Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-18
MRS. STONER'S METHOD
Of TRAINING CHILDREN

| Avowins that there is nothing new
| in the education | have given my
| child am simply going back to ma
| ture, Mrs. Winifred Sackville Stoner
| mother of Miss Winifred SackviIle
| Stoner, known as the twelve-year-old
| wonder child. described that education
| in part before d large audience of ed
| ucators and parents in the auditorium
| of Woodward & Lothrops yesterday
| afternoon. In the evening she repeated
her lecture al the Public Library, both
meetings being held under the aus
| pieces of the Congress of Mothers
| To the disappointment of those who
attended, the wonder child was not
present, Mrs. Stoner explaining that
her daughter has been under a great
strain during the last few weeks from
seeing and talking to so many people.
Mrs. Stoner took several children from
the audience, however, and demon
strated her methods of teaching Ian
guaSes and spelling.
She declared that while she had the
greatest respect for teachers. she was
/ fighting grammar. spelling books and
examinations.
Il am not talking against teachers"
she said Il think they should have
higher salaries. shorter hours and
| fewer children in their classes But
| l am against grammar as it is taught
| against spelling books and against
| teaching children in large classes.
| was recently talking to famous lion
| trainer and she told me she had to
! train the lions individuaIIy-thats she
| could do nothing with them as class.
When Education Should Begin.
Education should begin at BIRTH"
said Mrs. Stoner at another point in her
address, land that education should be
with d purpose. The mind is greatly
like a blank photograph record ready
! to record the Impressions it receives 1t
is foolish to look upon child, as some
persons do. as an animated vegetable
we should develop the trinity which
every child has-the mental, physical
and moral being. We should train chill
dren to have selfcontrol, for If they
do not know how to conquer themselves
their education will be of no use. A
storehouse of lumber is no good unless
| you can use it
| Mrs. Stoner urged teaching languages
| to children when young, saying they
could not obtain the proper pronuncia-
! ton after passing the twelfth year
| taught by means of the typewriter, she
| said. She also believed every child
| should know something of chemistry
| and agriculture.
Rules for Parents.
Following are several cardinal rules
or comma ndments which she laid down
| for parents:
| Never resort to corporal punishment
If you wait until your anger cools you
won't.
| Never scold. ! hate to say II. but
| there is some truth in the maxims of
| many languages about woman's
! tongue.
| Never say don't This is a very hard
rule. ! know, but 1t should be followed.
| Never say 'must'-you wouldn't talk
| to guest that way
| Never brighten your child. Many
| persons are now in the insane asylums
| because their parents frightened them
! Don't allow your child to lose respect
! for its parents. l know some mothers
who slave themselves away and who
do not care how they dress. l do not
| think women should dress in the
height Of fashion, but they should
| thenl-not go around with buttons off
| their shoes.
Never speak harshly to child when
| he enters the room.
Never Danish fairies from the home.
! We couldn't live without fairies
| Never refuse to answer your child's
| question. You may not always be bile
| to answer them, but do the best you
|
Physical development she strongly
| advocated, saying that mental develop
| ment would prove useless unless the
/ child had d good physical constitution.
| She scored parents who bought ex-
| pensive sets of books and then placed
| them on top shelves 80 the children
can't soil them" She urged that suit
able books should be obtained and the
| children allowed to have them on the
| floor if they SO desired.
Substitute for Bridge Whist.
She also urged that instead of
bridge whist parties mothers should
form clubs in which they could study
conversational phrases in foreign Ian
guages. AS means of getting chill
dren to study. she said, tell them You
may study history or you may type
write if you are good"
With children selected from the au.
dience, Mrs. Stoner demonstrated how
quickly they could learn words of for
eiRn languages. teaching them brief
| verses in German. French. japanese
and Chinese. She also demonstrated
how to teach them spelling by mean.
, of a typewriter.
Included in the audience yesterday
| afternoon we're Mrs. Susie Root Rhodes
member of the board of education: Mis-.
| Elizabeth v. Brown. director of pri
mary instruction; Bernard T. jaime,