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Show KINDERGARTEN IDEAS. Recently a chia of young ladies, Kindergarten tcacbeis, was graduated from a Philadelphia school, and tbe questions asked and answered ou tbe occasion are of very general interest. The Public LcJjer, speakiug of this method cf teaching, further annihilates annihi-lates tbe once popuUr idea of the Kindergarton as a place where children, chil-dren, betweeu the ages of three and seven years, may be sent to keep them out of mischief, and to be enter tained. Some regard it as a waste of time oot to be teaching a child of five to read, with the theory that boob-study boob-study is of the first importance and cannot be tco early begun. It is a fict that neither of these widely dillorii g views over tbe ground of F.ob.ti'e (the fjunJtT ol the Kinder garttii system) idea nt education, wliioh grew uut ol a study uf the cUiM'.' deiu wvAi, his perp-3tit.il asking o' qutV.ioue, liis incessant activity, whii'b grown-up folks call rtstlesa tups, his de-Lructivciii s, which alio CiiHii Iron his curiosity, at:d bis desiie to bo "at something," his i.uiutivenesa of older people, his constant thirst for a story lo!d over and over again, bis love for "mother songs," all these are the indicatioua of nature's growth, upon which tbe Kindergarten system u based. The Accy: t -tiiles 'c Proele.'s b'rst idea, that the niJ'.uer should bethe: sole leacber of the child until, at the! a;oof seven, it was reaiy for books and the routine of school, could not well be cirried o it, although every mother shoaiJ aesk tj (ul.ow bis maxim, "Let us live tciih our cbiidrtn." To live It their cliildren is what rnos; psoplo do, and tbe nijtherj tiiat :ire compelled to support sup-port tti-T 1 e :o;ks and -"briug up" a family wliie they earn a living for it, are sometimes the oes who mtt faithfully do both; while the energies of tbe jna who gives ail her time to tbe ma kiug of tiue clothes for her children go o it so eulirelj over the fashion plates Ibat there is little time1 for anything but to put by their questions ques-tions as worrying, and to get them out of tbe way to scuod as soon aa they can go. And again, when tie baby claims the mother's time from the older ones, it is well that mere should be aonio methyl by which ti.cse may. be encouraged, from Ibe age of three, how to use their activity and curiosity j in tbe way of education before the tender little brain can bear the weight of books. Iu this tbo Kindergarten oilers itnelf under the cra of womn who I'jok upon the child :ta ft ludng to be developid. Thi games, oci'upa-tiiHid, oci'upa-tiiHid, marches, song, are all intended to meet some want and train some li' Ulty. The physical exercise is, of courts, the first aim In the fre gymnastics, gym-nastics, and in the pure air, which is ai much a part of the "furniture" ol the Froebel Kindergarten as desks are in a school. There are occupations that train the eye to study color, pro-port'on, pro-port'on, accuracy; the moulding in -Uy affords the natural vent for that innate propensity of childhood to play n tne dirt and nuke mud pies; the dat work, weaving of colored papers and even the pricking of cardboard pictures are to teach geometrical lines aud inventiveness; and tbe building nf the cube blocks into aa many itructurce as the child haa seen or known, at home or in walks, bridges, churches, ligbt-bouaea, Bhips, chairs, or any of the mora familiar domestic articles, all is directed intelligently by the teacher and is not an objectless play. Eating the luncheon is as much a part of the training as anything clae; what ech child has brought in its basket is set out in order on the little tables, aud careful and polite habits of eating are encouraged, .together with a disposition to share tbe simple food with each other, instead of thei hasty snatching of cakes and other j delicacies which the ordinary school! "recess" admits, In tbe songs and! u'ames there is a direct intention to teach kindness, unselfishness and a; regard for tbe rights of otbors. If this moral education is not laid early mi lile, the more a man knows, some limes, the greater rascal he becomes, and tbe too numerous cases of de faulting presidents aud cashiers show that it is not book-learning that keeps a man honest, although ignorance too often leads him into crime. Tbe growth of character ia studied by tbe Froebel idea of education; there ia watchfulness to check tbo childish tendency to be selfisb,untruthful, cowardly, cow-ardly, dishonest, as tho case may be, iu the great inheritance of such traits that hna come down through bis human ancestry, and there is tbe stimulus applied by encouragement to whatever builds up the Bense of individual in-dividual responsibility. To make the child feel that he is accountable for the happiness of the little clues, that if he does wrong he is isolated from the plays, but that the rest of them do not enjoy it so well while he sits apart, is a very strong incentive to tbo offender to bear himself well and this isolation is the only punishment ol tbe Kindergarten. The songs that are Bung carry these sentiments with them, whether it is birds cr flowers or Geld mice that are sung about. As the school exercises begin with a story, to'd by the teacher, no child is willing to mirs it, and the exercises Jcirry the interest aud fix the attention at-tention throughout. Attention, obser ', vatiou, comparison tliLSe mental faculties are kept in mind, as well a9 the physical and moral balance. It will be seen there is no room for books, aud no necessity for them at Ibis early ago. One or two attempts have boon made to establish the Kindergarten in Salt Lake, but they have failed before be-fore tbe system was fairly tested. That ihisshould have been so is much lobe regretted, as there is a necessity here for more attention being paid to this early education tbe most important of all. The Herald has in times pist, asked the attention of teachers' and educators to tho subject, and would like to see them becume eulh-ciently eulh-ciently interested to establish a first class Kindergarten in this city, where we are confident it would not only prove a success financially, but result in much good to the children of the community. |