Show educational ork in iiii she die ak sib ab knitli alfrom the weekly enquirer tiie the following is a paper read by mrs mattie nelson at the meeting of the officers and teachers of the sunday schools of utah state stake march 1896 A BIOGRAPHY OF THE FOUNDER DER OF kindergarten the kindergarten originated with froebel a german educator horn born april 21 1782 his father was a clergyman his mother died when lie was quite young on account of his fathers duties his care devolved upon the servant girls and his bis older brothers and sisters he was a very affectionate child a trait which remained with him throughout life A stepmother came to the home when wi ien he wa was four y years e ars old she was very affectionate and tender until she had a son of her own when a gradual estrangement grew between them H refers to this in these words my spirit must have felt then deeply v in need of motherly and parental love for in that year should have come the first period of consciousness in due time lie he was sent to a village school at which place he be received lasting religious impressions which were in a singsong sing song way perhaps the simp e childs soul felt in these words the source of the salvation of his bis life indeed that conviction became to the struggling T striving man nian a source of inexhaustible coura courage band and unimpaired joy and 1 nd willi willingness agness in self con consecration secra Fr local surroundings tended to bring him into sympathy with nature the woods possessed a chirm ir for him in hours of leisure he loved to steal away to loiter by babbling brooks to gather flowers bowers to listen to the song of the birds to watch the movements of animals anim als and to catch I 1 he sighing of the breeze through the trees at the age of ten he left home to live with an uncle his life here was much happier and he received a physical as well as a spiritual development that lie was so much wanting and he be was also permitted to enter the high school his advancement was very rapid and lie he had a longing desire to enter college bui bu his father having such a large family and his stepmother not in sympathy with him his de desires dres were quenched the time finally came when he should chhoa his vocation there was a chance in a financial and mercantile establishment which his father was d sirous for him to enter as it would secure to him bim a life free from care but of wealth som something ehing in the soul s ou if of tha youth strove against such a path and lie he finally finalle decided to be a husband manaut to act as an apprentice to this it required too much money paid down and he was finally taken as an apprentice to a forester the fores ter being away so much of the time young froe froebel bel wits was neglected but bat took advantage of the time aud and studied the books at his command and became effic efficient ent in betany and geometry he made the acquaintance of a doctor who assisted him much and his church religion soon changed into are a re nature and forone for one half of a years time he lived entirely in and with plants the time offis of his apprenticeship expired expire dand and he determined to leave he felt much dit discouraged as lie he had not mot learned what he had expected and it was some time before he could make up lils his mind what to do he wanted to enter the stage out but he was discouraged by his brother brot lier then he took up work went to c college awhile but was not satisfied until he be was persuaded to be an educator where he be had at last reached his natural element as lie he wrote to his brothers of the impression of my first instructions and school keeping in it a class from thirty to forty boys it s seems to me I 1 found something not known yet longed for desired long missed I 1 was like a fish in water or a bird in air ile he soon became private tutor of three boys boya where he met with the il lust rions where he be became teacher as well as scholar and there grew as under the genial rays of the sun so wonderfully god guides the destiny of man and thus it is that we wear are e blessed with the god inspired s soula work to assist in the all important development of ch III lifo lif fifthe the necessity of kindergarten work and the importance oi of the first years of the cb illda life is beginning to be acknowledged his physical ical welfare has bas bi become come a recognized study for it is seen that bealah and strength of maturity depends upon its early growth until the time of froebel the founder I 1 oi of I 1 he kindergarten system scarcely any though was given to the right or wrong training of the infanta natural instincts few people dreamed that this had anything to do with the development of character in after year bearr As the slightest touch affects the clay under the atte Pt potters te likewise the delicate sensitiveness of the child receives impressions everlasting when we realize the wrong impressions we have sustained I 1 that knowledge cannot obliterate we can realize what r are resting ca co others and teachers froebel ras said the destiny of tho the nation lies more in the bands banda of women the in the hands of tho thoe e who profess power or aboe who are innovators we most culli vale vae women who are t the he educators educato is af the be human a now new generation accomplish its task to be continued |