Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-29
Chang Yuan-Chi interested in
kindergarten Work.
HE SEEKS IDEAS FOR CHINA
Imperial Commissioner Of Education
Sees American Methods.
WORK OF NORMAL TEACHERS
He Is Taken Through Franklin
School by Supt. A. 7.
Stuart.

Perhaps some day there will be kinder
gartens in China scattered all over thu
land, just the way there are in America
If that ever comes to pass, the elias!
of very little people who play about II
the big kindergarten room at the new
Strong John Thompson School, 18th ant
l. streets northwest, can have for theil
own special distinction. the knowledge
that the germ of the idea was nurturee
not little when the tiny Emperor of Pr
Yi's own special commissioner of educa
ton for the Chinese empire watched then
intentiy for half an hour this morning.
Calls on Supt. Stuart.
The commissioner OF education for thu
entire empire Of China is Chang Yuan
Chi. He called on Superintendent A. T
Stuart this morning along with Wen Pant
Chung, second secretary OF the Chinese
legation. What he was anxious especially
to see was the kindergartens-
In the country which he has left for 9
time the school ideas have not broken en-
tirely away from the precepts OF anclen
oriental gentlemen who had some mighty
good ideas, several thousand years back
which have not since been changed II
many respects.
Consequently that great big playroom
full Of four and five year old boys ana
interested Chang Yuan-Chi. He asked
all sorts of questions.
He saw the children at the three
horseshoe tables working with color
ed balls and strips Of paper. He saw
how courteous they are to each other,
inside of the horseshoe is a pleasant
faced young lady who holds the atten-
ton OF fifteen small folks as II the sun
and moon and stars, and all the uni
verse, moved but by her nod.
He saw that the schootroom was Just
as pretty as q garden, and that where
flowers were not growing there were
pictures of the things children learn In
the small adventures they READ OF ana
have read to them. All OF 1t. In every de-
who said 1t was marvellous In the ex-
treme that a system Of rearing child
by such simple play could have peen
devised and put into practice SO won
derfully well.
So the Strong John Thompson kinder
Karten may actually be reproduced on
the other side of the world.
Franklin School Inspected.
The visitors went all through the
Franklin School building. where there are
several practice schools. and where the
girls of the Normal School are taught and
make their first trials at bending the
young twig.
The first school they saw was the IA
NOUS practice school taught by Miss
Hardy, one of the schools where the new
idea of having movable furniture was
first tried out. Two or three Norman
itors saw for the first time the new meth
cd Of teaching classroom full OF little
children by dividing the class into groups
Around the knees Of the teachers the
children had pulled their little chairs and
were being taught with an earnestness
and a proficiency and a knack which
made it possible for the lessons to go on
without the children noticing in the
slightest that group of strangers mad
entered the room.
Especially was the commissioner inter,
ested in the workings of the Normal
School. Mr.. Stuart stopped IN the class
room presided over this morning by Miss
Cooling, the principal Of the school.
Twenty-Five very pretty young girls
looked at the two strangers with com
bined battery Of glances that would have
made an American stranger OF weak
hearted tendencies sniH violently at q
smelling salts outfit. But the Chinese
gentlemen were as adamant.
Miss Cooling went on with her class
work. She was having a recitation in
some branch Of psychology.
every Poor Picture"
She held up q hazy picture and asked
what it was. One young lady said 1t
was a rabbit. Another one said 1t was
duck.
us that psychology" asked the Com
missioner.
= At which twenty-five young women
smiled with even more piercing smiles
than ever. But the Chinese gentlemen
were unmoved.
Supt. Stuart took the picture and held
1t up.
NOW" he said. what Is it? A rabbit
or a duck?''
The Commissioner looked wise. Twenty
five young women beamed upon him as
only a class in psychology can beam.
They awaited the answer.
And finally it came:
ut is very poor picture was the
verdict.