FREE KINDERGARTEN ASSOCIATION..

Otago Witness, Issue 2649, 21 December 1904, Page 37

FREE KINDERGARTEN ASSOCIATION..

The" Yarallfi, Kindergarten, one of the* schools of the Dunedin Free Kindergarten^ Association, brought its year's work to a> close on Thursday forenoon in Stuart Hall* when there was only a fair attendance off the public. Mrs W. H. Reynolds, the* president of the association and founder; of the free kindergarten movement, occu^ pied the chair. The children attending the( kindergarten occupied a space in front 08 the platform, and for the space of a couplei of hours kept the audience greatly interested Under the direction of Miss Wright*, the mistress of the school, they were pur through a number of exercises in the was of physical drill, songs, etc., and in every* respect reflected credit on their own adapts.-; bility and the carefulness and patience exeri cised by the teachers. Amongst many meritorious performances was a representation! of the ordinary routine of a house. A littW three or four-year-old girl took the partf of housekeeper, and in between times o* sweeping and oleaning recehed the various

"■ tradesmen, represented by little boys, who j _ came with the day's provisions, each being iieralded "by a chorus from the children. "Kb- detail was omitted, the little, house- , Iceeper acting her part to the letter, and' '- the.- youthful tradesmen never failing to ?- -raise "their hats as 1 they departed. The - -rooming's performance was perhaps on the "long side, but' the youngsters seemed to/thoroughly enjoy it, and the audience main- : tamed. an appreciative interest throughout. " Sharing the proceedings the ' children, in • addition to singing hymns, sang the National Antnem. The teachers of the fcehool are: Misses "Wright (mistress), Fin- ' lay, Stewart, Copland, Brickell, Towsey, ' •nd Haslett. '. ' • Mr Bedford, M.H.R., expressed disap- ; \ pointment that there was not a larg&r ,' - attendance. Mrs Reynolds and the com- • .- snittee of the association had laboured cease- - Jessly for years to. bring before the public ' - the inestimable value o£ -the kindergarten, 1 and Mrs Reynolds was therefore eager for ' ' jfche parents- to watch the exercises and "inspect the work of the children-. -To see ' .jwas" to bo converted to the kindergarten methods of teaching, which, -were baaed on _" Bound scientific principles. He referred to -the grant of £500- which Parliament had this -y-ear "rot-ed for the kindergartens, as a result i ■ot- Mr J. F. Arnold's energetic T&dvccaey. j Mr-Bedford then briefly explained the prin- i iciples of the work, and mentioned that in j Japan there were now over 200 kinder- j r Barrens .at work, with over 20,000 children ' ittending every day ; whilst New York 'had " Jefrween 400 and 500 Kindergarten schools. , In conclusion, he expressed the 'hope that jcindergart-ens in this colony would receive .' tapre liberal support, -and the associations " ~be> thus enabled to extend their influence. -* Mr- J. F. Arnold, M.HJt.. said he .had " -attended the function, „ not with the inten- j tiptt of speaking, but of^ learning of the j " work done by Mrs Reynolds and the | Association. Five years "ago, j •when he first visited the "Xaralla School, i he said that the time 'would come when • the Government of the country would recognise the wisdom of supporting such schools, and his colleague had already told them that last session Parliament placed £500 on the Estimates for kindergarten schools, nearly- all of which would come to the Dun~edin Association if it could collect an. amount : - equal to that required — the vote being for j subsidies on the-pound-per-pound principle. \ 7 It was therefore necessary that the friends 7 and relatives of the .children attending the . - acbool should assist the association financially so that it might be enabled to reap the advantage of the parliamentary grant. t : - JWhether it was wise that kindergarten work ; should he introduced into all the schoola i -of 'the' colony, and made part of the educa- j tional system, he was not at that juncture j "prepared to say, but he thought that as?o- ; ' ciations and schools such as they had in j /Dunedin should be encouraged and con- j ducted in -every large centre of population ; in the colony. It -was not at functions such f -as they had just participated in that th& ! - iull value of the kindergarten movement j was seen, but when they went into the j - congested residential parts of the city where there was a crowded noor population they ; - really saw the wisdom and the -full result j - of the work that could be accomplished -___ and was being accomplished in our "own ;-. Bity. /He trusted "that, the association would 1". receive -not only support sufficient to s enable if to continue its splendid work, but also *- tcf enable it to extend its field of operations. Mr T. K. Sidey, M.H.R., also added his edmm&ndation of theT-good results of- the work .of the kindergarten. Mrs Reynolds and those associated with her were deserv- - ing of every support. With Mr Arnold, . he hoped they would not only be enabled to continue their splendid work in the city, but- in the near future wojuld, by reason' of the monetary assistance received,-' be able to extend their operations, and he, personally, thought there was a field for them in South Dunedin and Cav.ersham, " where jie was sure the advent of the kin- ' Seorgarten would be hailed with delight. ne had great pleasure in moving a hearty - \Vote of thanks to the teachers of the Yaralla -.fiebooL who had devoted so much pains- _ taking ' labour to the children committed ' to their charge during the year. - ' The vote having been carried by accla- ~- mat ion, ': Mrs Reynolds added her tribute to the .faithful and loving manner in which the had discharged their many and •" arduous duties. New Zealand, she said, in future years would be very graterul for the ,WOTk - done now by the kindergarten > teachers. She mentioned, with regret, that - the school was losing the services of Miss ' .- Stewart and Miss Copland, who. in the ; /' new year, were going to start a kinder- .' ■ g*rten at Gore. They carried '.vith them Heartiest sympathy of the association, \ «nd she was sure- the people of Gora would j /iive reason., to thank God for the intro- | „ ductlon of ' the kindergarten into their midst. She .was greatly- disappointed that 'the attendance that morning was not much -,laiger, for she believed the public only ' wanted to see what could be done by i Kindergarten methods to wake ujj to the j necessity of the kindergarten being made ; - the foundation of all education. I ~ - The public present then inspected the - )rork of the children, and on all hands were to be heard expressions of admiration for }he neatness and ingenuity displayed in - fxe manufacture and construction of the Various articles on exhibition