a design, checks, stripes, both straight and bias, and polka dots. In the occupations, articles of clothing are made; see the little winter dress in Fig. 3. Fold

Fig.

ing, cutting and free cutting can be used well under this thought. Weaving is given as cloth, the older children having a sequence in number in their mats. Finally, they are led to invent their own designs in this way.

FUEL. "I know another way our Heavenly Father has taken, to keep us warm in cold weather. It is making our room warm and comfortable this morning." "It's the sunshine," Mamie says quickly. "Yes, that helps, but this is warming just this room." "It's the fire," says John. "How many little children had a nice, warm fire this morning?" All the hands are raised. "Was it a coal fire?" "Yes," comes from all. "I wonder if any one here knows where the coal comes from. No one? Well, I have a picture that tells all about it." A picture of a coal mine is shown. which gives a good impression of its being underground. "Why, that is way down in the ground," says Sam. "Yes, that is where it comes from. Just think of our Father making the coal way down in the ground, ready for us when we need it. There is something that grows which makes us good fires, too." "It is wood," says Albert, and he goes

on to tell how, in the country, they cut down trees, and after they are dry, saw them up into wood for the stoves and fireplaces.

"Isn't it pleasant to get around the fire on a dark, cold night? When we are warm, we get in the bed, and cover up with the nice wool blankets. And we go to sleep feeling so comfortable, don't we?"

The children classify the Second Gift beads, according to form, and make a box of the cubes, and put cubes in it for lumps of coal. They put six cylinders on a three-inch stick for logs of

a stand by it, is placed shelled wheat, On the opflour, light bread and cake. posite side a cor-nfield is represented, and beside it, is shelled corn, cornmeal, corn bread, also hominy; beside the oats, is oatmeal and cooked oatmeal. In one corner of the room is a large picture of a sheep. On one side of this picture is some wool, as clipped from the sheep, under this is some yarn, yarn stockings and mittens. On the other side of the picture is a bolt of flannel, and under it a little flannel dress and skirt. We secured some cotton in the pods, and by this is some cotton cloth and calico-and little aprons and dresses. On a table in the center of our ring is a roll of butter,

KEILHAU, Oct. 30, 1847.

To H. Von Arnswaldt.

:

MY HIGHLY ESTEEMED FRIEND :Your reports upon the continuous development of your dear baby, give me great joy. The steadier you are in your attention to her development, the more even your care for her continues, the more genuine will be the joys with which her unfoldment will bless you. I am experiencing much joy at present with little Reinhold Barop, now twenty-three weeks old, who frequently comes with his nurse to see me. Then I attend to him in order to be taught by him. It is truly touching and delightful to watch how steadily the senses and limbs develop upon the ball through form, color and motion, and how, above all, rhyth

mical movements of his arms united to word and sound, give him pleasure. The little man is unconsciously adding to my sympathetic pleasure over the joy which your own little one gives you. Your educational notes are altogether instructive and interesting to me, and I request you to continue them be sure that nothing of it shall be lost. () The little girl of a neighbor of mine, is supplying me with daily demonstrations that song is an essential part of childlife, for she never wearies, all day long, to repeat her few cadences. (2) Let me urge on you to foster every breath of song in your family; children's song is to the family what the song of birds is to the leafy grove.

I inclose my draft of a prospectus of my institution for the education of Kindergardeners, (Kinderpflegerinnen, says

*Edited by A. H. Heinemann.

Froebel (3)) requesting you and your good lady to look it over. I know that my style is not readily intelligible to all, so I would ask you to criticise it freely and return the corrected copy. (*)

FRIEDRICH Froebel.

Prospectus of the Institution for the Education of Nurses, and Educators of Children, conducted by Friedrich Froebel.

The institution intends to render generally accessible an education in agreement with the nature of the child and of man, and satisfying the demands of the age, and to show how such an education can be carried out in the family. This can not be done but by preparing young ladies for the business of nursing, developing and educating the child from its birth until it can go to school; that is, the course must include qualifying the ladies to prepare children for the first grade of the elementary course of the public school. The pupils of the institution shall be duly qualified to harmonize and unite all the educational labors of the house, the school and life, by developing the child as a particular personality, and as a member of all mankind.

as well.

Education in the family isolates the child, but education at school, in the society of many children, causes the child to feel himself a member of human society. The institution ought to prepare its pupils to fill positions in either employment or in both.

This is accomplished more readily because the family-and school-education do not differ in the nature of the knowledge and abilities required, but

only as regards the quantity, or extent of personal accomplishments to be acquired. The different grades must, therefore, be assigned different qualities, but not different kinds of instruction.

The grades of child-servants, or childattendants, both of whom I had rather call child-nurses (see note 3), need, chiefly, practical exercises by which to acquire and know the details of the system and their application, according to the age and ability of the child and the domestic surroundings. The grades of child-guides need an insight into the whole system and comprehensive appropriation of its principles, from which will naturally flow a freer acquisition and a more lively and spontaneous professional activity. The institution is well prepared to keep both these branches going side by side.

It is very desirable that young ladies entering the institution, should have had a good school education. They ought to be upwards of fifteen years old and to be sound and full grown. The age from seventeen to twenty odd years seems best for this training. More important than age and school education, however, is the girlish kindness and love for childhood, and the ability to occupy herself with children, as well as the serene, joyful and spirited view taken of life in general.

There ought also to be a love of play and playful occupations, a love and capacity for singing. It goes without saying that purity of aims, and a lovely female disposition are essential requisites. The fuller the educational accomplishments of a lady are, the more rapid and satisfactory will be her progress in the science.

The means at the disposal of those willing to take the course are generally so limited as to compel a curtailment of

the time of study to six months. Nothing but inexorable necessity could have enforced such a reduction of time, rendering the acquisition of even such knowledge as is absolutely indispensable next to impossible. Curtailing and condensing of every part of the course must be carried to an extreme in order to render it possible to reach the goal at all, and the entire course is made up with a consciousness that the pupils themselves must fill up the gaps in their development by incessant industry and spontaneous labor, to work out and perfect the ideas and principles laid down in the course. There is no possibility of reaching the goal desired unless a pupil will give her whole mind and give it determinedly and perseveringly to such study. But I am happy to say that a number of the pupils of the school have completely reached the goal, so far as the course was able to determine the goal. But this is not sufficient unless the pupil has also learned to observe and study the phenomena of her own life and activity, and thereby to learn how to observe and guide the life and activity of children. In this direction the study and reflection of the Kindergartnerin ought to be continuous and incessant.

A complete preparation for bringing up and educating children ought to make the pupil theoretically and practically conversant with all the requirements of the child concerning its bodily (dietetic) and mental (pedagogic) needs from the cradle to school age. But that is not enough yet: the normal school pupil ought also to be enabled to impart a good preparation for the first grade of the elementary classes of the public school. Not possible is it, however, to include this branch in a short course of only six months. A second course is

necessary to give time enough for the preparation for that kind of teaching. In either case, however, success can not be complete unless the pupil on entering the normal school is sufficiently prepared as regards her school education, her maturity of character and good judgment. Such efficient preliminary preparation alone will enable the pupil to avail herself of all the suggestions offered during the course, and, after leaving the school, continue to study, reflect and labor for the purpose of finishing her own education.

The time table of daily duties extended from 7 A. M. till bedtime. The hour from 7 to 8 was devoted to a morning service followed by a lesson in religion. The lessons attempted to "trace the evolution of religious ideas in the child, and thereby to indicate a method of awakening truly religious sentiments in the little ones." At 9 the regular school day opened. The hour from 9 to 10 was spent in teaching or lecturing upon "the science of the phenomena and laws of the evolution of man and child; of the essential nature of the child and the requirements resulting from its nature regarding the nursing and education" of childhood. During the two hours from 10 to 12, the principles taught theoretically in the hour preceding were practically demonstrated. These demonstrations embraced practical exercises in

personal intercourse, appropriate language in conversing with children, singing with children, accompanying it with appropriate practice of the senses and limbs," etc. The specific relations between these exercises and the unfoldment of the soul-life of the child as an individual and as a member of a social whole were successively pointed out. The Mutter und Kose-Lieder served as a text-book in these lessons.

were

The afternoon session commenced at 2 P. M. Till 4 P. M. the Gifts for play and occupation were handled. There several small text-books all of which are now united in the "pedagogics of the Kindergarten." Froebel tried. at every step to point out and make clear the manifold relations between the occupation with his Gifts and the labors of man in contact with the circumstances and events of nature and life.

From five to six the pupils assisted in the plays and games of the children that convened for the purpose. The hour from six to seven was devoted to practicing plays, games and occupations that had been carried out during the day.

After supper the pupils practiced whatever they felt they had not completely mastered, and were assisted by Froebel, Frau Froebel and other helpmates. Altogether, it is a fact that during the six months of the course, Froebel devoted his whole time and energy to his pupils, from seven in the morning until bedtime, never wearying to explain and lecture, to labor and play with them, and all this for a paltry remuneration of half a thaler (about thirty-seven cents) payable by each pupil every week of her attendance. Truly, it was not a business speculation, this first normal school for kindergartners; it was the irresistible force of enthusiasm for his great ideal, which was the perfection of mankind by means of his new education, that carried him onward and made his ideas victorious. ()

NOTES.

(1) Froebel's careful attention was directed toward each child with which he came in contact. Thus he encouraged his friend, Arnswaldt, to forward to him reports upon the daily doings of the little Mary, Arnswaldt's daughter. These reports Froebel read to his pupils and