Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-04-30
PROGRESS IN WORK
Of K|NDERGARTENS
But International Union Is Told
There Is Still Room for
Improvement.
SECOND DAYS SESSION
TAKEN UP BY REPORTS
Play Festival Postponed Until Fri
day Morning-Delegates Visit
White House.

White House.
Reports OF gratifying progress In
kindergarten work throughout the world.
coupled with statements that there Is
still much room for improvement in
methods and scope, marked the second
days session of the International
kindergarten Union at the New National
Museum today. The play festival which
was to have been given this morning
| in the Smithsonian Institution grounds
was postponed because OF the wet con-
| ditfon of the grass. and will be held Fri
day morning.
The great importance of cooperation
between kindergarten teachers and moth
ers was dwelt on I'm a paper prepared BY
| Miss Elizabeth Harrison. chairman OF
the committee on affiliation with the Ma
tional Congress of Mothers and read be
fore the convention. Kindereartens can
be of little assistance, she wrote. unless
| mothers take an interest I'm them and
| continue the work begun there in the
| home
The results of a thorough canvass OF
| the kindergarten situation in the United
States. made by Miss Nina Vanderwalker.
chairman Of the committee on inVestiga-
| ton. showed that Ills cities In this coun-
try now have 1856 kindergartens. either
| public, private or charitable In char
acter. In these kindergartens. Miss Van
| derwalker said, there are more than
306 12S children.
Should Be Millions Enrolled.
there are about 100000 children OF
l la, s,. init Tod tn
and that, therefore. nothing like the limit
of good which can be accomplished
| through these agencies has been attained
There should be several million children
| enrolled in the kindergartens, she de-
! clared.
Giving statistics for the different states
gained from direct reports to her. sns
| showed that New York leads all other
| states with SO. 3O4 children in it's kinder
gartens, and that Illinois comes nexf
| with % 7O1 children in It's kindergartens
The District of Columbia. she said. has
land 4079, and Virginia 1000. some OF
the southern states have few KINDER
gartens and few children attending them
The feeling among the delegates Over
the rival Froebel and Montessori meth
ods of kindergarten work was brought
| out during the report OF Mrs. Susan L
Hartman. chairman OF the committee
Nm foreign correspondence. The teach
ings of FroebeI are the groundwork
of most kindergarten work now In use
/ but a new system. based on methods
begun by Nine. Montessor, ts being
advocated by some teachers The lat
| ter system is founded on faith In touch.
/ and repetition. Mrs. Hartman read
letter from abroad criticfsing some
features Of the Montessori methods. and
| was warmly applauded by the delegates.
1 gates.
Election of Officers Tomorrow.
( New officers OF the union will be elected
! tomorrow The committee on nominations
| this morning nominated Mrs. Mary b.
Page of Chicago for president. to sue
| ceed Miss Mabel A Mackinney: Miss
Stella sood of Minneapolis, for first vice
| president, to succeed Miss Alice Temple.
Mrs Margaret ]. Stannard of Boston
| for reelection. Miss Catherine X. Wat
| kins of the District for corresponding
secretary and treasurer. TO succeed Miss
| Luella A. Palmer and Miss Myra Win
| chester of New York for recording sec
retary. to succeed Miss Meta Fars.
| A spirited contest between Cleveland.
Ohio, and Springfield. Mass. for the 1914
convention of the union was started to-
day and will be decided tomorrow. Let
| tiers of invitations from city and school
| officials of both cities were read this
morning. and representatives OF each
place were allowed to make addresses
| The Springfield delegates tried to win
with gifts of boxes of candy. and botli
sides were busy distributing literature
The 1915 convention probably will he
held in San Francisco.
Delegates Received at White House.
The delegates to the convention We're
received at the White House by Presi-
dent and Mrs. Wilson at 2:30 O'Clock
| this afternoon. and because of this re-
| ception no afternoon session was held. A
! public meeting will be held tonight at
; Memorial Continental Hall. at which ad-
| dresses Will be made by Miss susan Il.
! Blow of New York on "Froebels Mes
sage to Women" by Miss Patty 5. Hill
! of New York on Some Hopes and Fears
| for the Kindergarten of the Future" and
/ by Miss Fanniebelle Curtis OF New York
on The Problem OF the Kindergarten in
| Large Cities.
Interesting sessions will be held to-
morrow morning and afternoon. In the
morning Mrs. Arthur Birney. president
| of the National Congress of Mothers.
and Miss Olive Lesley of Labrador will
speak at the New National Museum. and
in the afternoon round-table conferences
will be held at the ]. Ormond Wilson
Normal School.
Dr. william NJ. Davidson superintend-
ent of the District schools. announced
today that the Washington kinder
! gartens will be closed tomorrow and
Friday 10 allow the teachers to attend
| the sessions of the convention
/ the sessions Of the convention
Blames Society, Not Schools.
Blaming society in general, rather
than the public schools. for the low state
| Of morals existing i'm this country. Dr.
Thomas NJ. Ballet of the University of
New York delivered a striking address
on the psychology of moral education be-
fore the opening session OF the union
at Continental Memorial hall last night.
DIR. Ballet said IL is not right to hold
the schools responsible for the morals OF
children when they leave the schools
early in life. and when they see all
about them grown people doing the very
things they are told not to do Homes
must be better developed. laws must be
more strictly enforced. bad living condi-
tions must be wiped out and temptations
must be removed before children can be
expected to be better, he declared.
DIR. Ballet spoke for more than an hour
after the delegates to the convention had
been welcomed to Washington by COM
missioner Rudolph. Henry p. Blair. presi-
dent Of the District board Of education.
and DIR. William NJ. Davidson, superin-
tendent OF the District public schools.
Miss Catherine r. Watkins OF Washing
ton presided at the meeting and Miss Ma
bel A. MacKinney, president of the union.
responded to the addresses of welcome.
A Sermon In Epigrams.
Here are some Of the epigrammatic
statements made by DR.. Ballet:
You cannot teach morals like you ca