The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-02-03

was qualification to get
hold of single word-the oft re-
ring banibino or vita. Truly one
had to envy those thorough going
Bostonians who were in a position
to applaud before Miss George inter
preted.
AS to the substance of the lecture
one of the many magazine articles on
the Montessori method would give as
much information or more. 1t is not
easy to express the work of half q
life time in three-quarte. of an hour
on a public platform.
Madame Montessori-or Dottarcs-
sa Montesori. as Miss George invarl-
ably referred to her-sad that with
an American audience she need not
make a plea for liberty in the abb
stract; she assumed that we believed
with her in the freedom of the indi-
vidual and therefore in the right of
the child TO live his own life and de-
yelop his own personality. Does
that mean that the child is to do ex-
actly as he likes? The audience
wondered uneasily. but there follow
ed distinction between liberty and
license which somewhat assuaged
cur fears.l
Assuredly the child is not to be al
lowed to have his own way in all
things, and to kick and bite unre-
strained-that would be mere license.
But Madame Montessori contends II
the child is given true liberty, The
libety to follow out his proper in
stincts, he will be normal and happy,
and therefore good. BY way of con
crete example she gave an instance
of a mother who allowed her little
boy to live in a state Of license in the
home, where his word was law. Yet
when she took him to walk, she sum
moned all her authority and refused
to allow him to stand still to listen
to a great bell that rang because she
fell. that It did not lock we'll fer
child TO stop in the street and stare
about him. Thus she gave him IL
cense, and refused him liberty.
1t is the child's innate desire to in
yestigate his world. to look and list
en- and touch and taste and smell,
and thus train his senses.
The trouble is that parents think
they have done their duty toward the
sense-development of the child when
they have provided him with me-
chanical toys. and they feel ii Is
kindness as well rs good sense to
wait on the child instead OF letting
him blunder at attempts to take care
OF himself As fer answering qnes-
tions, the mothers answer the world
over is Run away and play-l'm
busy"
1t was constantly inferred that
Madame MonteSsori has no blind
faith in the maternal instinct. The
teacher, not the mother. was the cen
trail figure of her lecture. and at
times It even seemed that the first
duty of the teacher is to rescue the
child from its mother.
The bombshell OF the evening was
the statement. made quite as II il
were commonplace, 1T Is mis-.
taken idea that the child is naturally
destructive. He is not"
There was a unanimous gasp; little
sounds of protest wee heard, and
the anxious young mother said with
conviction. she doesn't know Enid
colt"
Madame Montessori went on talk
ing quite unrufTled and the audience
waited eagerly for the int probation.
THE child never destroys anything
that has been of value to him." Miss
George translated. The children of
our schools take the most sorupulous
care OF the material that is given
them Children beak toys and
scratch the furniture because they
are occupying themselves with
things that are not suited to them.
Although firmly fixed ideas we're
uprooted by Madame Montessori.
she never seemed the antagonist; her
manner was that OF the discoverer
who has found rare things and is anx-
ious to share them.
Any teache' has always known
that children cannot long keep their
attention fixed on one thing. yet the
"Dottoresa" assured US that in her
schools the children spend hours at
a time with devices such as the but
ton and button-hole frames. or in
fitting syllnders together Not only
do they pay continued attention. but
they become so absorbed as TO be OBJ
livious to everything around them.
Madame Montessori has the gift Of
herself wildly and con-
cretely and rs she spoke. the
Houses of Childhood" ceased to be
To- the audience an educational OK
perimeut-they we're groups of liv-
ing children. whose acquaintance we
were making Now and then she
spoke OF "one OF our little girls. OF
"a little boy in one Of my schools.
with the same intimate interest with
which the American teacher refers 20
'one Of my children She is a great
educator presenting he. theories to
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