Part 1 (2/2)

The presentih not yet caught by his nalized by another anecdote that he tells of hi the peasants of North Ger to an end; but Frbel declares that he could not make himself feel alarmed He says he was sure it could not be true, because the will of God had not yet been brought about in human life This extraordinary reflection of a child of ten years old was preceded, probably, by a happy change that came over him in consequence of the visit of histhat the child was not happy, invited hirandht and sunny, and he was received by his grandmother with joy and tenderness

Iiven him, provided only that he should come home punctually to the meals He soon became so healthy and happy, that his uncle put hireat delight The school was opened, the first day he went into it, with a little serdos shall be added unto you” It ood discourse, for it left a life-long impression upon the mind of the little Frbel

There was a law then, for huht consciously realize in happiness and virtue, the haretable world For God was the Ever-present Friend and Lawgiver! He tells the duke how happy he felt himself in his new circu faith After school, he went out to play with his school of nature as he was, he found he could not play with his athletic companions, and had to sit on one side and look on; and then and there he distinctly caarten, that every child should have free exercise of his liet entire coility they are capable of

After a few years of this happy home and school life, which he continually reflected upon in contrast hat he had suffered for so randmother died, and he was sent back to his stepmother The question now came up, whether he should study for the university, where his brothers had gone; but the steper child, opposed his father's spending the riculture But he was physically so incompetent to the labor of a far sent home by the farmer, he was finally apprenticed to a forester, where he found genial occupation in wood-lore, and in studying geoh and ardent mathematician But his friend the forester died, or was reht this occupation to a premature close At that moment, however, a maternal relation died, and left him a little money, so that he went to the University of Jena, where he devoted himself principally to the physical sciences; and by and by we find hiical Museureat i lady who frequented the museum, by the ”sermons” that he found ”in stones,” for he read theanic nature, so called, could be traced not only laws of decay, that threw into stronger light those laws of life that he had learned to see in vegetation, but those of crystallization Everywhere he read God's revelation of the processes of life and death, which also make human development and happiness, or its deterioration and misery

The trumpet call of patriotisood Queen Louise of Prussia, called hireat national act of delivering his country; and he obeyed it by volunteering his service Though his regiment was never called into battle, he always rejoiced in the effects upon hi thefriendshi+ps he acy received at the death of his uncle Hoffave him the reat attraction He was boarding at Frankfort-on-the-Main, where Middendorf and other of his late ed the to perfect this arrange of education in Gererminate, which has turned out to make Prussia the effective power in Europe that she has lately proved herself to be; and whose first principle is, that the prie of education

In connection with this general movement, there was about to be established a new school in Frankfort; and Gruner, its principal, as one of the boarders, talked over with Frbel and the others the new plan Whatever Frbel said was so striking and vital, that Gruner at last exclaimed: ”Plainly this is your vocation! Give up the architecture, and coh Frbel had all his life beenupon the secret of human education, this was the first time it occurred to hiht of Gruner's suggestion, the more he liked it; and the issue was, that he took one of the younger classes in the new school Immediately afterwards he wrote to his brother that at last he had found his element--he ”felt like a bird in air, a fish in water” But the teachers were hampered in their action by the proprietors of the school; and after a season Gruner said to Frbel, ”You should lead; not be led I release you froement Set up independently, and carry out your own ideas unhindered”

When his purpose of leaving was known, one of the parents who patronized the school, gave him his two sons to educate, just as he should think best; and because he now heard of Pestalozzi, he took them to Yverdun, where he remained as pupil with them, for a season But he was not quite satisfied with Pestalozzi's methods He saw there was a process to be attended to, anterior to the observation of objects; namely, to e to attend except to what they are the, and thence proceed to knowing In returning froer brother's , offered hi Frankforters; and theoffered, besides, a small house that she owned in Keilhau, if he would fit it up

He and Middendorf and another friend united together and accepted this offer; and, with their own hands repaired the house, living in the outbuildingson rations , went to work on the land, which they taught the children to cultivate, and deduced their lessons out of the objects into which they were putting their life and labor To these six children three cultivated men devoted themselves; and Frbel also wrote to the lady that used to study with hiical Museum of Berlin, and she took her fortune, and left her rank, to help the poor schoolmaster in his life work, as theon the land was not all that they did They began with it, because the children of the city had been rather starved of the gratification of that instinct to work in the earth, which very soon appears in all children--though, as Frbel says, it will die out by being left uncultivated He found that his pupils had been already injured by their artificial city life, and in s to unlearn It was not a perfectly easy thing to deterive to individual tendencies that had been exaggerated by the reactions of disorder, or of an artificial order Frbel thought the educator should give full play to all that is universal in hu human idiosyncrasy, to do which was the vicious point of Rousseau's system that Frbel has happily avoided It was natural that he should first bring before his pupils the processes of vegetable growth, because it was in observing them that he had himself first found the laws of God But he was older than any child in the kindergarten when he learned that lesson Observation of anything outward is not the first thing in human development, but exertion of powers from within, which provokes the reaction of the outward and makes it known

I cannot follow out, in this introductory lecture, all his studies of the nature of man in these children, and all his experiments of cultivation But I hope to do so in those which follow The school founded in Keilhau exists to this day; but Frbel ever found hi back till at last he came to the infant in the mother's arms Then he went into the huts of the peasantry to observe the mother's instinctive ways, reason upon them, purify them of her individual caprices and selfishness, and eli inconsistent with the divine idea and ence He did not confine hih always keeping in relation with it; but went at times to other places, and once, for a year or two, left all, to go to the University of Gottingen to study philology There he made hi out those laws of es For it was the secret of a perfect developht they ”were coain” After half a century of the study of childhood in the living subject, and elaboration of the e into the conviction, that the most important period of human education was before the child was seven years old And his last years were spent in preparing teachers for kindergartens at Rudolstadt and at Ha before the to them Now it is what he discovered and elaborated, and has left, not in logical forh he has certainly stated principles in words and es, but in processes of work and play, that is to be taught in our training schools It took a Newton to discover gravitation and other principles of nature, but enius can comprehend and apply these principles, which they could not, like hienius to discover the first principles of education, and his sensibility to apply the women can learn them and apply them, if--and only if--they will study devoutly and faithfully what he has taught; and in doing so they will find the artificial, but more profoundly natural than ever; for the true educational process is but the mother's instinct and s, and acted out To be a kindergartner is the perfect develop with God at the very fountain of artistic and intellectual power and hest finish that can be given to a woartner; and it is froh and normal schools, public and private, that the pupils of our training schools should come, and fro that these are not identical ealthy and fashi+onable ones, for in the latter we often find the vulgar and coarse The refineentle and courteous lorifies hu effect of poverty by ”seeing Hiination of whose hearts are evil continually,” and even the merely frivolous, betray that they have ”faculties that they have never used” though they dwell in palaces

Ever since the norun in America, in 1868, letters have been received from teachers, already at work in the old routine of prie of the plays and occupations invented by Frbel; in order that, by e to their infant schools as the naarten may But this superficial, inappreciative use of Frbel's processes, is as fatal to his refor_ to the prie of direction It changes the educator's point of view Instead of looking down upon the child, the kindergartner one arbitrary conclusions, and humbly look up to the innocent soul, which in its turn sees nothing but the face of the Father in heaven--(for thus Christ explains children's being ”of the kingdom of heaven”) This is difficult for her to do, because--not seldoinal innocence of the children confided to her care, fros in relation to the needs by reason of the essential dependence of individuals upon their race

The child is doubtless an eel; but no less certainly a possible devil If the immortal will, impassioned by the heart, which never rests pernizes God, be puzzled, itdirection by what it ly and norant, disorderly action of the will; of its not adopting the laws of order, by which God creates the universe, and of which the universe is the unconscious exponent But knowledge of the laws of order uide the will, froh the human providence of education_, in which the heavenly Father veils His infinite power, in order that the child ood, that shall lift hi, into that union of Love and Thought, which characterizes a spirit _creative_, _ie_, causing effects

Perhaps you will say that if human influence must embody Divine Providence, in order to educate, then children never will be educated

Well! Except in one instance I admit that children never have been educated up to the ideal standard But the one instance of the perfectly Divine Son of the perfectly holy Mother; and the partial successes of such fitful good education as history and tradition report, forbid us to despair of e of Divine Providence

_To despair of this_ is want of the proper action of human free will,--Faith

The first qualification of the true kindergartner, then, is Faith, which can be based only on the abiding conviction that God is with us ”_to will and to do_,” if ill only have the courage to take for granted that if _we are willing_, He willthe love of children, sympathy with their life, and sensibility to their beauty, may have a reasonable assurance; and that such as shall faithfully qualify themselves for the ill not fail of the divine help But observe rounded on the children's superficial beauty It must be a love that involves patience, that can stand the ly teht of the eel that wears for the moment the devilish mask In children, evil is actual, but always superficial and te her own temper and idea Also sheand iination and heart

It ination and culture This is true; but such persons should not undertake to keep a kindergarten Let theetables, work the sewing machine; even keep those schools for older children, in which books are the s to be done; the greatest variety of functions to be perfors to do, the cultivation of hus at that period of life when they are utterly at the mercy of those who teach them, is the most sacred Why rush into that, ihest?

On the other hand, I do not wish to produce any artificial sentie woartner, if she will give her nature fair play, by cultivating religious and moral sentiment; and will take pains to develop her intellect by the study of nature's laws in at least one departy for instance, the materials of which are everywhere One who _could not_ be educated to becoartner, should never dare to become a mother; for she would not know even how to choose the assistance necessary to her for the work that ought to be done for every child by soe, and if possible effectually frighten every one fro who isit aand ardent to this beautiful womanly work, which, to do well, requires of the for their own intellect and heart, and which, ive thee, a year or two since, to pass a week in one of the schools of the feeble-irls, devoted to the terrible work of waking up Will and Perception in those poor prisoners of htful to look upon They were doing their work under the strongest sense of huion It would have been i it, had they had no other inspiration than the pay they were receiving Theup the ; and this was not ain, by persons ent there as I did I do not think one of these wo on a , and productive of such reactive effects, in such sad circu upon children fairly gifted! The char, it stimulated to profound study of the laws ofthem, instead of arbitrarily, in defiance or irreverence of the with God; and this made them practical saints But why cannot we believe that God is present, and acting with us, and wooing us to act with Himself, in the joyous paradise of life, as well as in cha the wretched? Is He not the God of the living and joyful, as well as of the dying and sad? Why is the church-yard only a grave-yard? Why should it not always be a kindergarten?

One of the pleasantest observations that I artens of Germany--and I went to the very best ones, those kept by the kindergartners whom Frbel had trained--was the happy absorption of the teachers in the children; their sympathy with them; the utter companionshi+p between them I never saw a punishment; I never heard a Don't (or its Ger, there was always a pause, and sometimes questions were asked; and all seeht out into consciousness (whether the thing in hand was social action or artistic work) Perhaps it overn American children Their vivacious teies, need ”conscious law” as a curb, rather than as a spur But all the artner to vivify the invisible guide; she should present order to theand conversation over the work in hand, rather than exert an arbitrary pohich es of cunning To _govern_ is not the whole thing The question is _hoe govern; whether we so govern as to ent, law-abiding, self-respecting, _willing_ servant of God I have seen a netic teacher produce apresence and keen satire He ioverned by moral power; but as soon as he was out of the schoolroom, the children were the victier spring by the enforced repression There is no order which is lad obedience of the child to a lahich he perceives to be creative because it enables hi short of the union of love and thought can produce spiritual power, _ie_, creativeness It is only spiritual power that inaugurates order--the Eternal Beautychildish toys

There is reason, on their own account, ant our pupils, in this art of kindergartning, to be in their disposition and circu on the work; and that is, because it will be long before the ill pay much in money I need not adduce any other proof of this than our experience in Boston; where, for four years, the rarely gifted, thoroughly educated, religiously devoted Alies on classes of less than a score of children; bringing her a pittance so sht to have been given to recreation and culture, with other work, in order to pay for rent and necessary bread Our rich and cultivated people will not forego a little more upholstery than is necessary, or a style of dress thatof the er than the school bill, in order to give the required re herself on their children in exhausting study and labor But the truth is, people do not really believe that anything better can be done for children than to kill the time between the ht to read; and so this precious interval, when the habits of thought and affection are for difficulties for the child

Nohat is to refor work of kindergartners, who, for the sake of enlightening these benighted parents, will do their work faithfully, steadily refusing to undertake the care of those whom their parents will not trust to Frbel's system The refusal will not seldom force the truth on the parents--hen they know it, will be glad to know it I do not say to any particular person, it is your duty to wear yourself out and half starve, for the sake of keeping a kindergarten It is only you who are sufficiently free froe and luxury of working with God, on the paradisaical ground of childhood, who should enter this field If you canthose who are beholding the face of the Father in heaven, by not hindering, but bringing therace as in stature, and in favor with God and man, till like Hie, and can help to doeneration, to initiate kindergartning, andis initiated, it will pay even in money; for parents will see that it is invaluable

It is twenty-two years since Frbel died He had artners, and set thean with s business In Europe it is more difficult than it is here, to induce women of culture and position to undertake any hich is paid for with enius had overcome this prejudice in a few instances The ladies of one wealthy fa becah under soes The Baroness Marenholtz-Bulow is the most important person inspired by Frbel; and the circumstances of her introduction to hi in feeble health, she went into an obscure village for rest and retirement; and one day asked the wo on aers The wo, a natural fool who played about a the children, who followed him, and were very much taken up with hiular assertion; but so abroad for exercise, she sahite-haired roup of children around hiht be the ”natural fool,” she drew near, and was soon arrested by what she heard, and joined the little throng herself Subsequent intervieith Frbel--for it was he--made a new era in her life, and she corresponded with him closely till his death She has since been his chief apostle After years of earnest work, with tongue and pen, she succeeded in getting rid of the injunction against his schools, made by the Prussian Government, which was jealous of what claimed to be an improvement on their world-renowned Reform Since this injunction was taken off, she has worked, by means of a normal school which she helped to found in Berlin, in which she lectured gratuitously ainst just such deteriorations of the systeun to appear in this country Soartens use the plays and occupations there, as here, in the most superficial way When children work by patterns, or are shown--instead of being told in words--how to do things, they merely imitate, with as little accompaniment of intellectual action as a monkey; and neither the mind nor the character will be developed, but rather dissipated and weakened

Others, especially in this country, use the plays in the intervals between lessons or reading,--which, being taught before the s, and before theof words has been learned in an adequate manner, are confused with a chaos of unrelated particulars, that it will take years of self-education, by and by, to grow out of; and, in short, only a few vigorous natures fortunately situated ever surmount the difficulty