, OF th fh new
hood and eight years later went
abroad to further acauaint herself with
Froebel and his work. on her return
garten in America. Edward -Eggleston
was one Of the earliest Americans TO
have a kindergarten In his home. and
| from these pioneers has spread the
lift Of tho children. and through them
| the uplift OF the family. of the neigh
borhood. and. eventually. OF the ma
The inimltable "squeers. OF Dothe-
boys Hall was not wrong when Illus
trailing his branches OF learning by
practical application, for the Kinder
garten aims at practical things. The
| idle rich as for the idle poor. anil Is
la great nursery of democracy ana pa
ltrlotic principles. When oherlin: Tor
fifty years pastor Of Ban dc Ia
to preach, and was later pronounced
too old to take care OF the village pigs.
lit was decided that he might have the
care of tho village children. this being
the order Of importance In those days.
j So he taught them games. answered
1 their questions after the socratic
4 method or INSTRUCTIONS. ana mao young
4 woman COME and teach2t the little girls
ihousehold arts and industries. ne
i shock ed his parish to the core. but his
assistant. Louise Scheppler, kept up the
i work for sixty years more. and the
4 shock that had got Ban de la Roche
/ by the ears. spread Throughout The
4 world and over here. Froebel's
prophecy Is reaching realization He
i said: 1.-The kindergarten can only have
i its full development In America, where.
I the national 6principle Is self-goycrn-s
ment. in perfect freedom. but according
to law"
To-morrow-ProKress in Explosives.
II nv work Ia the small opportunity