A NEW KINDERGARTEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2690, 4 October 1905, Page 52

A NEW KINDERGARTEN.

Another school was formally opened on Monday xinder the auspices of the Kindergarten Association in the-Helping Hand Mission Hall, Hanover street, the school being in charge of Miss I. Finlay and an assistant. About a score of children attended, and there was an interested 1 gathering, mostly ladies. Mi' W. Burnett, in formally opening the school in the unavoidable absence of Mr M. Cohen,, congratulated the City of Dunedin on having in it such a woman as Mrs W. H. Eeynolds, who had made kindergarten work a labour erf love. The most thoughtless man understood that to make a tree grow straagnt one must tend it when it is young. Whiie offering hi 3 congratulations, however, he must say that he would like to see the school in a better building. True, the room was only the setting, the jewels were the children, but he would like to- see those jewels in a better setting. When he saw the fine buildings round about, such as Knox Church Schoolroom, he thought that the clergymen in whose charge they were might let the Kindergarten Association have the use of one room at least. He was sure they would do so if they were approached. The teaching at the kindergarten was nol sectarian. He was strongly sectarian himself, and he did not think much of the man who was not prepared to nail his colours to the mast; but for all that, he realised that for these children it was best to simply implant the simple truths of the Christian religion without touching that rock of denominationalism on which _so many of us shipwrecked. He wished the school every success, and again offered thanks to Mrs Reynolds and her committee for their efforts to rescue those little ones from what might be lives of misery.

Mr B. Gilkison said that the occasion really marked a peculiar -event in the history of the kindergarten, because it was now for the first time that they began to draw ihe benefit of a Government subsidy. They had for some time asked for assistance, and various promises had been made until last year, when money was put on the Estimates. He wa3 now happy to say that they had received £140 odd, and the result had been the opening of this new school. The benefit of the kindergarten had been proved long ago, and it only remained to make this one a success like the others. He endorsed what Mr Burnett had said about the need of a better building. It was a great pity that the children could not get the best, and he was sure that those in charge of the other buildings referred to needed only to be approached. He trusted thai by the end of the session they would find tlipse children housed m a, very much nioie

palatial residence than that which they wore m then.