sun.

should not feel for a single moment that he is being studied, analyzed, questioned to find out what is within his mind. The little child should not be made to feel that he has defects which the kindergartner is seeking to discard or virtues which are to be nurtured. He should be taken as a whole, with whatever of good or evil there is in him, appreciated, loved; then will his face turn toward goodness as the flower turns toward the In this warmth the child will grow; he will breathe the pure atmosphere of his surroundings; he will feel the sweet influences of song and story; he will learn to love the work and play which helps him to understand his own life and the life about him. In a tender, noble, womanly way the kindergartner may help the child to understand the experiences which come to him from day to day. We cannot bring the child in touch with all the typical experiences of life during the kindergarten age, nor can we bring to fruition every virtue. We must be content with preparing the way, leading the child in body, mind, and heart to start aright, knowing that strength and vigor of life come with passing years. I fear we sometimes fail to realize how small the beginning must be, and too soon look for results in our work with the children. We want to hurry them on to things beyond their circle of thought and experience. Let me plead for simplicity in kindergarten life and work. A young woman just returned from a period of study in Germany told me recently that she was amazed at the simple little exercises which held the interest and attention of the children thru a morning of work. These children were dealing with apples, the bright-colored balls which Mother Nature gives her children. This innovation may not be desirable for every kindergarten, but we will not go far astray in giving the children playthings Mother Nature has provided for them, and using them in such a way that the eyes of the children are opened to new possibilities. As the child passes from the home to the kindergarten he is full of the thoughts and experiences of home life. The wise kindergartner preserves this as a basis of knowledge, gently leading the child to a larger circle of thought and experience. The kindergartner should lead, and in a measure be led by, the children. In following the children's interests she will find it quite unnatural to keep thought centered around one topic for a week or month. The life and experiences which the children meet, the passing seasons, nature's moods from day to day, all suggest immediate interests which she must take advantage of for their development, carefully avoiding thoughts too remote from the everyday life. In a recent visit to a kindergarten where many of the larger children were absent, the little tots attempted to carry out "the blacksmith game," but were utterly at a loss because of the mass of detail which it involved. At another kindergarten I was delighted to see that the little ones were given an opportunity to play in a circle by themselves; the games were simple and within their understanding. It was interesting

to watch their faces as they entered into the spirit of their play, as nothing was attempted which was beyond their circle of experience. As the child grows he is able to pass on to wider circles of thought. If he comes to the kindergarten at five years, he should not be given the work or play suited to the child of three years of age; he is physically stronger, more mature, and should receive work suited to his larger capacity. I was deeply impressed with this fact in visiting a kindergarten which had just been established in a new section. The children, being unused to the material, were not prepared for very active work. The kindergartner was trying to give a lesson with the second gift which was admirably suited to the babies, but the older boys at the table could not be induced to enter into the play. They were longing to handle, to investigate the possibilities of the gift. The wise kindergartner and mother are quick to detect when the child is ready to pass from one stage to another, but are slow to force development.

We should think carefully before forcing the spirit of the age of chivalry upon the children before they are capable of understanding it; knighthood is something quite remote from the very little child. Most people who have lived with growing children and observed them closely find that this experience is best understood, because of some inward impulse, when the boy is ten or twelve years old. In Jane Andrew's Ten Boys Who Lived on the Road from Long Ago till Now we find the story of Gilbert the page, who will one day become a knight. This occupies a place in the history of the world's development, and appeals to the boyish heart. I find in a recent number of the Outlook the experience of a mother who, in speaking of her boy of eleven years, says: "During this last year he has been completely absorbed by the age of chivalry, started there by the tales of King Arthur. In his play he and his friends personate King Arthur, his knights, and Ivanhoe, and his leisure time, when not reading, is spent in whittling out javelins, swords, and shields from sticks and boards." May we not leave, then, the stories of knightly adventure to their proper place in the child's development, and not introduce kindergarten games which will cause the little children to stand with wondering eyes while knightly exploits are enacted before them? The primitive life of the Indian, so wonderfully pictured by Longfellow in his Hiawatha, should be given when the children are able to receive it in the beautiful language which has made it classic. History stories should be left to the school, so that the teacher may present them with some degree of freshness and in relation to other events.

As we look back into our own childhood, we hold dear mother, teacher, or friend who knew just when we were ready to enter into some new experience, in our process of maturing; those who gave us the right books when we were capable of understanding them and appropriating their lessons to our lives; those who seemed to know just when we were

passing from childhood to girlhood, and from girlhood to young womanhood.

In the few minutes remaining I must speak briefly of the relation the kindergartner bears to the parents of her children. In seeking to know the individual needs of the children she naturally turns to the home and the mother of each child. She finds much to encourage and much to depress her as she comes to know home life and the care the children receive in the home. The conditions are so varied that she wonders where she may meet the mothers on common ground. Each mother should be met and cordially welcomed to the kindergarten, her confidence should be won, her co-operation secured. She must feel that the kindergartner has the welfare of her child at heart. When this general good-feeling has been established, the mothers may be invited to meet for social intercourse or for the discussion of topics relating to the children. In order to secure an unbroken, harmonious development for the child, home and school must work together. They must be one in spirit. Colonel Parker said, in a recent address, that at present "the child lives two lives, has two streams of thought, one arising in the home, the other in the school. These two streams should be made one." Intelligent mothers realize this, and make every effort to have the home life harmonize with the kindergarten. These mothers will be deeply interested in the principles which underlie kindergarten work and method. But how are the unintelligent mothers who are found in our densely populated centers to be reached? To gain the co-operation of these women demands wise forethought and broad sympathy with the mass of humanity. The kindergartner cannot hold herself aloof in any way as she goes in and out among these people. They are quick to detect a spirit of condescension, and they are quick to respond to womanly courtesy. As the kindergartner meets these mothers in weekly or monthly meetings, her spirit should be cordial and inspiring. Beginning in a simple way, where she finds the mothers, she may lead them to understand what she is trying to do for their children. It is not necessary or wise to attempt to teach unintelligent mothers the philosophy of the kindergarten.

The wise kindergartner will make use of story, song, and play to bring these poor women into loving sympathy with nature. Let them learn that each day should be received with gladness; teach them to enter with their children into the spirit of the passing seasons as they come and go. Gradually these mothers may be led from thoughts of nature to the consideration of higher moral influences.

The kindergartner should select stories from good literature to help her in her work with the mothers. I have seen a group of poor mothers greatly enjoy Helen Hunt's chapter entitled "A Day with a Courteous Mother." In considering the subject "Morning and Evening Hours with the Children," Charles Dickens' "Child's Dream of a Star" was a

pleasing story for the close of the meeting. When "Fruit" was the topic for discussion, Bryant's "Planting of the Apple Tree" seemed appropriate. What could appeal more to the mother's heart than the lines: There gently lay the roots

And there sift the dark mould,
With kindly care;

And press it o'er them tenderly,

As round the sleeping infant's feet

We softly fold the cradle sheet.

Talks on the physical care of children will be helpful if given by some thoughtful, sympathetic physician.

No set program may be established for the conduct of parents' meetings. Each kindergartner must study her group of mothers and suit the work to their needs.

A few days ago I shook hands with a group of mothers who had accompanied the kindergarten children to the park. One of the mothers heartily exclaimed: "When anything is going on at the kindergarten I am always there!" How proud and happy the children were, 600 of them, with the mothers surrounding them, as they entered into their playfestival on the green slopes of Prospect Park! The mother entering into the work and pleasure of her child becomes refreshed and awakened to a deeper sense of her motherly duties. The prayer in Froebel's Mother Book, if not on her lips, will be in her heart as she watches the development of her child: "God keep him undefiled, guide him whene'er the tempest rages wild!" She will realize that

"She must do her best,

If hopeful she would rest
Upon the Father's breast."

To sum up these words of a kindergarten mother to her co-workers: 1. Let me urge young women to take the kindergarten training as a preparation for their womanly duties.

2. When trained, realize that you have entered upon a life-work which should broaden with the passing years and hamonize with the entire educational course.

3. Let your spirit toward the child be tender, noble, womanly, appreciative.

4. Take into your confidence and call to your help the parents of the children you are so earnestly trying to nurture.

THE NEED of KINDERGARTENS IN THE SOUTH PHILANDER P. CLAXTON, PROFESSOR OF PEDAGOGY IN THE STATE NORMAL AND INDUSTRIAL COLLEGE, GREENSBORO, N. C.

Less than seventy-five years ago Froebel's institute at Keilhau was an object of suspicion and of persecution by the Prussian government; sixty

years ago his first kindergarten, at Blankenburg, was laughed at as a vagary of an old man mildly insane; forty-eight years ago Froebel himself died without having seen his ideas become popular, or his great discovery regarded with favor by either governments or teachers. But his widow, who died only recently at the age of eighty-five, lived to see the principles, to the development of which her husband gave his life, recognized by students everywhere as fundamental in all grades of education; the kindergarten established as a part of the educational outfit of every progressive country of the world; dozens of presses devoted to the publication and dissemination of kindergarten literature; scores of schools and colleges filled with young women of the best ability and finest culture, receiving special professional preparation for their work with the little ones; thousands of mothers with loving hearts hearing gladly the words of this great constructive philosopher and friend of children, and striving to apply his teachings in the government of their own households; philanthropists delighting to give a portion of their wealth to found, equip, and support kindergarten schools; and the organization of many societies, local, state, national, and international, for the sole purpose of forwarding this movement, which already has brought blessings and happiness to millions of children, and has become, foreverinore, an essential factor in the world's civilization and uplift into freedom and truth. All this has come about in these few years without the force of arms, or the power of wealth, or high political or social standing. Such is the potency of truth, love, and simple faith in humanity. Truly, those who trust in these have laid hold on eternal life. The meek do inherit the earth, and the pure in heart see God.

Such has been the rapid growth and spread of the kindergarten movement. But because of our lack of large cities in the South, the late development of our public-school systems, and certain peculiar social conditions and ideals, kindergartens have not become established in the southern states as they have in some other parts of the world. In a dozen or more of our large cities, and in a few smaller cities and towns, the kindergarten seems now to be well established, supported either by public taxation, as a part of the public-school system, or by voluntary contributions collected and administered by societies formed and incorporated for this purpose. In other places spasmodic efforts have been made from time to time by volunteer societies, churches, clubs, and enthusiastic individuals to establish real kindergartens, but only with the usual success of such efforts. In a few places there have been excellent private kindergartens established as individual enterprises, charging a fixed amount for tuition. In many others the very name has been brought into disrepute, and made a synonym for inefficiency and charlatanry by so-called "kindergarten schools" taught by those who, knowing nothing of the principles of the kindergarten and little of the practice, and who, frequently