El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-04-27
KINDERGARTEN
GROWTH IS
GREAT
The Movement Now Encom-
passes the World Success
in Teaching Babes.
SYSTEM is NOW
BEING IMPROVED

Washington, D. c.. April 21--From
( every. part Of the United States as well
as from several other countries, LhOu-
sands Of men and women lntereSled IN
education are gathered IN Des NoiueS
for the annual convention or the inter-
national Kindergarten Union TO be nelu
in that city this week Few cities IN
the country have developed a higher
standard Of Kindergarten work than
Des MOiues I'm connection with ITS pup
lie school system so that the VlsltoIS
viii find many things to observe from
the work being done regularly IN ina
city aside from the new features to De
brought out in the convention program
The growth Of interest in klndergar-
ten work in the United states has been
unparalleled during the past ten years
I'd until 1890 the kindergartens Of the
country had been chiefly under private
or phianthrOplc auspices Inc cnurcnes,
the WOmeus Christ tan rem france
Unions. WOmeD'S clubs ana OLner or
ganizatiOns established and supported
them wherever possible. but the dec
ade between 1880 and 1900 is recognized
by kiudergartners as the pub lie scnool
decade. as it was during this period
that the adoption Of the kindergarten
as a part Of the public school work be-
came generally accepted Previous 10
this time the adoption OF the kndersar-
ten in the school systems OF a city was
sufficiently infreQuent to excite COM
ment Now there are kindergarten de-
partments In connection with the pup
lie school systems OF all the larger
cities and every normal school in the
country recognizes the value or kinder
garten work as a branch OF the train
ing Of teachers and most o. them sup
ply the proper courses OF instruction
While there is room for Improvement
I'm this last particular. the supply OF
trained erEarteners IS becoming
now almost sufficient for the demand
throughout the couatry.
First Progress Slow.
The kinderSartea movement in this
country, like most other educational de-
velOpments, made a desulLOry. sort Of
progress at First bscldss of the indi-
vidUaI rights Of the several states TO
make their OWL otOnal regula-
tiOns. This prevented the establish
ment OF a definite standard Of require
ment and method Experiments were
made in different sections Of the cOun-
try by individual workers under var
lous conditions An all around devel-
opment of the kindergarten ideals could
only be secured by a comparison Of the
results Of these experiments and this
is now being furnished through the me-
dunn Of the Kindergarten Union. The
kindergarten is still in state Of evO-
luton but it Is probable that the final
result viii be a coordinate unity be-
tween the kindergarten and the prt-
mary school. both of which viii be
grounded in the pedagOgic principles
OF the immortal FrOebeL
The international Kindergarten F.
Union IS one Of the OutgTOWths of the {
National Educational association 1t /
started as department q f that Orgaui- +
CATION but it soon became evident that f.
separate organization for kindergar- /
ten work was needed, so the Union +.
sprank into existence At first il did |.
not hold separate conventions, but met 3
with affiliated organizations such as
the Educational association the Ma E
tonal Council Of Women, the Congress d
OF Mothers and other organizations in f.
terested in child welfare. Its first meet E
ing, as separate organlza tton, was
held In the Teachers College Of New .
York in February, 1896. Since then it .
has met regularly every year and its .
increase in membership and enthusi- {
asm mas made II the third organization /
Tor educational purposes in the cOun- I
try The aims of the international Kin +
dergarten Union, as given in its first .
plan Of organization, are as follows; To /
gather and disseminate the knowledge I
Of the kindergarten movement through /
out the world; to bring into active CO. /
operation all OF the kindergarten in
Establishments OF kindergartens; and 10 .
raise the standard Of professional train [
ing for kindergartners.
Big Convention.
While the present convention of the I
union is expected to surpass all others. /
plans are already being made for the /
convention next year 10 which an in .
VltauOn has already been extended BY &
the Washington chamber Of commerce /
the board OF education and the kinder :
garten association Of the District OF /
OO4uLuDla- Ouc feature OF TINS viii De
a mammoth play FESTIVAL to be nelc .
outdoors in one OF the public parks +
which VIII participated in by more E
than 1000 children from the public .
schools of the national capital
1t is not generally known that the
United States really owes its kinder +
gartens largely to its German-Ameri- +
can citizens. The whole kindergarten
movement in Wisconsin may be traced +
directly to the efforts Of the German
English Academy OF Milwaukee, and the .
same is true of Detroit and Louisville. F
The first Kindergarten in the country Z
was opened in the house of Mrs Carl .
Schurz in WATERFOWL, Wisconsin Miss .
Elizabeth Peabody. who Is commonly D
credited with being the founder Of kim
dergarten work in the United States, ,
received her inspiration from Mrs. 4
SClurZ and opened the kindergarten .
connected with her name in Boston in B.
1860. Miss Peabody was a relative OF .
Horace Mann and was therefore closely F.
in touch with educational matters and +
also in a position to give substantial /
aid to a new educational movement
Changes in Work
Many changes are being made in the I
plans Of work adopted in the kinder
Eartens to keep up with the progress
Of education i'm other Departments The i
occupations given to the children are
more varied and are becomine- Of more
practical value IN preparing them for
further education and attention is also
given TO the physical effect OF each
w Ork which has a tendency TO strain
the eyes such as cGrdbOa sewing I
fine weaving and the stringiug OF small
beads, is being discontinued Large
cray ons are being used instead of Den- /
ellis Tor drawing and free hand cut I
ing IN place Of the old time cutting TO
Continued on Page III