FREE KINDERGRATEN ASSOCIATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 2310, 9 June 1898, Page 38

FREE KINDERGRATEN ASSOCIATION.

The annual meeting of the Fres Kindergarten Association wai held at the City Council Chambers on fche 3lsfc wife. His Worship the Mayor (Mr E. B. Cargill; presided, and there wax a Large attendance. The Chairman said that it was with very > great pleasure that he was present on thai occasion, and also to see that so many people manifested their interest in the work of the association by their presence. He had received a note of apology from Mr Ferguson, of fche Albany street School, who took a warm interest in the association, and sincerely boped ', i fchafc ifc would continue to prosper. He (tha , i chairmen) would nofc attempt to make any < lengthy remarks upon the work the association ; was doing. They were all aware of the pro- < gress the association bad made, and of the ex- ' cellent work ifc had done so far. Mrs Reynolds : was kind enough to take him last week to see i the real working of fche school in Albany street, and ho must; confess to beiug very much sur- « prised and gratified afc whafc ho saw. Ifc was not a. very large gathering of child-

ren. He should have liked to have seen more, but he was very much gratified with the way in which the 60 or 70 children present were taught ; and he wished he could say what ought to be said in support and in admiration of the system which he saw exemplifivd in the Kindergarten School. Ife was * matter of nurprise fco'him that the k ; nderg».rten - system, which had proved so beneficial, had not been attached more to the regular school system. It was claimed that this system was a. wonder of perfection, but; he thought tfcafc ifc might he improved by tacking on to ib fche kindergarten system. The Secretary (Miss Bartleman) then read the annual report, which has already been ...published. Mies Hutchison read the annual b&lanca sheet, which showed that the ordinary incoma for rhe'year (including a balance of £67 15s 4-d brought forward from laafc year) amounted to £216 15s 3d, and the expenditure to £177 19s lid, there being a balance in hand of £38 151 4d. A supplementary balance sheet showed tL».t tbe receipts from the Kindergarten Record Reign Festival amounted to £800. Mrs W. H. Reynolds, in moving fche adoption of the report and balance sheet, said : — I feel that I have so often ventilated my own sentiments and feelings on kindergarten subjects fchat it would be better for our own supporters and the public generally were I to give them tbe maimed opinions and ripened cdhvictiona. of one of the greatest known authorities on thsj'aobject — namely, those of the late Mrs S. B. Cooper, of San Francisco. The address from which I quote was delivered by her — before fche National Conference of Charities and Corrections — in San Francisco aboufc the end of 1889, I believe. After detailing at some length fchs almost phenomenal success which bad attended the effortf of the " Gulden GUte Association " in connection with fche establi*hmFnt of kindergartens in. variou* parts of America, as well as in distant lands throughout fche w«rld, she tells us : " Ifc" would seem that the ' Pacific Slope f owes its kindergartens to the energy and eloquence of Professor Felix Alder, the New York philanthropist, who, wben. vjsitiujj Sau F*a*,ci»eo in the fall oi 1878, publicly advocated the syxtena J1 as a preventive of crime, and a foundation of reformatory work." He was ably seconded by Mr S. W. Levy (president; of the Hebrew Orphan Asylum of San Francisco), and, remarks Mrs Cooper, " thus ib became a historic facb that the foundations of free kindergarten work on the Pacific Coast were laid by representatives of that notable Kation who have given more that is of real value to the world than any other people on fche face of the globe," and I am proud to say such is my owe exparience here, for was it not through fche energy asd devolien of Mr Mark Cohen (editor of the Evening Star) fcbafc the first movement in this direction was made in this our City of Dunedin ? Mrs Cooper goes on ro giva a history oi the great number of schools in the different localities and fche vasb number of children attending, and then remarks: "Now the practical question is, What of real substantial good have these free kindergartens accomplished for the children, tbe community, and the world?" and she pffirma without hesitation " fchat fche record these children make when they go into tbe public school te & tribute nofc only to tha value of this kindergarten in the developing of ail the faculties but to the unfolding of tha moral nature rs well," and asserts that there is "a steady stream of influence th*t Sows back inlo the families which tells for good no malter how wretched and degraded fche household may be. The parents same ia feel that; their children aie of Mine tffcltie, *nd rhsy treat them with more ooßaidefauoo ai>d kindness, while tJat children feel thatKomrtbouy lores bbdin, and they unfold and blossom like plants in fche sunshine." She continues : ■'» The kindergarten prepares for the a?ts and trades ; ir. lays a good strong foundation for industrial education ; ifc lakes littie children of three" years of JCge, and through the use and agency of utilisKJ play sets the wheels of industrious habits 'n\ motion, for in the kindergarten the child^is t» light to pay for what he gets—to earn ifc by "effort and industry. He i* Una-Jib to acorn to le»» on tbe hole «ud nock

of others s he It nofc onl

fcauehfc what obiect

t of others { he It nofc only fcaughfc what objects are, he is taught to produce them ; he is taught to create. Self-dependence and self-reliance are thus cultivated. He is thrown upon bis own resources just as much as possible. It is % maxim in the kindergarten that j all bulp which smothers self-help js disastrous in its results upon tbe puns;." She then goes on lo deal" with fche physical side of fehe subject, 6howinf? fhe value of the cleanliness and order which is Insisted on in the kindergarten, as also tbe advantage of the improved homes which come as a result of fche I pride and infeere&fc shewn by the parents, and i then adde, " We have abundant testimony in ! regard to intellectual results, for fche aim of fche j kindergarten is to harmoniously develop and - unfold 'rfae threefold nature of fche child, and in ; ?air order and freshness scad him on id ways ' of pleasantness *nd paths of peace, for it must J be understood that; fche kindergarten concerns j itself with fche development of Faculty rafcher • fcban the mere learning of set lessens — ifc devotes '• itself more to ideas fcban to words; more to i things Sbaa to books its mission is to beget j within fche child <bo power of assimilating knowledge an^ turning ifc fco practical account. j Now," she adds, "» word in regard -to the j training of fche faithful teachers. There are jno more earnest;, Belf-denying, and con- \ aecrafced workers in the great fields .of | humanity than kindergarten teachers. Their ; reward is as measureless aa time. There is an immortality in such work." This I heartily endorse as I do ev<?ry preceding word. With regard to our own teachers here I can testify fchafc they have ever shown the mosfc beautiful spirit of sympathy with and love for fche work. In conclusion, Mrs Cooper says, "Whafc, briefly summarised, are- some of the practical results of the free kindergartens on the children ? Ib opens to them a vasfc heavenland of happiness never dreamed of bafore, in which tbe powers and graces of body, soul, and spirit ejmmetrically unfold, ju»fc as do fche plants under the genial, entreating rays of the sun ; ifc brings forth fche perceptible growfch and development; of the creative powers, the moral and ahthetic sense, and a love for fchafc which is pure, true, honest, and of good report ; with th? g'owfch of a love to God and a loVe for Pa«h other, which ig fche ' fulfilling of fche law,' and which will fit; them to be manly men and I womanly women, doing their part well in the work of life, making this world fche better for their having lived in it. And now, will nofc

fche State help us to do this great and glorious work ; and will not th« whole country turn its thought, to whafc is thebrsfc training for little children ?— for ifc aeems fcTns il. has been clearly demonstrated that the best education for the prevention of pauperism and crime is that sort of education which from earliest childhood develops all rhe powers of body and mind, fosters good habifce, cultivates a right spirit, imparts practical information, develops skill and capacity, and trains the youi-g to active *nd skilled industry. Yes, fcbo State, fche community, the patriotic citizen mußt heed the eolerno w»rrting, auil train

the children for honoorsbtecitizenship. Batter — j far better — that we plant kindergartens and organise industrial schools and educate the 1 young for work than to leb them gf ow up in such a manner as to be good for nothing elae but to fill prisons, gaols, and penitentiaries?. Crime c&nnot be hindered by puninhmenfe ; crimß.cao only be hindered bj Jetting bo child grow up to become a criminal." Such ,wise ! ,worcl3 'I think we all can endorse." As the I printed report of the yeas'B work has beea i before the public for some days, I need scarcely i refer to it, save to say hew distressed we are; that so few of the public ever open the door and . walk in to bid us " God epaed." We have in- . vited one and all time and again, but with little result. It is not so in America. We do so i j again, and hope that all who can will come and i > observe, the . daily method and record their views or feelings in the vwitor's book. It helps , members and cheers the teachers, and I feel i sure that they would come away fully convinced i of the greatness and value of the work we are carrying out For the State. Mr J. MR. Gallaway, ia seconding the adoption of the report, said : I notice that - in the annual report ib is stated that there, seems little to record, bat a careful perusal of that report makes it abundantly clear that the ' good work of the association ia going on • • steadily, and that the workers are as much in i earnest to-day as they were when the move- • j menfc was first started in our city. Ifc is grafcifyi ing to note th&t a movement is on foot; in > Christcburcfe to establish a free kindergarten I there. The day is past when tho«e who knew ! nothing whatever about the subject considered I themselves justified in sneering at the effort* !of the association. These efforts, in Dunedin j have already borne such good fruit that very few would now care to display their ignorance ! by condemning the kindergarten system, but there are still many who arc apathetic in the matter, giving aa their excuse that the national system of education ia amply sufficient without the necessity of supplementing it with outside aid. Oar nations.l .system, has now been in force for over 20 years. Ifc has ' been ; marked by many improvements, but ifc has j not yet, and I hope if. never will, reset tha stage when ifc is deemed to be incapable of improvement. Ifc is not to be expected, however, that as educational novelty is- necessarily an improvement, and it is imperative that those who are entrusted with the administration of the Education Acts should be careful in adopting untried method*. This is no doubi the reason that so little progress his beea made ia the direction of kindergatten methods being adopted at part of the system of the State. Now, however, that kindergarten work has progressed beyond the stage of mere experiment, when our inspectors report with pleasure that several of the State teachers are now doing creditable kindergarten work in the infant department, and when we know that our inspectors and a large proportion of the State teachers are enthusiastic believers in the system, ifc seems fca me that the time has arrived when the State, through the Education Board of Otago, might take at least the initial steps in the direction of such adoption, following the example of Wellington and Nelson. ! Some of you may have seen from the papers F fcbat I had giren notice of motion in connection « wit-Jrkh.dergs.rten business for the next tntetiag ■ j of the Education Board, aiid ifc is possible that i it is on thnfc account, that I hare been honoured by being asked to mow tbe adoption of the , I report. If that be so, I sbduld like to point onfc | char, although I personally admire and | i ; thoroughly baliave in the kindergarten system, j ifc does .not follow tb»t whin the surrounding I i circumstances and tbe question of finance are ' j carefully considered, ifc may nofc be deemed j ■ ! feasible to take the c«oe*srry steps at prsseefc. Be that, however, as it nisy. there !* e*ery reatesn that tha oieroberx *f r-he c,»soeiat!on ; s fthould continaa the good work, aiid, although j i it may nofc come ?o soon »s wa wish, there , seems to me no reasonable doubt whatever that j the kindergarten system must be grafted upon i i the State system. When fchat time comes the i great influence that this association ha» had in s forming a sound pnblic opinion upon this im- ; portant subject will not be forgotten. If, as s Victor Hugo tells us, every case of vaga- : J facnd&£<3 b»B its «»afc. in * n&glfccted. child, it

emphasises the duty of every parent te honour the child before expecting the child to honour tho p&renfc. Ifc is difficult fco conceive any better method by which tha parent cxn do honour to the child than by ensuring a good education jn tha truest and highest sense of the word. When -Nature- fa&s provided that every mothers because she is a- mother, is necessarily a perfect; mother,- it wiii be time enough to question the. necessity of a kindergarten system. It may be doubted if that time has yet arrived. There are parents too brutal or too indifferent fco be trusted ; bat even of those who belong to neither class there are many who, from want of time, disposition, or training, however anxious they may be, are nofc qualified to properly train children. " The objecb of the kindergarten is to continue and expand an ideal home-training. Where fchafc is wanting, however, fche system aims at training tha child upon the lines thafc would be adopted by the perfect mother — thafc is to cay, the development of faculty rather than the mere learning of lessons I congratulate you on fche great success which attended your festival last year. Your powers of organisation and your enthusiasm in the cause were abundantly manifested, and the liberal patronage given fco the' series of excellent entertainments you provided was the natural result of good work in a good cause. X feel assured that if in the future you require to make another appeal to fche public you will find them prepared to assist you with fchafc liberality which invariably a Dunedin public, .displays when asked to support a worthy cause. — (Applause.) The motion was carried unanimously. ELECTION OF A LIFE MEMBER. '

On the motion of Miss Kelset, seconded by Mrs Reynolds, it wa» unanimously decided, amid applause, to elect Mr M. O*aen a life member of the association in recognition of services rendered.

ELECTION OF OFFICE-BEABERS.

Office-bearers were elected as under: — President;, Mrs W. H. Reynolds (re-elec'ced) ; vice* presidents — Mesdnmes Sinclair Thomson, A. Cameron, and J. H. Hosking (re-elected) ; treasurer, Miss Hutchison, Queen street (reelected) ; secretary, Miss Bartleman (reelected) ; committee — Mesdanoea- Baker, M. Cohen. George L. Dennisfcon, E. U. Edwards, J. MR. Gallaway, G Joachim^ Jackson, Martin, G. Penwick, Pirn, Raphael, J. Waddell Smith, J R. Sinclair, Wesley Turton, Whitson, Ulrica, Misses Kelsey and Landels : trustees— Messra J. Allen (M.H.R.), W. S Fitzgerald, Rev. Dr Wsddell; Advisory Honamittef — Miss Freeman (B A ), Messrs D. White (M.A.), J. Allen (M.H.R ), G. M. Thomson, W. C."Allnutfc, and M. Cohen ; honorary physicians, Dr Colquhoun (Walker street) and Dr Martin (Yaralla branch). • ~

THE SUCCESS OF THE ASSOCIATION.

Mr D. Whitb expressed his pleasure ftfc being present that afternoon. He had only to say fchafc be had always taken an interest in the work of th* Kindergarten Association of Dunedin. From the first he had sympathised with the association in its work, and had done what lifctle he could when opportunity occurred to further its interests. Ha congratulated the members, as he had done on previous occasions, on fch? enfchnsiasiic and excellent way in which the whole f>f the business arrangements of fche association had been' earrip.d on. The Ktndargartsu Association was ore of the_few societies in Danedin-wbicb did ua a gcea.6 Seal of credit. He spoke : from a knowledge of fche kindergarten schools, >s ifc had, been .his pleasure to examine tbe trainees for sonffl years, and -it was finite a pleasure to him to visit fchose^schools and see the enthusiastic and^cSpable way in which the superintendents and the trainees Sid their work. He did not propose to speak of kindf-rgarfcen teaching as an educational syotpm, although ifc was a most interesting branch of educational method". The greatest advantage which Froebsl.had conferred on fche world was fchafc he had enlisted the interests of all classes of society in education, and that was a great work. One could nofc read the autobiography of -Froebel, or enter a kindergarten school without carrying away some of the enthusiasm which came down from him, and which is imbued in the minds of every man and woman who praised the system of kindergarten. Ib had dove a lot of public school fceachsrs good by showing them that a great deal was possible that was nofc thought possible, and every enlightened, _ thoughtful school teacher would recognise in kindergarten work they had the fundamental principles of true education. — (Applause.) Mr M. Cohen briefly returned thanks for the honour fchat had been conferred upon him by electing him a life member of the association, and also moved a vote of thanks to his Wovship the Mayor for the use of the Council Chambers and fsr presiding »t tb.9 meeting. The vote was carried by acclamation and duly acknowledged by the chairman. The meeting then terminated.