The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-15


the tedium of text books and
now look back with "A shudder
at their gruelling encounters
Nth geography, arithmetic. history.
I.-rbra. trgonometry, spelling, the
lusuagcs. &C. doubtless it will seem
strange to learn that a little twelve
.tI-o.d girl should make the study of
hose subjects her play and pastime.
Ye' that Is Just what has been done
by lttle Winifred Sackville Stoner. Jr.,
u llttsburg, Pa, the daughter of DR..
Hd Mrs. James Buchanan Stoner. L. S.
%. III s. now in command of the United
states Marine Hospital at Plttsburg.
Mrs Stoner is known in the literary
world as Winlfred Sackville Stoner, Sr.
Little Winifred because of her re-
narkahle mental attainments and eX-
raordinary physical development has
ttracted the attention of educators the
ountry over. At the age of one year
he used polysyllables and conversed as
luently in good English" as the
tverage baby of that age prattles along
% baby talk At sixteen months she
vas able to read. At she was as
mentally efficient as the average child at
or 10 At she was able to talk
-everal languages and did a hundred
nd one other things that would have
iNed the capacity of a high school
,udent. At she passed the entrance
nominations of one of the large West
I'm universities, and now at IL she is
bile 10 speak eight languages has writ
en- nine books, has taught Esperanto
the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburg is
IN accomplished performer on the violin
md the piano, has acquired unusual
proficiency in aesthetic dancing, paints
md sketches exceptionally well, has
eaten several we'll known chess cham
ions, Is an expert swimmer and clever
,ymnast. can cook, crochet. knit sew,
nee, row, skate, box, ride horseback,
'ay ball, is an enthusiastic motorist.
"a is ready to take graduate work in
my university in the country. But
With 1t all she Is just a lovable little
;irl. not a little old lady as one might
imagine, and has as much fun with her
oils, her toys and her canary bird as
my other little girl her age in the land
And that is what has astounded the
ducators. That child could acquire
uch unusual mental proficiency at such
n early age and not lose her youthful
interest in things which attract the
.NtTdEt Cnllu fduStu several prominent
lucators to doubt the assertion that
ne child was normal. In fact, one, the
cad of the Department of Education
u a large university In the Northwest,
ourneyed to PittsburG TO test the child.
3efore he left he was playing at dolls
With her and wheeling one of her pet
-ag infants around in a gocart,
Though during his visit he had estab-
hA 70 IN thfc t,1a Nfnl littln
slrl had acquired knowledge which
would do justice to any advanced
tudent in his university and was nor
nal In every way
Inqurng into the matter he found
hat the secret Of the chld's develop
nent lay in the method which her
mother had used to educate and train
Ier. For Mrs Stoner had invented a
ystem for the education and training
( her daughter which she called
atural education, in which everything
hat ordinarily would have been classed
$ toll was converted into play-play
With a purpose. So enthusiastic did the
rofessor become that he urged Mrs.
toner to prepare an outline and
nalysis of her system and this he him
elf presented to the Bobbs- Merrill
'ihpdIN VI VIM i"'
Ist published the material in a little
ook especially prepared for mothers
nd teachers called Natural Educa-
on"
Mrs. Stoner does not claim that all
ne methods she uses are new. She
as studied the methods Of all the
'iucators of note from the days Of the
ncient Greeks down TO our modern
mes. But more than that she has goae
ack to nature and has learned from
he animals how they train their young.
We can learn from Mother Tabby
IS to natures intended first teacher OF
he young" Mrs. Stoner says. Mother
Tabby never allows grandmothers.
cousins, aunts or hirelings to give her
'hlldren their first lessons, She insists
N being their teacher herself and re-
sards this privilege as one of the in
t.ienable rights OF motherhood. More
pver, she never plays aimlessly, but
llways with purpose. When she
caches her kittens to catch hold of
heir tails she is training their muscles
% that when they reach the cathood
tate they can earn their own living
~ catching rats and mice. Again, this
wise mother never forces her children
% play. When they grow weary she
lows them to lie down and rest, which
against the usual idea of child train
1g in the schools, where children are
reed to study even though they are
OF interested. But above all, wise
Madame Cat uses the best language
u her command in addressing her little
mes never breaking into kitty-itty
neowles' like mothers of children. our
tile ones must often learn that the
ably word 'moo-moo' is the grownups'
Ford for COW and the word 'choo- choo'
ucans locomotive.
IAN unconsciously Mother Tabby Is
blowing the five objective points of
cal education through observation, in
"nse interest. concentration, imitation
nd exploration. The kittens observe
Aer movements, become interested, con-
NnnlEaIe thnir energies initiate her