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Show Leading Educators Ardent Advocates of Kindergarten. K.'ndergarten progress has been marked this year, undoubtedly under un-der the impetus given by wise legislation legis-lation passed by the recent sessions of the state legislature, which was closely followed up with energetic work on the part of those workers for the common good who have taken tak-en every advantage of the state laws o.i the subject and pressed home their efforts untill already the complete com-plete success of the monumental undertaking seems assured. The result has been so great in its proportions pro-portions thac at a very recent session sess-ion of the national organization including in-cluding kindergarten workers, Utah was praised hignlv as the only state in the Union where adequate provisions provis-ions of law were in effect and where, under these laws, a progress highly commendable had been made. Leading educators of the country, former opponents of the kindergarten kindergar-ten idea, have become the best friends of the movement and today are endorsing the plan to extend the work throughout the school system. SUPT. A. C. NELSON. Of the situation as it exists in Utah today, A. C. Nelson, state superintendent superin-tendent of public instruction, says: "In 1903 the legislature passed a measure which provides that all school districts having a population of 2,000 and upwards shall establish and maintain kindergartens to be open to resident children between the ages of four and six years. This law provides that kindergartens sha 11 be established within four years from the passage of the act, i. e., by March, 1907, and it states, that the cost of maintaining the kindergarten shall be paid out of the district school fund of the respective district. "During recent years the kindergarten kinder-garten has been established in a number of cities of the required population. Iu the state there are still cities with 2,000 inhabitants without thete schools. A number of years ago there was a substantial part of the school patrons and a smaller percentage of school teachers teach-ers who were not all enthusiastic about kindergartens. Today this sentiment is changed. The chage has been brought about largely by the results of the kindergartens in operation. At first sight the beneficial bene-ficial results of kindergarten work are not so apparent as is the work of the grades. The children do not learn so much arithmetic, so much geographv, so much history at least in terms of general measurement. And partly for this reason the meritorious meri-torious service, which the kindergarten kindergar-ten is rendering, has been slow in securing due recognition. Year by year, however, it is becoming most apparent that this department of the school system is one of the strongest socializing agencies brought into the life of the child; that it has very much to do with en- abling him later on to fit. not only i nto the life of the school, but also into the life of the community. It has come to be pretty well understood under-stood that kindergarten training has much to do with making useful citizens. "Doubtless the main reason why too few kindergartens have been established es-tablished lies in the scarcity of school funds. There has been a de termined effort on the part of our citizens everywhere to give their children high school advantages. Most of the local funds raised for school purposes, other than for the elementary schools, have been used in providing from one to four years' high school training for the yo ung men and women of our communities. Now that the state is giving 1-2 mill tax to aid the high schools, it is confidently con-fidently expected that kindergartens will be established and equipped to meet fully all of the requirements contemplated by law. It is believed that soon the work of the kinder-' gar ten will justify the efforts of its ardent advocates, especially of the good women who have worked diligently dili-gently for the promotion of the I cause throughout the state." "Among other things the kindergarten kinder-garten teaches children at an early age to use their hands and fingers which will resultin greater skill in all sorts of manipulation by the hand and fingers in later life. By the work of the kindergarten the surgeon will be able to use the knife with greater precision and accuracy, ac-curacy, the research and laboratory worker will be more exact and more skillful in the preparation of apparatus appa-ratus and performance of experiments, experi-ments, and the mechanic more accurate ac-curate in the execution of his work. The kindergarten will enable the home keeper to be more expert in the use of the needle and at greater ease in the kitchen. "Any involving the use of the hands and the fingers may be advanced advan-ced to a highly perfected degree through work of the kindergarten. The ability to use Vtith ease and skill the fingers will promote the interests inter-ests of man beyond measure." PROF. F. W. REYNOLDS. Says Prof. F. W. Reynolds of the University of Utah regarding the function of the kindergarten as it has come under his notice: "My two little clildre i are in attendance at-tendance at the kindergarten of the State Normal school and their kiner-garten kiner-garten occupations are proving to be of great value in their development. Centering in the activities of the home and of the kinds of work by which the home is supported, they at once catch the interests of the children and at the same time greatly great-ly broaden their acquaintance with things and their sympathies. These occupations and the little songs and games which they learn easily come over into the home and are the source there of very agreeable pastime and educational activity. I believe in the kindergarten. |