,,lectures  ,,in ,,the  ,,training      
,,schools  ,,for  ,kindergarten         
,teachers4     ,,education  ,,in  ,,the 
,,home1 ,,the ,,kindergarten1  ,,and    
,,the ,,primary ,,school4  ,,by         
,,elizabeth ,p4 ,,peabody4   ,,with ,,an
 ,,introduction  ,,by  ,e4 ,,adelaide   
,,manning4      ,come1 let us live with 
our children4--,,froebel4               
,,london3           ,,swan              
,,sonnenschein1 ,,lowrey  ,,co41        
,,paternoster ,,square4           #ahhg4
     ,,introduction4   ,,among those who
 in the last twenty years have helped to
 spread a knowledge of the educational  
principles of ,froebel beyond the limits
 of his native country1 ,miss ,elizabeth
 ,peabody's name deserves to be         
specially remembered4 ,it is mainly     
owing to her enthusiastic efforts that  
the value of the ,kindergarten was early
 recognised in the ,united ,states1 and 
that its first ,american promoters were 
encouraged to maintain1 amid many       
difficulties1 a standard of real        

efficiency for the teachers of          
,froebel's system4 ,miss ,peabody had   
long occupied herself1 theoretically and
 practically1 with educational subjects4
 ,not satisfied by merely intellectual  
methods of instruction1 and impatient of
 the superficiality which was too often 
approved1 she made it her great aim to  
train character1 and1 by a simultaneous 
development of children's mental        
capacities and of their moral nature1 to
 prepare them for the responsible duties
 of life4 ,it was not surprising that   
when ,miss ,peabody1 holding such views 
of education1 came in contact with the  
ideas and the work of ,froebel1 she at  
once experienced the delight always     
attached to the discovery that the      
problems exercising our own minds have  
been successfully solved by some one who
 has started from principles such as    
ours1 and who has cultivated the same   
ideal4 ,she found that ,froebel had     
carried into practice that very kind of 
training of which she had realized the  

immense importance1 and that he had     
placed in a clear light truths which she
 had already more dimly perceived4      
,eager to inform herself about the new  
system1 ,miss ,peabody travelled1 in    
#ahfh1 to ,europe1 on purpose to visit  
in ,germany the ,kindergartens          
established by ,froebel1 who was no     
longer living1 and by his best pupils4  
,on her return to ,america1 she devoted 
herself for many years to the           
introduction and improvement of         
,kindergartens and of training          
institutions1 and to enlightening1 by   
her writings and addresses1 mothers and 
educators respecting the value and      
simplicity of ,froebel's methods4 ,miss 
,peabody has the satisfaction of        
witnessing a good measure of success    
from her generous exertions1 in the     
increasing number of advocates of the   
,kindergarten in ,america1 in its       
adoption as a first department of many  
,state primary schools1 and in the      
numerous private and charity            

,kindergartens founded from ,north to   
,south1 and from ,new ,york to ,san     
,francisco4 ,advanced now in years1 this
 warm-hearted lady is engaged in other  
lines of philanthropic work1 but she    
retains1 and still manifests1 her       
earnest interest in the educational     
progress which she has laboured so      
actively to secure4  ,ever since ,miss  
,peabody's zeal was kindled for         
,froebel's ideal as to young children's 
education1 her help and criticism have  
been sought by the trainers of          
,kindergarten students in ,america1 and 
by all who1 with serious purpose1 have  
thus worked for the movement4 ,hence she
 has often delivered lectures at the    
opening of the session at ,normal       
,colleges1 and on other occasions when  
she saw an opportunity of exercising    
influence in favour of rational         
principles of education4 ,this book1    
which appeared only lately at ,boston1  
consists of a few of such lectures4 ,it 
is now1 with ,miss ,peabody's consent1  

published in ,england1 where many       
parents and teachers will be glad to    
profit by the author's wise and loving  
study of little children1 and her       
sympathetic insight into ,froebel's     
methods for their development4 ,during  
the last few years various thoughtful   
writers on education have drawn         
attention here to the subject of infant 
management1 and it is remarkable how    
widely the principles of ,froebel and   
,pestalozzi are now recognised and      
accepted4 ,but books are still greatly  
needed which1 especially addressed to   
those who have charge of children1 urge 
in a convincing manner how essential it 
is that the first few years should be   
rightly guided1 and indicate certain    
defined educational aims4 ,i think that 
,miss ,peabody's lectures are likely to 
prove very useful in this direction4    
,though her readers will perhaps contest
 some of her psychological deductions1  
they cannot fail to be impressed and    
benefited by the high tone of her       

reasoning1 by her evidently tender and  
reverent love of children1 and by her   
excellent suggestions in regard to their
 harmonious development4  ,amongst its  
other merits1 this book tends to correct
 the still too prevalent notion1 that   
the ,kindergarten is a peculiar--an     
almost magical--institution1 which      
provides a sure remedy for children's   
imperfections1 apart from their home    
conditions4 ,doubtless1 in the case of  
poor neglected little ones1 the contrast
 between their treatment at the         
,kindergarten and their ordinary        
experience1 is necessarily striking and 
decided1 because the parents are        
careless and ignorant4 ,but ,froebel's  
view of the ,kindergarten was1 that it  
should be a supplementary help to the   
loving and judicious mother1 who1 owing 
to her many household and other duties1 
might be unable to give1 through the    
whole day1 to her younger children the  
regular attention which their awakening 
faculties need4 ,it was to be a portion 

of the home pattern and web of training1
 not a patch of a new texture4 ,he saw  
that a child requires to have about it1 
as ,miss ,peabody says1 love and thought
 in practical operation1 and this not   
now and then1 but always4 ,and as the   
mother may have at times to transfer her
 children to the charge of others1 he   
organised the ,kindergarten--a higher   
nursery1 under refined and motherly     
influences1 for those that have passed  
out of babyhood4 ,there1 on the same    
principles as at home1 they may be      
gently tended for two or three hours of 
the day1 and developed in body1 mind1   
and character4 ,froebel's object also   
was to provide companionship for these  
children1 adapted to their age and      
attainments1 which could only be done by
 including some from outside the family 
circle4 ,but again1 he desired to give  
the opportunity to inexperienced mothers
 of observing the patient and           
resourceful guidance carried out by even
 young teachers1 who had been trained to

 study children1 and had learnt how to  
occupy them suitably4 ,here we see      
another link with the home4 ,now ,miss  
,peabody entered so much into ,froebel's
 ideas that she helps to remove the     
,kindergarten out of its supposed       
exceptional sphere1 and to show that the
 teachers represent temporarily the     
mother1 doing that which the mother also
 aims1 or ought to aim1 at doing1 for   
the children's good4  ,these ,lectures  
are also useful in presenting a high    
ideal of ,kindergarten teaching4 ,miss  
,peabody sees that the work of educating
 requires special qualifications in     
those who undertake it1 and that such as
 are not fitted for it1 had better take 
up a different career4 ,at the same time
 placing1 as always1 character above    
intellect1 she considers that most      
women1 whose religious and moral nature 
is well cultivated1 and who take pains  
to develop their mental powers1 may hope
 for success in devoting themselves to  
the training of young children4 ,her    

writings are calculated to inspire the  
teacher with hearty zest for her labour1
 and yet with an abiding feeling that   
even years of practice leave her far    
behind her ever advancing standard4     
,miss ,peabody encourages no exaggerated
 estimate of ,froebel's thoughts and    
methods4 ,she freely recognises that he 
gained many truths from fellow-students 
of children's nature and faculties2 but 
she claims for him the originality which
 belongs to those who with unselfish    
aims bestow close attention on a subject
 of deep human interest4 ,to teachers1  
therefore1 as well as to all who love   
children1 she says--and with this       
quotation ,i will close my few          
introductory remarks--,you will not be  
wise if you do not look out of          
,froebel's window4                      
,e4 ,a4 ,,manning4     ,,lecture ,i4    
,,the ,,kindergartner4   ,,whoever      
proposes to become a kindergartner      
according to the idea of ,froebel1 must 
at once dismiss from her mind the notion

 that it requires less ability and      
culture to educate children of three1   
than those of ten or fifteen years of   
age4 ,it demands more2 for1 is it not   
plain that to superintend and guide     
accurately the formation of the human   
understanding itself1 requires a finer  
ability and a profounder insight than to
 listen to recitations from books ever  
so learned and scientific8 ,to form the 
human understanding is a work of time1  
demanding a knowledge of the laws of    
thought1 will1 and feeling1 in their    
interaction upon the threshold of       
consciousness1 which can be acquired    
only by the study of children themselves
 in their every act of life--a study to 
be pursued in the spirit that reveals   
what ,jesus ,christ meant1 when he said3
 ,he that receiveth a little child in my
 name1 receiveth me1 and ,him that sent 
me2 ,woe unto him who offends one of    
these little ones1 for their spirits    
behold the face of my ,father who is in 
heaven4  ,not till children who have    

been themselves educated according to   
,froebel's principles1 grow up1 will    
there be found any adult persons who can
 keep kindergartens without devoting    
themselves to a special study of        
child-nature in the spirit of devout    
humility4 ,for we are all suffering the 
ignorance and injury inevitable from    
having begun our own lives in the       
confusions of accidental and disorderly 
impressions1 without having had the clue
 of reason put into our hands by that   
human providence of education1 which1 to
 be true1 must reflect point by point   
the ,divine ,providence1 that according 
to the revelations of history is        
educating the whole race1 and which may 
find hints for its procedure in         
observing the spontaneous play of       
children fresh from the hands of the    
,creator4  ,the education of children by
 a genial training of their spontaneous 
playful activities to the production of 
order and beauty within the humble      
sphere of childish fancy and affection1 

was a fresh idea with ,froebel2 but1    
like every universal idea1 it was not   
absolutely new in the world4 ,plato     
says1 in his great book on ,laws3--     
,play has the mightiest influence on the
 maintenance and non-maintenance of     
laws2 and if children's plays are       
conducted according to laws and rules1  
and they always pursue their amusements 
in conformity with order1 while finding 
pleasure therein1 it need not be feared 
that when they are grown up they will   
break laws whose objects are more       
serious4  ,and again1 in his ,republic1 
he says3--  ,from their earliest years1 
the plays of children ought to be       
subject to strict laws4 ,for if their   
plays1 and those who mingle with them1  
are arbitrary and lawless1 how can they 
become virtuous men1 law-abiding and    
obedient8 ,on the contrary1 when        
children are early trained to submit to 
laws in their plays1 love for these laws
 enters into their souls with the music 
accompanying them1 and helps their      

development4  ,you will observe ,plato's
 association of music with the laws that
 are to regulate play4 ,music1 with the 
,greeks1 had indeed a broader meaning   
than attaches to the word with us1 who  
confine it to that subtle expression of 
the sense of law and harmony which is   
made in the element of sound1 and       
addressed to the imagination through the
 ear4 ,all knowledge and art inspired by
 the sacred ,nine1 they named music4    
,singing was no more music than dancing1
 drawing1 the harmonizing of colors1    
plastic art1 poetry1 and science1 which 
is nothing less than thinking according 
to the rhythmic laws of nature4 ,to     
learn to commune with the ,muses1       
daughters of ,memory and ,jove1 who were
 led by the god ,apollo1 symbolizing the
 moral harmony of the universe1 and     
expressing the mind of the ,father of   
gods and men1 by oracle1 was learning   
music or how to live divinely2 a process
 which may commence before children     
leave the nursery1 if their plays are   

regulated according to artistic         
principles4  ,it is common to speak of  
the ,greeks1 as if they were of         
exceptional organization4 ,i think their
 organization was only exceptional1     
because it was more carefully treated in
 infancy than ours is apt to be4 ,i do  
not believe that in ,greece1 or anywhere
 in the world1 there were ever more     
beautiful little children than there are
 in ,america2 and the beauty would not  
be so transient as it unquestionably is 
with us1 if truly cultivated persons    
took our children in hand from babyhood 
for the care of their bodies and minds1 
instead of leaving this work to the most
 ignorant class of the community1 such  
as the general run of the servants who  
have the education of them during their 
earliest infancy4 ,even many parents who
 take care of their own children do not 
make it an object to study physiology or
 psychology1 and seem to think that     
there is nothing in little children     
which requires special study1 except    

indeed at the very first1 when the child
 is put into the mother's arms more     
helpless than the lowest form of animal 
life 7for the very insect is endowed by 
nature1 as the child is not1 with enough
 absolute knowledge--we call it         
instinct--to fulfil its small circle of 
relations without help of its parents74 
,it seems mysterious1 at first sight1   
that the child1 whose duty and whose    
destiny it is to have dominion over     
nature1 should be endowed least of all  
creatures with any absolute knowledge of
 it4 ,but the mystery is solved when we 
consider that the happiness which is    
distinctively human1 is only to be found
 in the discovery and enjoyment of      
ever-widening relations to our kind1    
with the fulfilment of the duties       
belonging to them4 ,it is the absolute  
helplessness of the human infant which  
challenges the maternal instinct to rush
 to his rescue1 lest he should die at   
once4 ,and to continue to study his     
manifestations of pleasure and          

discontent with obedient respectfulness1
 is the perfection of the maternal      
nursing4 ,but when the child has got on 
so far as to know the simplest uses of  
its own body1 and especially after it   
has learned enough words to express its 
simplest wants and sensations1 even     
parents seem to think it can get on by  
itself1 so that children from about two 
to five years of age are left to        
self-education1 as it were2 this virtual
 abandonment being crossed by a         
capricious and arbitrary handling of    
them--mind and body--on the part of     
those around them1 which is even worse  
than the neglect2 for when are children 
more unable1 than between three and five
 years old1 to guide their own thoughts 
and action8 ,how would a garden of      
flowers fare1 to be planted1 and then   
left to grow with so little scientific  
care taken by the gardener1 as is       
bestowed upon children between one and  
five years old8  ,froebel1 in the very  
word kindergarten1 proclaimed that      

gospel for children which holds within  
it the promise of the coming of the     
kingdom1 in which ,god's will is to be  
done on earth as it is in heaven--a     
consummation which we daily pray for    
with our lips1 but do not do the first  
thing to bring about1 by educating our  
children in the way of order1 which is  
no less earth's than heaven's first law1
 and makes earth heaven so far as it is 
fulfilled4  ,a kindergarten means a     
guarded company of children1 who are to 
be treated as a gardener treats his     
plants2 that is1 in the first place1    
studied to see what they are1 and what  
conditions they require for the fullest 
and most beautiful growth2 in the second
 place1 put into or supplied with these 
conditions1 with as little handling of  
their individuality as possible1 but    
with an unceasing genial and provident  
care to remove all obstructions1 and    
favor all the circumstances of growth4  
,it is because they are living organisms
 that they are to be cultivated--not    

drilled 7which is a process only        
appropriate to insensate stone74  ,i    
think there is perhaps no better way of 
making apparent what this kindergartning
 is1 which makes such an importunate    
demand on your consideration1 than to   
tell you how the idea germinated and    
grew in the mind of ,froebel himself2   
for thus we shall see that it would be  
unreasonable to expect that it could be 
improvised by every teacher2 but that   
here1 as elsewhere in human life1 ,god  
has sent into the world a gifted person 
to guide his fellows1 according to the  
law enunciated by ,st4 ,john in the     
#chth verse of the #dth chapter of his  
,gospel4  ,we have the materials of this
 history on ,froebel's own authority1 in
 an autobiographical letter that he     
wrote to the ,duke of ,meiningen1 whose 
interest in him was excited by an       
incident so characteristic of ,froebel1 
that ,i will relate it4 ,having heard of
 a cruel and stupid opposition made to  
the ardent educator by the unthinking   

officials of a region where he was      
making a martyr of himself1 the duke    
made inquiries1 which resulted in his   
offering him the situation of head-tutor
 to his only son4 ,but ,froebel         
astonished him with a refusal of the    
place1 sending the duke word that it    
would be impossible to educate1 in a    
perfect manner1 a child so isolated by  
conventional rank and circumstances that
 he must inevitably conceive himself to 
be intrinsically superior to other      
children4 ,the duke was so much struck  
that a poor man1 struggling with every  
difficulty1 should refuse one of the    
highest posts in a royal household1 with
 all its emoluments1 from a purely      
conscientious scruple of this kind1 that
 his curiosity was piqued4 ,he sent for 
,froebel1 and they had a conversation   
upon the principles and spirit of a     
truly human education1 by which ,froebel
 convinced him that a noble moral       
development was indispensable to a truly
 intellectual one1 so that the duke was 

actually persuaded to send his son as an
 equal with other boys to a neighboring 
school4 ,one day1 some little time      
after1 the boy came home roaring1 on    
account of a beating he had received    
from one of his playmates4 ,the duke1 in
 a transport of rage1 asked the name of 
the offender1 and said that he should be
 immediately expelled from the school4  
,then was ,froebel's advice justified4  
,the young prince dried his tears1      
refused to tell the boy's name1 and     
declared that the beating was all fair6 
,it is quite consistent with these      
facts1 that the duke should ask ,froebel
 how his idea grew in his mind4         
,froebel's answer is still extant4 ,i   
have not been able to get the original  
text1 but ,i can give you the substance 
of it1 as it was given to me4           
,friedrich ,froebel was the son of a    
laborious pastor of seven villages in   
,thuringia4 ,he lost his mother before  
his remembrance1 and fell into the care 
of hard-worked domestic servants1 with  

no light upon his infant life except    
what came from the love and sympathy of 
two older brothers1 who cherished him   
when they were at home from             
boarding-school4 ,the parsonage was in  
the shadow of the church1 and into it no
 ray of sunshine ever came2 and the     
child was kept drearily in the house4   
,he tells of seeing workmen building a  
part of the church that had become      
dilapidated1 and how he longed to       
imitate them2 and traces to this desire 
of employing the time that hung so      
heavily on his hands1 his discovery of  
the building instinct1 so universal in  
childhood1 and which he thought should  
always have simple materials afforded it
 with which to express itself4 ,at last 
his father married again1 and at first  
the stepmother petted the young child of
 her husband1 and awakened in him a hope
 of a satisfying love1 which he         
reciprocated with all the energies of   
his long-starved heart4 ,but when the   
merely instinctive woman had a child of 

her own1 a certain jealousy arose in    
her1 and she repulsed poor little       
,friedrich1 and no longer--as he        
pathetically remarks--called him thou1  
7du7 which is an endearing expression in
 ,german1 but he 7er71 which has a rough
 association4 ,it is plain that the     
child was endowed with an immense       
sensibility to1 or more than ordinary   
presentiment of the ,divine ,order of   
,nature1 and with the extreme tendency  
to reflection always involved in this   
gift4 ,as he was so poorly developed    
physically1 he became in his joyless    
early life perhaps morbidly nervous4    
,disappointed in his timid efforts to   
please1 all the sweet bells of his      
nature were jangled1 and he was         
miserable--he knew not why4 ,he says he 
always found himself doing the wrong    
thing--the too much1 or the too         
little--and was complained of to his    
father1 who treated him as a naughty    
boy4 ,but sometimes the pastor took him 
out of his stepmother's way1 to         

accompany himself in his parochial      
visits1 in which ,froebel says he seemed
 continually to be settling family      
quarrels4 ,this made on the child's mind
 an impression of things that was rather
 ludicrously expressed1 when he one day 
asked of his oldest brother1 who        
happened to come home from              
boarding-school1 why it was that ,god   
had not made people all men1 or all     
women1 so that there should not be so   
much quarrelling in the world4 ,in order
 to divert him from such premature      
consideration of social questions1 the  
posed elder brother undertook to teach  
him botany according to the sexual      
system1 revealing to him the law of     
contrasts conciliated with each other   
for the production of harmony and       
beauty4 ,the child was delighted with   
what he was shown2 but still his        
exceptionally moral genius importunately
 asked1 why may not human differences be
 thus harmonized1 to produce happiness  
and goodness8 ,the presentiment of the  

great truth which was felt in his heart1
 though not yet caught by his mind1 was 
signalized by another anecdote that he  
tells of himself4 ,there was a rumor    
among the peasants of ,north ,germany   
7it was about the year #agib7 that the  
world was coming to an end2 but ,froebel
 declares that he could not make himself
 feel alarmed4 ,he says he was sure it  
could not be true1 because the will of  
,god had not yet been brought about in  
human life4 ,this extraordinary         
reflection of a child of ten years old  
was preceded1 probably1 by a happy      
change that came over him in consequence
 of the visit of his maternal uncle to  
his father's house2 who1 seeing that the
 child was not happy1 invited him to go 
home with him to live with his          
grandmother4 ,his uncle's house was     
bright and sunny1 and he was received by
 his grandmother with joy and           
tenderness4 ,immediately the freedom of 
the fields was given him1 provided only 
that he should come home punctually to  

the meals4 ,he soon became so healthy   
and happy1 that his uncle put him into a
 day school in the neighborhood1 to the 
child's great delight4 ,the school was  
opened1 the first day he went into it1  
with a little sermon of the master's    
upon the text3 ,seek first the kingdom  
of heaven and its righteousness1 and all
 other things shall be added unto you4  
,it must have been a wise and good      
discourse1 for it left a life-long      
impression upon the mind of the little  
,froebel4 ,there was a law then1 for    
human beings as well as for plants2     
human beings might consciously realize  
in happiness and virtue1 the harmony and
 beauty unconsciously manifested by the 
vegetable world4 ,for ,god was the      
,ever-present ,friend and ,lawgiver6 ,he
 tells the duke how happy he felt       
himself in his new circumstances and    
opportunities1 and blessed with this    
inspiring faith4 ,after school1 he went 
out to play with his schoolmates2 but1  
alas6 poor starveling of nature as he   

was1 he found he could not play with his
 athletic companions1 and had to sit on 
one side and look on2 and then and there
 he distinctly came to a conclusion1    
which is a first principle of the       
kindergarten1 that every child should   
have free exercise of his limbs in play1
 in order to get entire command of all  
the physical strength and agility they  
are capable of4  ,after a few years of  
this happy home and school life1 which  
he continually reflected upon in        
contrast with what he had suffered for  
so many years1 the good grandmother     
died1 and he was sent back to his       
stepmother4 ,the question now came up1  
whether he should study for the         
university1 where his brothers had gone2
 but the stepmother1 in the interest of 
her younger child1 opposed his father's 
spending the money1 and he went to a    
farmer to learn practical agriculture4  
,but he was physically so incompetent to
 the labor of a farm life1 that it did  
not pay2 and being sent home by the     

farmer1 he was finally apprenticed to a 
forester1 where he found genial         
occupation in wood-lore1 and in studying
 geometry for the purpose of surveying4 
,here he became a thorough and ardent   
mathematician4 ,but his friend the      
forester died1 or was removed1 which    
brought this occupation to a premature  
close4 ,at that moment1 however1 a      
maternal relation died1 and left him a  
little money1 so that he went to the    
,university of ,jena1 where he devoted  
himself principally to the physical     
sciences2 and by and by we find him     
curator of the ,mineralogical ,museum of
 ,berlin4 ,here he made a great         
impression on the mind of a young lady  
who frequented the museum1 by the       
sermons that he found in stones1 for he 
read them out to her1 showing that in   
inorganic nature1 so called1 could be   
traced not only laws of decay1 that     
threw into stronger light those laws of 
life that he had learned to see in      
vegetation1 but those of                

crystallization4 ,everywhere he read    
,god's revelation of the processes of   
life and death1 which also make human   
development and happiness1 or its       
deterioration and misery4  ,the trumpet 
call of patriotism1 to rescue ,germany  
from ,french despotism1 made by the good
 ,queen ,louise of ,prussia1 called him 
from these peaceful studies to partake  
in the great national act of delivering 
his country2 and he obeyed it by        
volunteering his service4 ,though his   
regiment was never called into battle1  
he always rejoiced in the effects upon  
himself of learning the military drill1 
as well as in the life-long friendships 
he made in camp4 ,after the war was     
over1 a legacy received at the death of 
his uncle ,hoffman gave him the means to
 enter an architect's office1 to which  
he had a great attraction4 ,he was      
boarding at ,frankfort-on-the-,main1    
where ,middendorf and other of his late 
military friends were boarding1 who had 
just engaged themselves as teachers in  

the city1 waiting to perfect this       
arrangement4 ,it was a moment when there
 was a great uprising of education in   
,germany1 and that system was beginning 
to germinate1 which has turned out to   
make ,prussia the effective power in    
,europe that she has lately proved      
herself to be2 and whose first principle
 is1 that the primary is the most       
important stage of education4 ,in       
connection with this general movement1  
there was about to be established a new 
school in ,frankfort2 and ,grner1 its   
principal1 who was one of the boarders1 
talked over with ,froebel and the others
 the new plan4 ,whatever ,froebel said  
was so striking and vital1 that ,grner  
at last exclaimed3 ,plainly this is your
 vocation6 ,give up the architecture1   
and come in with us1 and help to build  
men4 ,strange to say1 though ,froebel   
had all his life been meditating upon   
the secret of human education1 this was 
the first time it occurred to him to    
make it his own business4 ,the more he  

thought of ,grner's suggestion1 the more
 he liked it2 and the issue was1 that he
 took one of the younger classes in the 
new school4 ,immediately afterwards he  
wrote to his brother that at last he had
 found his element--he felt like a bird 
in air1 a fish in water4 ,but the       
teachers were hampered in their action  
by the proprietors of the school2 and   
after a season ,grner said to ,froebel1 
,you should lead2 not be led4 ,i release
 you from your engagement4 ,set up      
independently1 and carry out your own   
ideas unhindered4  ,when his purpose of 
leaving was known1 one of the parents   
who patronized the school1 gave him his 
two sons to educate1 just as he should  
think best2 and because he now heard of 
,pestalozzi1 he took them to ,yverdun1  
where he remained as pupil with them1   
for a season4 ,but he was not quite     
satisfied with ,pestalozzi's methods4   
,he saw there was a process to be       
attended to1 anterior to the observation
 of objects2 namely1 to employ and      

discipline the activity of children yet 
too young to attend except to what they 
are themselves doing4 ,education was to 
begin1 as he saw1 in doing1 and thence  
proceed to knowing4 ,in returning from  
,yverdun1 his elder brother1 and his    
younger brother's widow1 offered him    
their children to add to the two young  
,frankforters2 and the widow offered1   
besides1 a small house that she owned in
 ,keilhau1 if he would fit it up4 ,he   
and ,middendorf and another friend      
united together and accepted this offer2
 and1 with their own hands repaired the 
house1 living in the outbuildings       
meanwhile and subsisting on rations most
 carefully economized4 ,they then1 for  
one thing1 went to work on the land1    
which they taught the children to       
cultivate1 and deduced their lessons out
 of the objects into which they were    
putting their life and labor4 ,to these 
six children three cultivated men       
devoted themselves2 and ,froebel also   
wrote to the lady that used to study    

with him in the ,mineralogical ,museum  
of ,berlin1 and she took her fortune1   
and left her rank1 to help the poor     
schoolmaster in his life work1 as the   
most devoted of wives4  ,working on the 
land was not all that they did4 ,they   
began with it1 because the children of  
the city had been rather starved of the 
gratification of that instinct to work  
in the earth1 which very soon appears in
 all children--though1 as ,froebel says1
 it will die out by being left          
uncultivated4 ,he found that his pupils 
had been already injured by their       
artificial city life1 and in many ways  
they had things to unlearn4 ,it was not 
a perfectly easy thing to determine how 
much liberty to give to individual      
tendencies that had been exaggerated by 
the reactions of disorder1 or of an     
artificial order4 ,froebel thought the  
educator should give full play to all   
that is universal in human nature       
without pampering human idiosyncrasy1 to
 do which was the vicious point of      

,rousseau's system that ,froebel has    
happily avoided4 ,it was natural that he
 should first bring before his pupils   
the processes of vegetable growth1      
because it was in observing them that he
 had himself first found the laws of    
,god4 ,but he was older than any child  
in the kindergarten when he learned that
 lesson4 ,observation of anything       
outward is not the first thing in human 
development1 but exertion of powers from
 within1 which provokes the reaction of 
the outward and makes it known4  ,i     
cannot follow out1 in this introductory 
lecture1 all his studies of the nature  
of man in these children1 and all his   
experiments of cultivation4 ,but ,i hope
 to do so in those which follow4 ,the   
school founded in ,keilhau exists to    
this day2 but ,froebel ever found       
himself going back till at last he came 
to the infant in the mother's arms4     
,then he went into the huts of the      
peasantry to observe the mother's       
instinctive ways1 reason upon them1     

purify them of her individual caprices  
and selfishness1 and eliminate          
everything inconsistent with the divine 
idea and method of procedure1 indicated 
by the instinct to the intelligence4 ,he
 did not confine himself to ,keilhau1   
where ,middendorf steadily lived1 though
 always keeping in relation with it2 but
 went at times to other places1 and     
once1 for a year or two1 left all1 to go
 to the ,university of ,gttingen to     
study philology4 ,there he made himself 
acquainted with ,greek1 ,latin1 and     
,sanskrit1 studying out those laws of   
mind exemplified in the formation and   
decay of languages4 ,for it was the     
secret of a perfect development that he 
sought1 and how to keep his pupils at   
the height they were competent to gain4 
,after half a century of the study of   
childhood in the living subject1 and    
elaboration of the means of discipline1 
he settled in his old age into the      
conviction1 that the most important     
period of human education was before the

 child was seven years old4 ,and his    
last years were spent in preparing      
teachers for kindergartens at           
,rudolstadt and at ,hamburg--which he   
did by teaching before them as well as  
by lecturing to them4 ,now it is what he
 discovered and elaborated1 and has     
left1 not in logical formulas1 though he
 has certainly stated principles in     
words and embodied them in songs1 but in
 processes of work and play1 that is to 
be taught in our training schools4 ,it  
took a ,newton to discover gravitation  
and other principles of nature1 but men 
without genius can comprehend and apply 
these principles1 which they could not1 
like him1 discover4 ,so it took a       
,froebel's genius to discover the first 
principles of education1 and his        
sensibility to apply them without       
mistake2 but intelligent and heartful   
young women can learn them and apply    
them1 if--and only if--they will study  
devoutly and faithfully what he has     
taught2 and in doing so they will find  

themselves--not becoming artificial1 but
 more profoundly natural than ever2 for 
the true educational process is but the 
mother's instinct and method1 clearly   
understood in all its bearings1 and     
acted out4 ,to be a kindergartner is the
 perfect development of womanliness--a  
working with ,god at the very fountain  
of artistic and intellectual power and  
moral character4 ,it is therefore the   
highest finish that can be given to a   
woman's education1 to be educated for a 
kindergartner2 and it is from the most  
advanced classes of high and normal     
schools1 public and private1 that the   
pupils of our training schools should   
come1 and from the most refined circles 
of private life--remembering that these 
are not identical with wealthy and      
fashionable ones1 for in the latter we  
often find the vulgar and coarse4 ,the  
refinement of feeling and thought which 
is always attended with gentle and      
courteous manners is a religious        
quality1 that not seldom glorifies      

humble homes whose inmates escape the   
sometimes hardening effect of poverty by
 seeing ,him who is invisible1 while    
those the imagination of whose hearts   
are evil continually1 and even the      
merely frivolous1 betray that they have 
faculties that they have never used     
though they dwell in palaces4  ,ever    
since the normal teaching of            
kindergartners was begun in ,america1 in
 #ahfh1 letters have been received from 
teachers1 already at work in the old    
routine of primary instruction1 asking  
for knowledge of the plays and          
occupations invented by ,froebel2 in    
order that1 by means of them1 they may  
give such prestige to their infant      
schools as the name of kindergarten may4
 ,but this superficial1 inappreciative  
use of ,froebel's processes1 is as fatal
 to his reform as was judaizing to the  
primitive ,christian ,church4 ,froebel's
 method is a radical change of          
direction4 ,it changes the educator's   
point of view4 ,instead of looking down 

upon the child1 the kindergartner must  
clear her mind of all foregone arbitrary
 conclusions1 and humbly look up to the 
innocent soul1 which in its turn sees   
nothing but the face of the ,father in  
heaven--7for thus ,christ explains      
children's being of the kingdom of      
heaven74 ,this is difficult for her to  
do1 because--not seldom--a shadow has   
fallen on the original innocence of the 
children confided to her care1 from     
those human beings in relation to them1 
who have not done for them what every   
human being needs by reason of the      
essential dependence of individuals upon
 their race4  ,the child is doubtless an
 embryo angel2 but no less certainly a  
possible devil4 ,if the immortal will1  
impassioned by the heart1 which never   
rests permanently satisfied till the    
mind recognizes ,god1 be puzzled1 it may
 be turned in a wrong direction by what 
it meets1 and then the manifestation    
will be ugly and more or less hateful4  
,evil is the inevitable effect of an    

ignorant1 disorderly action of the will2
 of its not adopting the laws of order1 
by which ,god creates the universe1 and 
of which the universe is the unconscious
 exponent4 ,but knowledge of the laws of
 order must come to guide the will1 from
 outside the child's conscious          
individuality1 through the human        
providence of education1 in which the   
heavenly ,father veils ,his infinite    
power1 in order that the child may be   
free to make the choice of good1 that   
shall lift him from the state1 of merely
 instinctive being1 into that union of  
,love and ,thought1 which characterizes 
a spirit creative1 i4e41 causing        
effects4  ,perhaps you will say that if 
human influence must embody ,divine     
,providence1 in order to educate1 then  
children never will be educated4 ,well6 
,except in one instance ,i admit that   
children never have been educated up to 
the ideal standard4 ,but the one        
instance of the perfectly ,divine ,son  
of the perfectly holy ,mother2 and the  

partial successes of such fitful good   
education as history and tradition      
report1 forbid us to despair of making  
human education a worthy image of       
,divine ,providence4 ,to despair of this
 is want of the proper action of human  
free will1--,faith4  ,the first         
qualification of the true kindergartner1
 then1 is ,faith1 which can be based    
only on the abiding conviction that ,god
 is with us to will and to do1 if we    
will only have the courage to take for  
granted that if we are willing1 ,he will
 make of us divine guides to others4    
,that ,he is calling them to be so1     
whoever feels a strong love of children1
 sympathy with their life1 and          
sensibility to their beauty1 may have a 
reasonable assurance2 and that such as  
shall faithfully qualify themselves for 
the work will not fail of the divine    
help4 ,but observe my proviso4 ,their   
love must not be a passing emotion1     
grounded on the children's superficial  
beauty4 ,it must be a love that involves

 patience1 that can stand the           
manifestation of ugly temper1 and       
perverse will1 and never lose sight of  
the embryo angel that wears for the     
moment the devilish mask4 ,in children1 
evil is actual1 but always superficial  
and temporary1 if the educator does not 
become party to it by losing her own    
temper and idea4 ,also she must have    
resources by means of a cultivated      
understanding and imagination1 to       
command the child's imagination and     
heart4  ,it may be said that everybody  
cannot have1 at will1 imagination and   
culture4 ,this is true2 but such persons
 should not undertake to keep a         
kindergarten4 ,let them do something    
else2 keep shop1 cultivate vegetables1  
work the sewing machine2 even keep those
 schools for older children1 in which   
books are the main teachers4 ,there are 
multitudes of things to be done2 the    
greatest variety of functions to be     
performed in human life4 ,but of all    
things to do1 the cultivation of human  

beings at that period of life when they 
are utterly at the mercy of those who   
teach them1 is the most sacred4 ,why    
rush into that1 impelled by any motive  
below the highest8  ,on the other hand1 
,i do not wish to produce any artificial
 sentimentality on this subject4 ,it is 
my belief that the average woman is     
sufficiently gifted by nature to make a 
good kindergartner1 if she will give her
 nature fair play1 by cultivating       
religious and moral sentiment2 and will 
take pains to develop her intellect by  
the study of nature's laws in at least  
one department of science--that of      
vegetable physiology for instance1 the  
materials of which are everywhere4 ,one 
who could not be educated to become a   
kindergartner1 should never dare to     
become a mother2 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 somebody4
 ,while ,i would discourage1 and if     
possible effectually frighten every one 

from professing kindergartning who is   
morally disqualified by sordid aims1 or 
by making it a means to another end than
 itself1 ,i welcome the young and ardent
 to this beautiful womanly work1 which1 
to do well1 requires of them to do the  
very best thing for their own intellect 
and heart1 and which1 more certainly    
than anything else1 will give them the  
secret of ,power and ,beauty4  ,it was  
my privilege1 a year or two since1 to   
pass a week in one of the schools of the
 feeble-minded2 and ,i there saw six    
women1 some of them quite young girls1  
devoted to the terrible work of waking  
up ,will and ,perception in those poor  
prisoners of mal-organization1 so many  
of them frightful to look upon4 ,they   
were doing their work under the         
strongest sense of humanity and         
religion4 ,it would have been impossible
 to do it at all1 as they were doing it1
 had they had no other inspiration than 
the pay they were receiving4 ,the main  
reward was in their having some success 

in waking up the mind4 ,in their        
countenances something angelic was      
dawning2 and this was not my fancy      
merely1 for ,i heard the same remark    
made again and again1 by persons who    
went there as ,i did4 ,i do not think   
one of these women wished to leave the  
good work2 and if acting on a           
mind-cherishing principle was so        
interesting1 and productive of such     
reactive effects1 in such sad           
circumstances1 how much more may be     
expected from working upon children     
fairly gifted6 ,the charm of the sadder 
work was1 that1 like kindergartning1 it 
stimulated to profound study of the laws
 of mental nature1 in order to work     
reverently among them1 instead of       
arbitrarily1 in defiance or irreverence 
of them4 ,to do this made these women   
feel that they were working with ,god2  
and this made them practical saints4    
,but why cannot we believe that ,god is 
present1 and acting with us1 and wooing 
us to act with ,himself1 in the joyous  

paradise of life1 as well as in chambers
 of disease1 and among the wretched8 ,is
 ,he not the ,god of the living and     
joyful1 as well as of the dying and sad8
 ,why is the church-yard only a         
grave-yard8 ,why should it not always be
 a kindergarten8  ,one of the           
pleasantest observations that ,i made of
 the kindergartens of ,germany--and ,i  
went to the very best ones1 those kept  
by the kindergartners whom ,froebel had 
trained--was the happy absorption of the
 teachers in the children2 their        
sympathy with them2 the utter           
companionship between them4 ,i never saw
 a punishment2 ,i never heard a ,don't  
7or its ,german equivalent72 but when   
anything went wrong1 there was always a 
pause1 and sometimes questions were     
asked2 and all seemed to wait till the  
inward guide had been brought out into  
consciousness 7whether the thing in hand
 was social action or artistic work74   
,perhaps it might be harder work to     
govern ,american children4 ,their       

vivacious temperament1 their lively     
energies1 need conscious law as a curb1 
rather than as a spur4 ,but all the more
 is it necessary for the ,american      
kindergartner to vivify the invisible   
guide2 she should present order to the  
mind1 by her genial questioning and     
conversation over the work in hand1     
rather than exert an arbitrary power    
which might stimulate the reaction of   
obstinacy or the subterfuges of cunning4
 ,to govern is not the whole thing4 ,the
 question is how we govern2 whether we  
so govern as to make a cringing slave1 a
 cunning hypocrite1 or an intelligent1  
law-abiding1 self-respecting1 willing   
servant of ,god4 ,i have seen a magnetic
 teacher produce a marvellous obedience1
 and apparent order1 by his imposing    
presence and keen satire4 ,he imagined  
that he governed by moral power2 but as 
soon as he was out of the schoolroom1   
the children were the victims of their  
own impulses1 to which seemed given a   
stronger spring by the enforced         

repression4 ,there is no order which is 
more than skin deep1 unless it be the   
free1 glad obedience of the child to a  
law1 which he perceives to be creative  
because it enables him to do something  
real4 ,nothing short of the union of    
love and thought can produce spiritual  
power1 i4e41 creativeness4 ,it is only  
spiritual power that inaugurates        
order--the ,eternal ,beauty may be      
inaugurated in childhood and among      
childish toys4  ,there is reason1 on    
their own account1 why we want our      
pupils1 in this art of kindergartning1  
to be in their disposition and          
circumstances above merely pecuniary    
motive for entering on the work2 and    
that is1 because it will be long before 
the work will pay much in money4 ,i need
 not adduce any other proof of this than
 our experience in ,boston2 where1 for  
four years1 the rarely gifted1          
thoroughly educated1 religiously devoted
 ,alma ,kriege poured out her young     
energies on classes of less than a score

 of children2 bringing her a pittance so
 small that she had to fill up the rest 
of her hours1 which ought to have been  
given to recreation and culture1 with   
other work1 in order to pay for rent and
 necessary bread4 ,our rich and         
cultivated people will not forego a     
little more upholstery than is          
necessary1 or a style of dress that     
makes the laundry bill--to say nothing  
of the mantua-maker's and               
milliner's--larger than the school bill1
 in order to give the required          
remuneration to the kindergartner for   
spending herself on their children in   
exhausting study and labor4 ,but the    
truth is1 people do not really believe  
that anything better can be done for    
children than to kill the time between  
the mother's arms and the season when   
they are to be taught to read2 and so   
this precious interval1 when the habits 
of thought and affection are forming1 is
 given up to be filled by chance1       
risking life-long difficulties for the  

child4  ,now1 what is to reform this    
state of things8 ,nothing but the       
self-sacrificing work of kindergartners1
 who1 for the sake of enlightening these
 benighted parents1 will do their work  
faithfully1 steadily refusing to        
undertake the care of those whom their  
parents will not trust to ,froebel's    
system4 ,the refusal will not seldom    
force the truth on the parents--who1    
when they know it1 will be glad to know 
it4 ,i do not say to any particular     
person1 it is your duty to wear yourself
 out and half starve1 for the sake of   
keeping a kindergarten4 ,it is only you 
who are sufficiently free from other    
obligations1 to give yourselves the     
privilege and luxury of working with    
,god1 on the paradisaical ground of     
childhood1 who should enter this field4 
,if you can make it your object to study
 how to avoid offending those who are   
beholding the face of the ,father in    
heaven1 by not hindering1 but bringing  
them to ,christ1 which means helping    

them to grow as ,he did1 in grace as in 
stature1 and in favor with ,god and man1
 till like ,him they become redeemers of
 their brethren from bondage1 and can   
help to make earth the kingdom of       
heaven2 then you may hope1 in your day  
and generation1 to initiate             
kindergartning1 and make the way smooth 
for those that follow4 ,when the true   
thing is initiated1 it will pay even in 
money2 for parents will see that it is  
invaluable4  ,it is twenty-two years    
since ,froebel died4 ,he had made a band
 of kindergartners1 and set them at     
work4 ,they all began with small        
pecuniary reward4 ,it was at first a    
starving business4 ,in ,europe it is    
more difficult than it is here1 to      
induce women of culture and position to 
undertake any work which is paid for    
with money4 ,froebel's genius had       
overcome this prejudice in a few        
instances4 ,the ladies of one wealthy   
family in ,hamburg became his pupils1   
one of whom introduced it into ,england1

 though under some great disadvantages4 
,the ,baroness ,marenholtz-,blow is the 
most important person inspired by       
,froebel2 and the circumstances of her  
introduction to him are even            
picturesque4 ,being in feeble health1   
she went into an obscure village for    
rest and retirement2 and one day asked  
the woman with whom she boarded1 if     
anything interesting was going on among 
the villagers4 ,the woman replied that  
there was one queer thing1 a natural    
fool who played about among the         
children1 who followed him1 and were    
very much taken up with him4 ,the       
,baroness hardly heeded this singular   
assertion2 but some time after1 being   
abroad for exercise1 she saw a          
white-haired man under a tree1 with a   
group of children around him2 and1      
thinking this might be the natural fool1
 she drew near1 and was soon arrested by
 what she heard1 and joined the little  
throng herself4 ,subsequent interviews  
with ,froebel--for it was he--made a new

 era in her life1 and she corresponded  
with him closely till his death4 ,she   
has since been his chief apostle4 ,after
 years of earnest work1 with tongue and 
pen1 she succeeded in getting rid of the
 injunction against his schools1 made by
 the ,prussian ,government1 which was   
jealous of what claimed to be an        
improvement on their world-renowned     
,reform4 ,since this injunction was     
taken off1 she has worked1 by means of a
 normal school which she helped to found
 in ,berlin1 in which she lectured      
gratuitously many years1 fighting       
earnestly against just such             
deteriorations of the system as have    
already begun to appear in this country4
 ,some of the pseudo-kindergartens use  
the plays and occupations there1 as     
here1 in the most superficial way4 ,when
 children work by patterns1 or are      
shown--instead of being told in         
words--how to do things1 they merely    
imitate1 with as little accompaniment of
 intellectual action as a monkey2 and   

neither the mind nor the character will 
be developed1 but rather dissipated and 
weakened4 ,others1 especially in this   
country1 use the plays in the intervals 
between lessons or reading1--which1     
being taught before the mind has been   
regularly developed by success in doing 
things1 and before the meaning of words 
has been learned in an adequate manner1 
are confused with a chaos of unrelated  
particulars1 that it will take years of 
self-education1 by and by1 to grow out  
of2 and1 in short1 only a few vigorous  
natures fortunately situated ever       
surmount the difficulty4  ,but the work 
of the ,baroness has not been in vain2  
and she writes in a late letter that a  
government decree has just been made in 
,austria1 ordering that all the children
 between four and six years of age      
should be sent to kindergartens2 and    
that every normal school must give      
kindergarten training1 and every        
teacher1 whether of that or the         
following stages of education1 must be  

made acquainted with ,froebel's         
principles and practices4 ,this great   
step is the final result of the         
agitation of the subject for the last   
few years in ,europe1 which began in the
 first ,philosophers' ,congress at      
,prague1 in #ahfg4 ,the dying out of the
 teachers instructed by ,froebel himself
 was manifestly producing a             
deteriorating effect in the quality of  
kindergartners2 and his most intelligent
 and devoted disciples proposed to the  
,congress an effort for the revival of  
his science and art in its pristine     
purity and power4  ,it is most desirable
 that such falsification and            
deterioration do not get ahead in       
,america4 ,but there is impending danger
 of it1 and it can only be prevented by 
establishing and keeping up adequate    
training-schools1 and so informing      
public opinion1 that it shall not be    
tolerated in the community to call by   
the sacred name of kindergarten anything
 short of it4 ,there will necessarily be

 infant schools of an inferior quality  
for a long time1 because it will take   
time to make common an adequate         
education in the art of kindergartning2 
but let such be called play-schools4    
,pretenders in this profession should be
 frowned upon by all good people1 as    
pretenders in the clerical profession   
are4 ,they do more harm than bad        
clergymen can1 because the subjects of  
their teaching are more helpless and    
undefended1 and can do nothing for      
themselves4  ,the experience ,i have had
 in my apostolate in this cause1 has    
brought me to the conclusion that in    
,america the best way to proceed is1 to 
induce the public authorities to have   
kindergartning taught in the ,state and 
city normal schools1 and to open public 
kindergartens as fast as there are      
adequate teachers for them4  ,everything
 depends on the quality of the first    
kindergartners we train--their          
spiritual1 moral and intellectual       
quality--which must be such as to       

operate in two ways3 first1 to do for   
the children the right thing2 secondly1 
to educate the community to require it  
done as a general thing4 ,many          
characteristics of ,america give great  
encouragement4 ,we are not dragged back1
 as they are in ,europe1 by old customs1
 whose roots are intertwined with the   
heart-strings of inherited sentiment4   
,our patriotic hearts fasten themselves 
on the great future that our fathers    
died to inaugurate4 ,we must justify    
their ideal of universal equality1 by an
 equal education1 an equal opportunity  
for development of all our people4 ,the 
spirit that makes all things new1 as the
 heart of childhood craves1 and its hand
 is eager to enact1 is every word that  
proceedeth out of the mouth of ,god1 to 
make alive the human heart4 ,therefore  
we leave behind us--more and more--those
 conventions of the ,old ,world that    
have made even the great work of        
educating rank as inferior to that which
 wields the sword of war4 ,some people  

groan at seeing how the growing         
facilities of getting money1 which our  
institutions give to every man and woman
 of energy1 is effacing the old         
distinctions of rank4 ,but if our       
,culture may be made universal1 by      
employing part of this money in making  
public education adequate1 what ground  
will be left for distinction of rank8   
,what pretext for exclusion will there  
be1 when there are none rude and        
uncultivated to be excluded8 ,that any  
distinction of ranks came among the     
children of ,god is incidental to free  
agency4 ,children know nothing of       
them--till we profane their golden age  
of innocence by revealing them4         
7,appendix1 ,note ,a47     ,,lecture    
,,ii4  ,,the ,,nursery4   ,,it is my    
object to inspire1 if ,i can1 an        
enthusiasm for educating children       
strictly on ,froebel's method1 and no   
other2 and ,i wish to justify myself by 
giving reasons for this2 for ,i know    
that1 at first sight1 ,americans start  

back from putting faith in any leader2  
immediately exclaiming1 that they must  
be free to follow the light of their own
 minds4  ,this sounds large and liberal1
 certainly2 and no one sees the danger  
of yielding to any individual authority 
more than ,i do2 but it is certain that 
nothing may make us so narrow1 as a     
bigoted adherence to the rule of        
following the light of our own mind     
condignly4 ,the light of our own        
individual mind may be darkness2 it     
must1 in any case1 be that of a farthing
 candle1 compared with ,eternal ,reason1
 the light that lighteth every man that 
cometh into the world4 ,the question is1
 do we distinguish between that greater 
light and our own idiosyncrasy1 with a  
becoming and discriminating humility8 ,i
 once heard a lady1 whose name was      
,gurley1 say to a witty gentleman1 that 
she believed in the total depravity of  
human nature from the experience of her 
own heart4 ,ah6 but that is not quite   
fair1 he replied1 for how do you know   

what is human nature and what is        
,gurleyism8 ,here is tersely suggested  
the danger of the individualistic       
philosophy1 which has developed itself  
into a new kind of bigotry in these     
later days1 not less denunciatory in its
 animus than any other2 and which shuts 
up its votaries in a dungeon from the   
light of ,universal experience4 ,i      
acknowledge the legitimacy of the       
philosophy of individualism1 as a       
protest against the glittering          
generality which theological philosophy 
had become1 at the time when it arose2  
and as affirmation that ,god makes every
 man separately an eye1 and if he would 
see into the ,infinite ,over-soul1 he   
must look with it out of his own window4
 ,but this is only the way to begin to  
search for truth4 ,if he is not         
self-intoxicated1 every man soon learns 
that his window does not command the    
whole horizon1 that ,god not only has   
given a window to him1 but to every     
other man2 that we are all free to look 

out of each others' windows1 some being 
higher up in the tower of the common    
humanity than our own1 commanding wider 
views2 in fine that it is with all the  
sons of man that wisdom dwells1 and they
 must inter-communicate with mutual     
reverence if they would know her well4  
,froebel had not been so wise1 had he   
not1 with reverent humility1 sought what
 ,god says immediately to mothers and   
babes4 ,you will not be wise if you do  
not look out of ,froebel's window4  ,the
 story ,i told you1 in my last lecture1 
of the growth of ,froebel's mind from   
his boyhood1 suggested the fact that the
 common motherly instinct1 purified of  
individual passion and caprice1 and1    
understanding itself as the presence of 
the ,living ,god overshadowing her1 is  
the social atmosphere necessary to be   
breathed by every child who is to grow  
in wisdom and stature1 and in favor with
 ,god and man4  ,froebel learned this   
primal fact or truth1 first negatively1 
as it were1 by lacking it in his own    

childish experience2 and he verified it 
positively afterwards1 by studying the  
method of unsophisticated mothers1 at   
that earliest period of their children's
 lives1 when1 in order to keep them     
alive merely1 the nurse must take the   
rule of her nursing from the needs which
 her heart divines1 aided by the        
nursling's own expression of want and   
content--its tears and smiles4  ,let us 
then determine first1 as he did1 the    
nursery art1 which is preliminary to    
that of the ,kindergarten4  ,by the     
primal miracle 7i4e41 wonder working7 of
 nature1 the mother finds in her arms a 
fellow-being1 who has an immeasurable   
susceptibility of suffering1 and an     
immeasurable desire of enjoyment1 and an
 equally immeasurable force intent on   
compassing this desire1 already in      
activity1 but with no knowledge at all  
of the material conditions in which he  
is placed1 to which he is subject1 and  
by which he is limited in the exercise  
of this immense nature4  ,as ,i have    

said before1 every form of animal       
existence but the human1 is endowed with
 some absolute knowledge1 enabling it to
 fulfil its limited sphere of           
relationship as unerringly as the       
magnetized needle turns to the pole1    
and1 even with more or less of          
enjoyment2 yet with no forethought4 ,but
 the knowledge that is to guide the     
blind will of the human being1 even to  
escape death in the first hour of its   
bodily life1 exists substantially       
outside of its own individuality in the 
mother1 or whoever supplies the mother's
 place4  ,and throughout the existence  
of the human being1 the forethought that
 is to enable him to appreciate his ever
 multiplying relations with his own     
kind1 and which grows wider and sweeter 
as he fulfils the duties they involve1  
is essentially outside of himself as a  
mere individual2 being found first in   
those who are in relation with him in   
the family1 afterwards in social1       
national1 cosmopolitan relationship2    

till at last he realizes himself to be  
in sonship with ,god1 in whom all       
humanity1 nations1 families1            
individuals1 live and move and have     
their being4 ,there is no absolute      
isolation or independency possible for a
 spiritual being4 ,this is a truth      
involved in the very meaning of the word
 spirit1 and revealed to every family on
 earth1 by the ever recurring fact of   
the child born into the arms of a love  
that emparadises both parties1 on which 
he lives more or less a pensioner       
throughout his whole existence1 so far  
as he lives humanly1 finding fullness of
 life at last in the clear vision and   
conscious communion of an ,infinite     
,father1 who has been revealing ,himself
 all along1 in the love of parent and   
child1 brother and sister1 husband and  
wife1 friend1 fellow-citizen and        
fellow-man4 ,christ said1 that little   
children see the ,father face to face1  
but surely not with the eyes of the body
 or of the understanding6 ,they see him 

with the heart4 ,and is it not true1    
that we never quite forget the child's  
vision in turning our eyes on lower     
things8 for what but remembrance of our 
,heavenly ,father's face is hope1 that  
springs eternal in the human breast8    
,what but this remembrance are the      
ideals of beauty1 that haunt the savage 
and the sage8 the sense of law that     
gives us our moral dignity1 and in the  
saddest case1 what but this are the     
pangs of remorse1 in which1 as ,emerson 
has sung in his wonderful sphinx song1  
lurks the joy that is sweetest8         
,froebel has authority with me1 because1
 in this great faith1 making himself a  
little child1 he received little        
children in the name 7that is1 as       
germinating forms7 of the ,divine       
humanity1 with a simple sincerity1 such 
as few seem to have done since ,jesus   
claimed little children as the pure     
elements of the kingdom he came to      
establish on earth2 and exhorted that1  
as they were such1 they should be       

brought to him as the motherly instinct 
prompted1 and declared that they were   
not to be forbidden 7that is1 hindered  
as all false education hinders47  ,as an
 ,american then1 and more--as a human   
being1 ,i acknowledge no authority      
except the union of love and thought in 
practical operation4 ,but whenever ,i   
see this union in any one1 to a greater 
degree than ,i have it in myself1 ,i bow
 before that person1 and feel 7which is 
the subtlest kind of knowing7 that ,i am
 larger wiser1 freer1 more effective for
 good1 by following and obeying him as a
 master for the time being4  ,therefore1
 after the study ,i have made of        
,froebel1 and of the method with little 
children that he was fifty years        
discovering and elaborating into        
practical processes1 whose rationale and
 creative influence ,i perceive2 ,i     
feel1 as it were1 ,divinely authorized  
to present him to you as an authority   
which you can reverently trust2 and so  
be delivered from the uncertainties of  

your own narrow and crude notions1      
inexperienced and ignorant as you       
undoubtedly are1 however talented4  ,it 
is quite necessary for me to say1 and   
for you to accept this now1 or our short
 time together will be wasted4 ,there is
 a time for criticism undoubtedly1 and  
nothing is true that can not make itself
 good against honest doubt4 ,but as     
,sterne has said1 of all the cants that 
are canted in this canting world1 though
 the cant of hypocrisy may be the worst1
 the cant of criticism is the most      
provoking4 ,i would go fifty miles on   
foot to kiss the hand of that man1 whose
 generous heart will give up the reins  
into his author's hands1 for the time   
being1 and let him lead him where he    
will4 ,i am quoting from memory1 and may
 forget the exact words2 but the idea   
is1 that the mood of self-surrendering  
reverence is the mood for profitable    
study1 for it is to become a little     
child1 which ,christ told his disciples 
was the condition of any one's becoming 

the greatest in the kingdom of ,divine  
,truth4  ,let us begin1 then1 with      
reverently considering the new born     
child1 as ,froebel did2 for that is to  
be the light of all our seeing4  ,a     
child is a living soul1 from the very   
first2 not a mere animal force1 but a   
person1 open to ,god on one side by his 
heart1 which appreciates love1 and on   
the other side to be opened to nature1  
by the reaction upon his sensibility of 
those beauteous forms of things that are
 the analysis of ,god's creative wisdom2
 and which1 therefore1 gives him a      
growing understanding1 whereby his mere 
active force shall be elevated into a   
rational1 productive will4 ,for heart   
and will are1 at first1 blind to outward
 things and therefore inefficient1 until
 the understanding shall be developed   
according to the order of nature4  ,but 
during this process of its development1 
adult wisdom must supply the place of   
the child's wisdom1 which is not1 as    
yet1 grown2 that is--an educator must   

point out the way1 genially1 not        
peremptorily2 for in following the      
educator's indications1 the child must  
still act in a measure from himself4 ,as
 he is irrefragably free1 he will not   
always obey2 he will try other          
paths--perhaps the contrary one--by way 
of testing whether he has life in       
himself4 ,but unless he shall go a right
 way1 he will accomplish nothing        
satisfactory and reproductive2 and it is
 ,froebel's idea to give him something  
to do1 within the possible sphere of his
 affection and fancy1 which shall be an 
opportunity of his making an experience 
of success1 that shall stimulate him to 
desire1 and thereby make him receptive  
of the guidance of creative law1 which  
is the only true object for the         
obedience of a spiritual being4  ,to the
 new born child1 his own body is the    
whole universe2 and the first impression
 he gets of it seems to come from his   
need of nutriment4 ,but it is the       
mother1 not the child1 that responds to 

this want1 by presenting food to the    
organ of taste1 and producing a         
pleasurable impression which arouses the
 soul to intend itself into the organ1  
which is developed to receive impression
 more and more perfectly1 by the child's
 seeking for a repetition of the        
pleasure4 ,for a time1 whatever         
uneasiness a child feels1 he attempts to
 remove by the exercise of this organ1  
through which he has gained his first   
pleasant impression of objective nature4
 ,therefore is it1 that his lips and    
tongue become his first means of        
examining the outward world into which  
he has been projected by his ,creator4  
,the ear seems to be the next organ of  
which the child becomes conscious1 or   
through which he receives impressions of
 personal pleasure and pain2 and here it
 is noticeable1 that rhythmical sound   
seems1 from the very first1 to give most
 pleasure2 and is wonderfully effective 
to soothe the nerves1 and remove        
uneasiness4 ,all mothers and nurses sing

 to babies1 as well as rock them1 7which
 is rhythmical motion17 and this        
pleasant impression on the ear diverts  
the child from intending himself        
exclusively into the organ of tasting4  
,he now stretches himself into his ears1
 whose powers are developed by gently   
exercising their function of hearing4   
,the child seems to taste and hear1     
before he begins to see anything more   
definite than the difference between    
light and darkness4 ,by and by a salient
 point of light1 it may be the light of 
a candle1 catches and fixes his eye1 and
 gives a distinct visual impression1    
which is evidently pleasurable1 for the 
child's eye follows the light1 showing  
that the soul intends itself into the   
organ of sight4 ,soon after1 gay colors 
fix its gaze and evidently give         
pleasure4 ,the eye for color is         
developed gradually1 like the ear for   
music1 by exercise1 which being         
pleasurable becomes spontaneous4  ,the  
whole body is the organ of touch2 but as

 the hands are made convenient for      
grasping1 to which the infant has an    
instinctive tendency1 and the tips of   
the fingers are especially handy for    
touching1 they become1 by the intension 
of the mind into them1 the special organ
 for examining things by touch1 and     
getting impressions of qualities obvious
 to no other sense4 ,when1 as it        
sometimes happens1 by malformation or   
maltreatment of them1 the eyes fail to  
perform their functions1 it is wonderful
 how much more the soul intends itself  
into the special organs of touch1       
developing them to such a degree1 that a
 cultivated blind person seems almost to
 see with the tips of the fingers4 ,this
 fact proves what ,i have been trying to
 impress on your minds1 that the soul   
which spontaneously desires and wills   
enjoyment1 takes possession and becomes 
conscious of its organs of sensuous     
perception1 partly by an original       
impulse1 given to it by the ,creator1   
and partly1 7which ,i want you          

especially to observe17 by the genial1  
sympathetic1 intelligent1 careful       
co-working of the mother and nurse2 who1
 by what we call nursery play1 gives a  
needed help to the child to accomplish  
this feat in a healthy and pleasurable  
manner4 ,and we shall be better         
convinced of the virtue of this nursery 
play1 if we consider the case of the    
neglected children of the very poor1 so 
pathetically described by ,charles      
,lamb4 ,see essays on ,popular          
,fallacies1 ,no4 #ab4  ,madame          
,marenholtz-,blow has happily remarked1 
in her preface to ,jacob's ,manual1 ,le 
jardin des ,enfans1 that to develop and 
train the senses is not to pamper them4 
,the organs of tasting and smelling do  
not require so much exercise by the     
duplicate action of the mother1 as those
 of seeing and hearing4 ,the former have
 for their end to build up the body2 the
 latter to lead the child's mind out of 
the body1 to that part of nature which  
connects him with other persons4 ,the   

functions of both are equally worthy2   
but those of the latter belong to the   
child as a social and intellectual      
being4 ,it is the mother's office to    
temper the exercises of each sense1 so  
that they may limit and balance each    
other4 ,and in order to limit those     
which are building up the body1 so that 
they shall not absorb the child1 the    
action of the others must be helped out4
 ,our bodies feel--where'er they        
be--against or with our will2 but to see
 and hear all that children can1        
requires exertion of will and this is   
coaxed out by the sympathetic action of 
others4 ,yet the functions of tasting or
 smelling are not to be banned4 ,the    
,creator has made them delightful2 and  
if others do their proper part1 their   
exercise will never become harmful4 ,to 
enjoy tasting and smelling is no less   
innocent than to enjoy seeing and       
hearing4 ,there is no function of mind  
or body but may be performed ,divinely4 
,milton shows insight into this truth by

 making ,raphael sit and eat at table   
with man in ,paradise2 and he says some 
wonderful things upon the point1 which  
will bear much study4 ,and have we not  
in sacred tradition a symbol1 still more
 venerable1 of the truth1 that the fire 
of spirit burns without consuming1 and  
may transform the body without leaving  
visible residue8 ,there are in ,brown's 
philosophy 7which does not penetrate    
into all the mysteries of the rational  
soul and immortal spirit7 some very     
instructive chapters on the social and  
moral relations of the grosser senses1  
7as taste1 smell and touch are sometimes
 called47 ,it is the part of rational   
education to understand all these things
 thoroughly1 and adjust the spontaneous 
activities by subordinating them to the 
end of a harmonious and beneficent      
social life4 ,the ,lord's ,supper may be
 made to illustrate this general human  
duty4  ,there is doubtless marked       
difference in the original energy of    
life1 in different children4 ,young--but

 not too young1 happy1 healthy1 loving  
parents1 have the most vigorous1 lively 
and harmoniously organized children2 but
 in all cases1 the impulse of life must 
be met and cherished by the tender1     
attractive1 inspiring force of motherly 
love2 which with caressing tone and     
invoking smile1 peers into the infant's 
eyes1 and importunately calls forth the 
new person1 who1 as her instinctive     
motherly faith and love assure her1 is  
there2 and whom she yearns to make      
conscious of himself in self-enjoyment4 
,the time comes when the little body has
 become so far subject to the new soul1 
that an answering smile of recognition  
signalizes the arrival upon the shores  
of mortal being of that light which     
never was on sea or land1 another       
immortal intelligence6 ,it is only the  
smile of the intelligent human face1    
that can call forth this smile of the   
child in the first instance2 but let    
this glad mutual recognition of souls   
take place once1 and both parties will  

seek to repeat the delight1 again and   
again4 ,few persons1 indeed1 get so     
chilled by the sufferings and           
disappointments1 and so hardened by the 
crimes of human life1 but on the sight  
of a little child1 they are impelled to 
invoke this answering smile by making   
themselves1 for the moment1 little      
children again2 seeking and finding that
 communion with our kind which is the   
,alpha and ,omega of life4  ,do not say 
that ,i am wandering1 fancifully1 from  
the serious work which we are upon3 ,i  
am only beginning at the beginning4 ,we 
can only understand the child1 and what 
we are to do for it in the              
,kindergarten1 by understanding the     
first stage of its being--the           
pre-intellectual one in the nursery4    
,the body is the first garden in which  
,god plants the human soul1 to dress and
 to keep it4 ,the loving mother is the  
first gardener of the human flower4     
,good nursing is the first word of      
,froebel's gospel of child-culture4     

,the process of taking possession of the
 organs1 that ,i have just described1 is
 never performed perfectly unless       
children are nursed genially4 ,if bitter
 and disagreeable things are presented  
to the organ of the taste1 they are     
rejected with the whole force of a will1
 which is too blind in its ignorance to 
find the thing it wants1 but vindicates 
its irrefragable freedom of choice by   
uttering cries of fright1 pain and      
anger1 as it shrinks back1 instead of   
throwing itself forward into nature4 ,if
 the cruel thing is repeated1 the nerves
 are paralyzed1 or at least rendered    
morbid1 especially when rude untender   
handling outrages the sense of touch4   
,when rough and discordant sounds assail
 the ear1 or too sharply salient a      
light1 the eye1 these organs will be    
injured1 and may be rendered useless for
 life4 ,the neglected and maltreated    
child is dull of sense1 and lifeless1 or
 morbidly impulsive1 possibly savagely  
cruel and cunning1 in sheer             

self-defence4 ,the pure element and     
first condition of perfect growth1 is   
the joy that responds to the electric   
touch of love4  ,underlying and         
outmeasuring all this delicate          
development of the organs of the five   
senses1 is the whole body's instinct of 
motion1 which is the primal action of   
will4 ,the perfectly healthy body of a  
little child1 when it is awake1 is      
always in motion--more or less          
intentionally4 ,when asleep1 there is   
the circulation of the blood1 and       
pulsation of the solids of the body1    
corresponding to the act of breathing1  
which is involuntary2 and any           
interruption of these produces          
disease--their suspension1 death4 ,but  
the motion which makes the limbs agile1 
and the whole body elastic1 and         
gradually to become an obedient servant1
 is voluntary1 intentional1 and can be  
helped by that sympathetic action of    
others1 which we call playing with the  
child4 ,froebel's rich suggestions on   

this play are contained in his mother's 
cossetting songs2 and ,i am glad to tell
 you that two ,english ladies1 a poet   
and a musician1 have translated and set 
to music this unique book2 and that just
 now it has been published by ,wilkie1  
,wood  ,co41 in ,london4 ,it suggests   
all kinds of little gymnastics of the   
hands1 fingers1 feet1 toes and legs1 for
 these are the child's first play       
things2 and also the first symbols of   
intelligent communication1 giving the   
core and significance to all            
languages4#a  ,i think that a baby never
 begins to play1 in the first instance1 
but responds to the mother and nurse's  
play1 and learns thereby its various    
members and their powers and uses2 and  
when at last it jumps1 runs1 walks by   
itself1 which it cannot begin to do     
without the help of others1 it is       
prepared to say ,i1 with a clear sense  
of individuality4  ,in analyzing the    
process of a child's learning to walk1  
we see most clearly the characteristic  

difference between the human person and 
the animals below man in the scale of   
relation4 ,the little chicken runs about
 of itself1 as soon as it is out of the 
shell2 but the human child1 even after  
all its limbs are grown1 and though he  
has been moving himself on all fours by 
means of the floor1 and supporting      
himself by means of the furniture to    
which he clings1 does not walk4 ,he will
 only stand alone1 unsupported1 when he 
sees that there are guarding arms round 
about him1 all ready to catch him if he 
should fall4 ,he seems to know          
instinctively1 that all the force of the
 earth's gravitation is against him4 ,he
 does not know that he may balance it by
 his personal power4 ,his body weighs   
upon his soul like a mountain1 precisely
 because he is intelligent of it as an  
object1 loves it as a means of pleasure1
 and dreads its power of giving pain to 
him4 ,the little darling stands1 perhaps
 between the knees of his father1 whose 
arms are round about him2 the mother    

opens her loving arms to receive him1   
and calls him to her embrace2 the way is
 short between1 and three steps will be 
sufficient1 but where is the courageous 
faith to say to this mountain of a body1
 be removed to another place8 ,it is not
 in himself2 he cannot produce it any   
more than he can take himself up by his 
own ears4 ,it is in the mother2 for it  
is she1 not he1 who has the knowledge of
 the yet unexerted power which is       
flowing into the child from the         
,creator4 ,only by the electric touch of
 her faith in him does his faith in     
himself flash out in answer to her look 
and voice of cheer1 and he rushes to her
 arms4 ,it is the doing of the deed     
which gives to himself the knowledge of 
the power that is in him4 ,he repeats it
 again and again1 seeming to wish to be 
more and more certain of his being the  
cause of so great effect4 ,thus cause   
and effect are discriminated1 and to him
 that hath a sense of individuality1    
shall be given1 forevermore1 a growing  

power over the body1 to which no measure
 can be stated4 ,even on the vulgar     
plane of the professional tumbler1 a    
man's power over his body seems1        
sometimes1 to be absolute and           
miraculous4 ,but the annals of heroism  
and martyrdom are full of facts that go 
to prove to all who consider them       
profoundly1 that the immaterial soul is 
sovereign1 when1 by recognizing all its 
relations1 it subjects the individual to
 the universal1 and becomes thereby     
entirely spiritual1 7which is man       
reciprocating with ,god2 becoming more  
and more conscious forever4#b7  ,from   
what has been said of the soul's taking 
possession of the body and its several  
organs1 by exercising the functions of  
tasting1 hearing1 seeing1 smelling1     
touching1 grasping1 moving the limbs1   
and at last taking up the whole body    
into itself in the act of walking1 we   
see that it is all done1 even the last1 
by virtue of the social nature4         
,froebel took his clue from this fact1 a

 primal one1 and never let it go1 and it
 is of the greatest importance that it  
be understood clearly1 that conscious   
individuality1 which gives the sense of 
free personality1 the starting point1 as
 it were1 of intelligent will1 is       
perfectly consistent with and even      
dependent on the simultaneous           
development of the social principle in  
all its purity and power4  ,we see a sad
 negative proof of this1 in asylums for 
infants abandoned by their mothers1 or  
given up by them through stress of      
poverty4 ,there is one of these in ,new 
,york city1 into which are received poor
 little things in the first weeks of    
their existence4 ,every thing is done   
for their bodily comfort which the      
general human kindness can devise4 ,they
 have clean warm cradles and clothes1   
good milk1 in short everything but that 
caressing motherly play1 which goes from
 the personal heart to the personal     
heart4 ,that is one thing general       
charity cannot supply2 it is the        

personal gift of ,god to the mother for 
her child1 and none but she can be the  
sufficient medium of it1 and therefore1 
undoubtedly it is1 that almost all      
new-born children in foundling hospitals
 die2 or1 if they survive1 are found to 
be feeble-minded or idiotic4 ,they seem 
to sink into their animal natures1 and  
belie the legend man written on their   
brows1 showing none of that beautiful   
fearlessness and courageous             
affectionateness that characterise the  
heartily welcomed1 healthy1             
well-cared-for human infant4 ,on the    
contrary1 they show a dreary apathy1    
morbid fearfulness1 or a belligerent    
self-defence1 anticipative of other     
forms of the cruel neglect which has    
been their dreary experience4  ,taking a
 hint from observations of this kind1   
together with the bitter experiences of 
his own childhood1 ,froebel supplied to 
the mother or nurse some playthings for 
the baby1 which might continue to       
improve the various organs of its body1 

by making the exercise of their         
functions a social delight4  ,what is   
called the first gift1 he proposes      
should be used in the nursery first4 ,it
 consists of six soft balls1 not too    
large to be grasped by a little hand1   
and the use of which in the nursery1 is 
suggested by a little first book for    
mothers1 that has been translated from  
,jacob's ,le jardin des ,enfans4#c ,i   
think it is important for the           
,kindergartner to know what ,froebel    
thought could be done for the           
development of the infant in the        
nursery1 since if it has not been done  
there1 she must contrive to remedy the  
evil in the ,kindergarten4 ,you will    
bear with me1 therefore1 if ,i go quite 
into the minuti of this matter4 ,it will
 open your eyes to observe delicately1  
as ,froebel did4  ,he proposed that the 
red ball should be first presented4 ,he 
had observed that a bright light        
concentrated1 as in a candle1 first     
excited the organ of sight and          

stimulated its action4 ,hence he        
inferred that a bright color would do   
the same1 a neutral tint would not be   
seen at all probably4 ,the red ball is  
not quite so salient and exciting as the
 light of a candle1 but on that account 
it can be gazed at longer1 without      
producing a painful re-action4 ,the     
child will have a pleasure in grasping  
it1 and will probably carry it to his   
lips2 but as it is woolen1 it will not  
be especially agreeable to the delicate 
organ of taste4 ,it will all the more be
 looked at therefore1 and give the      
impression of red4 ,froebel proposes    
that it shall be called the red ball1 in
 order that the impression of the word  
red on the ear1 shall blend in memory   
with the impression of the color on the 
eye4 ,as long as the child seems amused 
with the red ball1 he would not have    
another color introduced1 because he    
thought it took time for the eye to get 
a clear and strong impression of one    
color1 and this should be done before it

 was tried with a contrasted impression4
 ,but by and by the blue ball1 as the   
greatest contrast1 may be given and     
named2 and all the little plays         
suggested in the mother's book be       
repeated with the blue ball2 and then   
the yellow ball should be given with its
 name2 and then the three be given      
together1 and the baby be asked to      
choose the blue1 or red1 or yellow one4 
,by attaching a string to them1 and     
whirling them1 or letting the infant do 
so1 it is surprising how long the child 
will amuse itself with these balls1 and 
what pleasure colors alone give1        
especially when combined with motion4   
,the secondary colors may afterwards be 
added to the treasury for the eye1 with 
the same carefulness to secure          
completeness and distinctness of        
impression2 and to associate the color  
with the word that names it2 for        
language1 the special organ of social   
communion1 should be addressed to the   
child from the first1 though its        

complete attainment and use is the crown
 of all education4  ,smiles and sounds1 
proceeding out of the mouth1 are the    
first languages1 and begin to fix the   
little child's eyes and attention upon  
the mouth of the mother1 from which     
issue the tones that are sweetest to    
hear1 and especially when in musical    
cadence4 ,but the child understands the 
words addressed to him long before he   
himself begins to articulate2 for       
language is no function of the          
individual1 but only of the consciously 
social being1 yearning to find himself  
in another4  ,there is a reciprocal     
communication between infants and adults
 that precedes the difficult act of     
articulation4 ,this we call the natural 
language1 and it is common to all       
nations1 being mutually intelligible1 as
 is proved by deaf mutes from remote    
countries who understand each other at  
once4 ,but this natural language has a  
very narrow scope4 ,it serves to        
communicate instinctive wants of body   

and heart1 but does not serve the fine  
purposes of intellectual communication1 
nor minister any considerable           
intellectual development4 ,these signs  
are very general1 while every word in   
its origin has represented a particular 
object in nature4 ,in analyzing any     
language1 we find that the names given  
to the body and its members1 and to the 
actions and facts of life1 without which
 no human society can exist1 are the    
nucleus or central words that           
characterize it1 and from which the     
whole national rhetoric is derived4     
,hence there is a value for the mind in 
associating the words and action of even
 such a little play as here we go up1   
up1 up1 and here we go down1 down1 down1
 and here we go backwards and forwards1 
and here we go round1 round1 round1 with
 other rhymes and plays of an analogous 
character that are found wherever there 
are mothers and children4  ,we have     
observed that the moment of first       
accomplishing the feat of running alone1

 seemed to be that of the child's       
beginning to realize himself to be a    
person1 but that even1 in this act1 he  
was dependent upon his mother2 that his 
bodily independence was the gift of her 
faith in that within him1 which is      
essentially superior to the body and can
 command it as instrumentality4 ,to make
 it instrumentality is1 more and more1 a
 delight to the child1 in which his     
mother sympathises2 and by this sympathy
 aids him4 ,all his plays involve       
exercise of the power of commanding his 
body4 ,as soon as a child can move it   
from place to place1 his desire to      
exercise power on nature outside of     
himself increases1 and he is prompted to
 measure strength with other children4  
,if children were mere individuals they 
would merely quarrel1 as ,hobbes says2  
but being social beings also1 they tend 
to unite forces and aid one another to  
compass desired ends4 ,by so doing1 they
 rise to a greater sense of life1 and   
brotherly love is evolved4 ,but in the  

development of the social life1 the more
 developed and cultivated elder must    
come in1 to keep both parties steady to 
some object outside of themselves1 which
 it takes their union to reach4         
,children can be taught to play         
together1 by engaging their powers of   
imitation1 and addressing their fancy4  
,every mother knows1 that in the first  
opening of children's social life1 their
 bodily energies are stimulated to such 
a degree1 that it is quite as much as   
she or one nurse can do1 to tend two or 
three children together2 and by the time
 they are three years old1 the family   
nursery becomes too narrow a sphere for 
them4 ,it is then that they are to be   
received into a ,kindergarten1 whose    
very numbers will check the energy of   
activity a little1 by presenting a      
greater variety of objects to be        
contemplated2 and because social action 
must be orderly and rhythmical1 in order
 to be agreeable4 ,this1 a properly     
prepared ,kindergartner knows1 and by   

her sympathetic influence and power over
 the childish imagination1 she will     
bring gradually all the laws of the     
child's being to the conscious          
understanding1 beginning with this      
rhythmical one at the center4  ,the     
movement plays which ,froebel invented1 
express1 in dramatic form1 some simple  
fact of nature or some childish fancy1  
for which he gives1 as accompaniment1 a 
descriptive song set to a simple melody4
 ,the children learn both to recite and 
to sing the words of the song1 and then 
the movements of the play4 ,to them the 
whole reason for the play seems to be   
the delight it gives1 the exhilaration  
of body1 the amusement of mind4 ,but the
 ,kindergartner knows that it serves    
higher ends1 and that it is at least    
always a lesson in order1 enabling them 
to begin to enact upon earth ,heaven's  
first law4  ,do not say ,i am making too
 solemn a matter of these movement      
plays1 to the ,kindergartner4 ,unless   
she remembers that this very serious aim

 underlies every play which she         
conducts1 she will not do justice to the
 children4 ,law or order is one and the 
same thing with beauty2 and play is     
hindrance if it is not beautiful4 ,when 
she insists upon the children governing 
themselves1 so far as to keep their     
proper places in relation to each other2
 to forbear exerting undue force1 and to
 seek to give the necessary aid to      
others by exerting sufficient force1 the
 beautiful result justifies her will to 
the minds of the children1 and commands 
their ready obedience4 ,she must call   
forth by addressing the sense of        
personal responsibility in each child2  
and this1 if done tenderly and with     
faith1 it is by no means difficult to   
do4 ,the reward to the children is      
instant in the success of the play1 and 
therefore not thought of as reward of   
merit4 ,it is a form of obedience that  
really elevates the little one higher in
 the scale of being as an individual1   
without danger of the re-action of pride

 and self-conceit2 for self is swallowed
 up in social joy4  ,when ,i was in     
,germany1 ,i went1 as ,i believe ,i told
 you1 to those ,kindergartens1 which    
were taught by ,froebel's own pupils1   
and ,i found that in these the movement 
plays were the most prominent feature of
 the practice4 ,more than one was played
 in the course of the three or four     
hours1 and especially when the session  
was as much as four hours4 ,it was done 
in a very exact though not constrained  
manner1 and much stress seemed to be    
laid upon every part4 ,the singing was  
not done by three or four1 but all the  
children were encouraged to sing4 ,often
 the little timider ones were called on 
to repeat the rhyme alone1 without      
singing it1 and then to sing it alone   
with the teacher4 ,thus the stronger and
 abler were exercised 7as they must be  
so much in real life7 in waiting1       
sympathetically1 for the weaker4 ,a     
great deal of care was also exercised in
 regard to the form and character of the

 play itself4 ,those of ,froebel's own  
suggestion and invention were the       
preferred ones4 ,they consisted in      
imitating1 in rather a free and fanciful
 manner1 the actions of the gentler     
animals1 hares and rabbits1 fishes1 bees
 and birds4 ,there were plays in which  
children impersonated animals1 evidently
 for the purpose of awakening their     
sympathies and eliciting their kindness 
towards them4 ,many of the labors of    
human beings1 common mechanics1 such as 
cooperage1 the work of the farmer1 that 
of the miller1 trundling the            
wheelbarrow1 sawing wood1 c41 were put  
into form by simple rhymes4 ,the        
children sometimes personated machinery1
 sometimes great natural movements4 ,in 
one instance ,i saw the solar system    
performed by a company of children that 
had been in the ,kindergarten four      
years1 but none of them were over seven 
years old4 ,mere movement is in itself  
so delightful and salutary for children 
that a very little action of the        

imitative or fanciful power is          
necessary1 just to take the rudeness out
 of bodily exercise without destroying  
its exhilaration4  ,my ,kindergarten    
,guide1 the revised edition of which is 
published by ,e4 ,steiger1 of ,new      
,york1 contains some of the principal   
plays1 set to ,froebel's own music4 ,i  
would gladly have printed all that      
,madame ,ronge published in her ,guide1 
which is out of print1 but for the      
expense4  ,but it is by no means merely 
a moral discipline that is aimed at in  
the ,kindergarten1 as you will see when 
the bearings upon their habits of       
thought1 of all that the children do1   
are pointed out to you1 in the various  
occupations1 which are sedentary sports1
 though the moral discipline is the     
paramount idea1 and never must be lost  
sight of one moment by the              
,kindergartner4 ,we mean by moral       
discipline1 exercising the children to  
act to the end of making others happy1  
rather than of merely enjoying          

themselves4 ,if the individual enjoyment
 is not a social enjoyment1 it is       
disorderly and vitiating4 ,but the      
individual is lifted into the higher    
order for which he is created1 by merely
 enjoying1 whenever his enjoyment is    
social4 ,i am of course speaking of that
 season of life under seven years of    
age1 when the mind is yet undeveloped to
 the comprehension of humanity as a     
whole2 when the good1 the true and the  
beautiful are nothing as abstractions1  
and can only be realized to their       
experience and brought within the sphere
 of their senses1 by being embodied in  
persons whom they love1 reverence or    
trust4 ,the words good1 beautiful1 kind1
 true1 get their meaning for children by
 their intercourse with such persons4   
,specific knowledge of ,god cannot be   
opened up in them by any words1 unless  
these words have first got their meaning
 by being associated with human beings  
who bear traces that they can appreciate
 of ,his ineffable perfections4 ,to     

liken ,god's love to the mother's love1 
brings home a conception of it to       
children1 for hers they realize every   
day4  ,the connecting link between the  
nursery and ,kindergarten is the ,first 
,gift of ,froebel's series1 being used  
in both4 ,the nursery use will have     
taught the names of the six colors1 red1
 orange1 yellow1 green1 blue and purple1
 and made it a favorite play thing4 ,it 
is all the better if the child has had  
no other playthings prepared for him4   
,he has doubtless used the chairs1      
footstools1 and whatever else he could  
lay his hands on1 to embody his childish
 fancies2 and it is to be hoped he has  
been allowed to play out of doors with  
the earth1 and has made mud pies to his 
heart's content--not tormented with any 
sense of the--at his age--artificial    
duty of keeping his clothes clean4 ,that
 duty is to be reserved for the         
,kindergarten age1 and will come duly1  
by proper development of the mental     
powers4  ,in the ,kindergarten1 the     

ball-plays are to become more skillful1 
and the teacher must see that the child 
learns to throw the ball so that it may 
bound back into his own hands2 so that  
it may bound into the hands of another  
who is in such position as to catch its 
reflex motion4 ,the children must learn 
to toss it up and catch it again        
themselves4 ,when standing in two rows  
they can throw it back and forwards to  
each other4 ,when standing in a circle1 
the balls may be made to circulate with 
rapidity1 passing from hand to hand1 the
 children singing the accompanying song4
  ,who'll buy my eggs8 is a good play to
 exercise them in counting4 ,and all    
these movement plays with the ball are  
admirable for exercising the body1      
giving it agility1 grace of movement1   
precision of eye and touch4 ,these      
things will accrue all the more surely  
if it is kept play1 and no constraining 
sense of duty is called on4 ,as most of 
these plays are not solitary1 they      
become the occasion for children's      

learning to adjust themselves to each   
other1 and the teacher must watch that  
hilarity do not become violence or      
rudeness to each other1 but furtherance 
of one another's fun2 and occasionally1 
in enforcing this harmony1 a child must 
be removed from the play1 and made to   
stand in a corner alone1 or even outside
 the room1 till the desire of rejoining 
his companions shall quicken him to be  
sufficiently considerate of them to make
 pleasant play possible4 ,all children  
in playing together learn justice and   
social graces1 more or less1 because    
they find that without fair play their  
sport is spoilt2 but this play must be  
supervised by the ,kindergartner1 in    
order that there may not be injustice1  
selfishness and quarreling4 ,a          
,kindergartner1 who is not a martinet1  
and who is herself a good play-fellow1  
will magnetize the children1 and inspire
 such general good will that            
unpleasantness will be foreclosed in a  
great measure2 but a company of children

 are generally of such variety of       
temperament and different degrees of    
bodily strength1 have so often come from
 such inadequate nursery life1 that the 
regulating ,kindergartner has a good    
deal to do to prevent discords and      
secure their kindness to each other1 and
 the reasonable little self-sacrifices  
of common courtesy4 ,but she will find a
 word is often enough2 the question1 ,is
 that right8 ,would you like to have any
 one else do so8 ,it is sometimes       
necessary to bring all the play to a    
full stop1 in order to bring the common 
conscience to pronounce upon the        
fairness of what some one is doing4 ,i  
would suggest that the question be asked
 not of the class1 but of the individual
 culprit1 whether what is being done    
wrong1 is right or wrong8 ,the child1   
with the eyes of the class upon him1    
will generally be eager to confess and  
reform1 because the moral sense is quite
 as strong as self-love1 and especially 
when re-inforced by the presence of     

others4 ,it is not worth while to make  
too much of little faults1 and the first
 indication of turning to the right must
 be accepted2 the child is grateful for 
being believed in and trusted1 and the  
wrong doing is a superficial thing2 the 
moral sentiment is the substantial being
 of the child4  ,of all the materials   
used in ,kindergarten1 the colored balls
 are most purely playthings2 and there  
are none of the plays so liable to be   
riotous as the ball plays4 ,there is the
 greatest difficulty in keeping children
 from being too noisy1 and it is not    
wise to make too much of a point of it4 
,the ball seems a thing of life4 ,it is 
very difficult for them to get good     
command of it4 ,it excites them to run  
after it2 and shouts and laughter are   
irrepressible4 ,but there are reasonable
 limits4 ,the ,kindergartner1 in        
conversation before hand1 should make   
them see that they may get too noisy1   
and tire each other1 and she will easily
 induce them to agree to stop short when

 she shall ring the bell1 and be willing
 to stand still while she counts        
twenty-five1 or watches the second hand 
of her watch go around a quarter1 a     
half1 or a whole minute1 as may be      
agreed upon4 ,this can be made a part of
 the play1 and to pause and be perfectly
 still in this way1 will give them some 
conception of the length of a minute1   
and teach self-command1 as well as make 
a pleasant variety4  ,the ball plays    
should always be accompanied and        
alternated1 in the ,kindergarten1 with  
conversations upon the ball1 naming the 
colors1 telling which are primary1 which
 secondary1 and illustrating the        
difference by giving them pieces of     
glass of pure carmine1 blue and yellow1 
and letting them put two upon each      
other1 and hold them towards the window1
 and so realize the combinations of the 
secondary colors4 ,ask them1 afterwards1
 to tell what colors make orange1 or    
purple1 or green2 and what color        
connects the orange and green2 or the   

purple and orange1 or the green and     
purple4  ,one of the other exercises1 on
 the day of using the ,first ,gift may  
be sewing with the colored threads on   
the cards2 and the colors may be        
arranged so as to illustrate the        
connections1 c41 just learned4 ,the use 
of the ,first ,gift need only be once a 
week4 ,it will then be a fresh pleasure 
every time during the whole of the      
,kindergarten course1 even if it should 
last three years4 ,after the children   
have become perfectly familiar with the 
primary and secondary colors1 their     
combinations and connections1 the       
lessons on colors may be varied1 by     
telling them that tints of the primary  
colors and of the secondary colors1 are 
made by adding white to them2 and shades
 of them1 7which will1 of course1 be    
darker17 by adding black to them4 ,this 
may be illustrated by flowers1 as may   
various combinations of colors4 ,a very 
little child1 whom it was hard to train 
even to the hilarious and gay plays1 and

 whose attention could not easily be    
fixed1 surprised a teacher one day by   
his aptitude in detecting what color had
 been mixed with red to make a very     
glorious pink in a phlox4 ,this child   
liked to sew1 but was very impatient of 
putting his needle into any special     
holes4 ,it proved to be the pleasure of 
handling the colored yarns1 and he was  
always eager to change them and form new
 combinations4 ,it may not be irrelevant
 to say here1 in regard to ball playing1
 from which ,i have digressed to colors1
 that the ball is the last plaything of 
men as well as the first with children4 
,the object teaching upon the ball is   
strictly inexhaustible4 ,children learn 
practically1 by means of it1 the laws of
 motion4 ,beware of any strictly        
scientific teaching of these laws in    
terms4 ,you may make children familiar  
with the phenomena of the laws of       
incidence and reflection1 by simply     
telling them that if they strike the    
ball straight against the wall opposite1

 it will bound straight back to them1   
and then ask them whether it returns to 
them when they strike it in a slanting  
direction4 ,by and by this knowledge can
 be used to give meaning to a scientific
 expression4 ,it is a first principle   
that the object1 motion1 or action1     
should precede the word that names them4
 ,this is ,froebel's uniform method1 and
 the reason is1 that when the scientific
 study does come1 it shall be           
substantial mental life1 and not mere   
superficial talk4 ,it is the laws of    
things that are the laws of thought2 and
 thought must precede all attempt at    
logic1 or logic will be deceptive1 not  
reasonable4 ,most erroneous speculation 
has its roots in mistakes about words1  
which it is fatal to divorce from what  
they express of nature1 or to use       
without taking in their full meaning4   
,in the easy mood of mind that attends  
the lively play of childhood1           
impressions are made clearly2 and it    
should be the care of the educator to   

have all the child's notions associated 
with significant words1 as can only be  
done by his becoming their companion in 
the play1 and talking about it1 as      
children always incline to do4 ,it is   
half the pleasure of their play1 to     
represent it in words1 as they are      
playing4 ,in the nursery1 the mothers   
play with the child1 and all her        
dealings with it1 are expressed in words
 that are important lessons in language2
 and together with language1 we give a  
lesson in manners1 by first trotting a  
child gently1 and then jouncingly1 to   
the words1 ,this is the way the gentle  
folks go1 this is the way the gentle    
folks go2 and this is the way the       
country folks go1 this is the way the   
country folks go--bouncing and jouncing 
and jumping so4 ,to describe what they  
are doing in little rhymes when playing 
ball1 makes it a mental as well as      
physical play of faculty1 and ,froebel  
published a hundred little rhymes1 and  
the music for as many ball plays4  ,it  

is not an unimportant lesson for        
children to learn1 that the same things 
seem different in different             
circumstances4 ,the fact that white     
light is composed of different colored  
rays can be illustrated by giving the   
children prisms to hold up in the       
sunshine2 and by calling their attention
 to the splendid colors of the sky at   
sunset and sunrise1 when the clouds act 
as prisms1 and to the rainbow4 ,children
 of the ,kindergarten age1 will be so   
much engaged with the beautiful         
phenomenon1 they will not be likely to  
ask questions as to how the light is    
separated by the prism and clouds2 they 
will rest in the fact4 ,but if1 by      
chance1 analytic reflection has         
supervened1 and they do1 then a large   
ball on which all the six colors are    
arranged in lines meridian-wise1 to     
which a string is attached at one pole1 
or both poles1 can be given them1 and   
they be told to whirl it very swiftly4  
,this will present the phenomenon of the

 merging of the colors to the eye by    
motion1 so that the ball looks whitish  
from which you can proceed to speak of  
light as being composed of multitudinous
 little balls1 of the colors of the     
rainbow1 in motion1 and so looking      
white4  ,if some uncommon little        
investigator should persist to ask why  
things seem to be other than they are1  
he must be plainly told1 that the reason
 is in something about his eyes1 which  
he cannot understand now1 but will learn
 by and by1 when he goes to school and  
learns optics4  ,children are only to be
 entertained in the ,kindergarten1 with 
the facts of nature that develop the    
organs of perception1 but a skillful    
teacher who reads ,tyndall's charming   
books and the photographic journals1 may
 bring into the later years of the      
,kindergarten period many pretty        
phenomena of light and colors1 which    
shall increase the stock of facts1 on   
which the scientific mind1 when it shall
 be developed1 may work1 or which the   

future painter may make use of in his   
art4  ,when ,allston painted his great  
picture of ,uriel1 whose background was 
the sun1 he thought out carefully the   
means of producing the dazzling effect1 
and drew lines of all the rainbow colors
 in their order1 side by side1 after    
having put on his canvass a ground of   
the three primary colors mixed4 ,when   
the picture was first exhibited at      
,somerset ,house1 the effect was        
dazzling1 and it was bought at once by  
,lord ,egremont1 in a transport of      
delight2 and for twice the sum the      
artist put upon it1 that is1 six hundred
 guineas4 ,i do not know whether time   
may not have dimmed its brilliancy1     
since paint is of the earth1 earthy2 but
 to paint the sun at high noon1 and have
 it a success1 even for a short time1 is
 a great feat2 and art1 in this         
instance1 took counsel of science       
deliberately1 according to the artist's 
confession4 ,but perfect sensuous       
impressions of color and its            

combinations1 were the basis of both the
 science and the art4  ,this lecture is 
getting too long1 and ,i will close by  
saying1 that the ,first ,gift has1 for  
its most important office1 to develop   
the organ of sight1 which grows by      
seeing4 ,colors arouse intentional      
seeing by the delightful impression they
 make4 ,i believe that color-blindness1 
7which our army examinations have proved
 to be as common as want of ear for     
music17 may be cured by intentional     
exercise of the organ of sight in a     
systematic way2 just as ear for music   
may be developed in those who are not   
born with it4 ,lowell ,mason proved1 by 
years of experiment in the public       
schools1 that the musical ear may be    
formed1 in all cases1 by beginning      
gently with little children1 giving     
graduated exercises1 so agreeable to    
them as to arouse their will to try to  
hear1 in order to reproduce4  ,that you 
may receive a sufficiently strong       
impression of the fact1 that the organs 

of perception actually grow by exercise 
with intention1 ,i will relate to you a 
fact that came under my own observation4
  ,a young friend of mine became a pupil
 of ,mr4 ,agassiz1 who gave him1 among  
his first exercises1 two fish scales to 
look at through a very powerful         
microscope1 asking him to find out and  
tell all their differences4 ,at first   
they appeared exactly alike1 but on     
peering through the microscope1 all the 
time that he dared to use his eyes1 for 
a month1 he found them full of          
differences2 and he afterwards said1    
that it was the best month's work he    
ever did1 to form the scientific eye    
which could detect differences ever     
after1 at a glance1 and proved to him an
 invaluable talent1 and gave him        
exceptional authority with scientists4  
,,footnotes3  #a ,an ,american          
translation has been published by ,lee  
,shepard1 ,boston4  #b ,since this      
lecture was written and delivered in    
,boston1 ,i have received from ,europe a

 ,french version of the ,baroness       
,crombrugghe's translation of ,froebel's
 ,education of ,man1 and find that the  
first chapters analyze the first and    
second stages of development so much1 in
 the way that ,i have done1 that it     
gives me1 on the one hand1 confidence in
 myself as a true interpreter of        
,froebel1 and on the other1 new         
confidence in ,froebel as a scientific  
observer and recorder of what ,i have   
been accused of founding on a merely    
sentimental knowledge4 ,but scientific  
knowledge1 or that gained by the        
exercise of the understanding1 and      
sentimental knowledge1 or what is gained
 by the intuitions of the heart1 must   
necessarily correspond if the           
understanding is sound and the heart has
 been kept diligently to the issues of  
life4 ,mr4 ,emerson calls the intellect 
sensibility1 and there is a fine meaning
 in this4 ,is there not analogous       
instruction in calling the heart        
apprehension8 ,what are love1 justice1  

beauty1 c41 but apprehensions of the    
primal relations established by ,god8   
,can the understanding have sensibility 
to them1 unless apprehension of them    
exists from the beginning8  ,in the     
,june1 ,july and ,august numbers of the 
,kindergarten ,messenger1 for #ahgd1    
will be found translations of the first 
chapters of ,froebel's book1 above      
mentioned4 ,i began in ,february to     
print the translation of the            
introduction1 which will be finished in 
the ,may number1 and then will follow   
the first chapter1 entitled ,the        
,nursling1 and in the following numbers 
the subsequent chapters1 on the child's 
development during the ,kindergarten    
era4 ,this work of ,froebel's was       
published at an earlier period of his   
career than #ahdj1 when he began to     
devote himself almost entirely to the   
first stage of education1 which1 as he  
grew older1 he felt to be the most      
important1 because it enfolds the germs 
of all later developments4  #c ,it is   

sold for ten cents by ,hammett1         
publisher1 in ,brattle street1 ,boston4 
,,lecture ,,iii4  ,,discipline4         
,,since the kindergartner is to receive 
the child from the nursery1 and half of 
the work in the kindergarten is what    
ought to have been done in the nursery1 
,i will give another lecture upon what  
,froebel thought the nursery ought to do
 for religious nurture2 since1 if it has
 not been done in the nursery1 it must  
be done in the kindergarten4  ,we have  
seen that the soul takes possession of  
the organs of sense gradually1 by       
tasting1 hearing1 seeing1 smelling1 and 
touching that which is agreeable2 and   
that the continuous exercise of the     
organs develops them up to a certain    
though indefinite limit to finer        
susceptibility of impression4 ,we have  
seen that by exercising the limbs1 the  
soul takes possession of them in        
particular and in general4 ,thus the    
nursery plays1 improvised instinctively 
by all mothers1 ,froebel has enlarged1  

describing in his ,mother's ,book       
various duplicate movements of the      
limbs1 especially of the hands1 that1   
with the accompanying songs1 have for   
their end1 besides physical health1 to  
make the mind discriminate various parts
 of the body and know their several     
forms and functions4 ,this is the       
beginning of human education4           
,patty-cake teaches a child that he has 
hands and fingers2 ,this little pig goes
 to market1 this one stays at home1 that
 he has toes4 ,it is the child's own    
body that first furnishes the objects of
 his attention to be associated with    
words4 ,from the beginning it is the    
instinct of the maternal nurse to talk  
to the child1 which attracts him to     
observe the organs of speech2 and this  
prompts the sympathetic use of his own  
organs4 ,speech is a function           
distinctively human1 which1 beginning in
 the nursery1 is carried on carefully in
 the kindergarten1 creating the sphere  
of the intellectual life2 for words     

support the operation of thinking4      
,from all that ,i said of the modus     
operandi of the child's taking          
possession of his body in the nursery   
period1 you see that childish action is 
involved in the mother's action4 ,it is 
her wisdom1 such as it may be1 which    
must be the guide of the child's will1  
as it is brought gradually out of the   
blindness of ignorance2 and it is she1  
not the child1 who is responsible for   
the perfection of this part of the      
child's life4  ,and is not this1 on the 
whole1 the common sense of mankind8     
,does any sane person hold a baby1 up to
 three years old1 and often1 indeed1    
much later1 responsible for the state of
 its temper1 or for the rightfulness of 
its action8  ,nevertheless1 the child is
 a moral person all this time1 and it is
 of the last importance to his          
subsequent moral life whether or not his
 temper has been kept sweet1 and his    
action according to law1 or discordant4 
,discordant action must have a bad      

reactionary effect upon the temper1 and 
interrupt or retard the growth of the   
several organs of sense and of motion4  
,hence the mother or nurse must not     
neglect to use her power wisely as well 
as gently to prevent these evils1 by    
duplicate movements that are rhythmic1  
and calculated to bring about some end  
that the child's mind may easily grasp4 
,it is instinctive with every one1 as   
soon as he begins to play with a child1 
whether it be reasonable or not1 to talk
 to it about its being good or bad1     
although a little child cannot be good  
or bad1 but only orderly or disorderly2 
and there is no little danger to his    
moral and spiritual future in           
anticipating by our words the workings  
of his conscience before it has the     
conditions for its development4 ,one of 
these conditions is such a sense of     
individuality as enables the child to   
say ,i1 with which it presently combines
 such perception of relationship to     
others as will say1 ,i ought1--a phrase 

that occurs in all languages1 and means 
something very different from ,i will4  
,it is of the greatest importance to    
keep this distinction in mind1 for an   
imposed or artificial conscience almost 
certainly forecloses the natural or     
inspired conscience1--a truth largely   
illustrated by the history both of      
families and of nations1 from which we  
learn that periods of corruption and    
wild license invariably follow periods  
of extreme restraint and asceticism4    
,and all conscientious action and moral 
judgment in children also presupposes   
thinking1 which is a process that does  
not begin until after much repetition of
 impressions1 being a reflective act1   
which associates impressions with       
specific things and actions 7as the     
etymology of the word suggests74 ,mere  
reception of impressions is passive2 but
 to compare impressions of difference or
 similarity 7which individualizes       
things7 is active4 ,therefore thinking  
and putting thoughts into words includes

 comparison and inference1 and really   
produces the human understanding1 which 
we do not bring into the world with us1 
as we do our heart and will4 ,before    
there is a possibility of conscience or 
any moral judgment properly so called1  
the child's affections 7or feeling of   
relation with other persons7 must be    
cultivated by the mother's genial care1 
directing mental activity towards       
fellow-beings1 instead of leaving the   
heart to turn back and stagnate upon    
self4 ,the more impressible a child is1 
the more important is the mother's or   
kindergartner's providential care of his
 affections during this irresponsible1  
pre-intellectual period of his life4  ,i
 think the most frightfully selfish     
beings ,i have ever known were endowed  
with great natural sensibility1 which   
was left to concentrate upon self1      
because the claims made by the          
sensibility of others were not early    
enough presented to the imagination of  
their hearts4 ,by the growth of personal

 affections1 the individual intensifies 
the feeling of individuality1 which     
first comes to him by his having taken  
such possession of his body as enabled  
him to run alone2 and this growth1      
whether intentionally directed towards  
that combination of his soul and body1  
which he begins to call himself or ,i1  
or directed toward others1 to whom he   
clings at first as part of himself      
7their embrace of him being necessary to
 his comfort71 is cherished by the      
duplicate action of the mother4 ,she    
moulds his heart in her heart1 as she   
has moulded his bodily activity by her  
care and cheering sympathy1 when helping
 out the power of his limbs in walking  
and manipulation4 ,she half creates the 
child's generous and devout affections1 
if she is herself faithful to their     
proper objects1 starting him on the way 
of a brotherly humanity and a filial    
adoration of the common ,father1 long   
before the understanding has completely 
discerned the objects of these human and

 divine affections1 which must be       
blended in order to continue vital and  
pure4 ,but the moral and religious is   
the most delicate region of the child's 
life1 the holy of holies1 into which    
fools incontinently rush1 though angels 
fear to tread4 ,she can only be the     
mother of the soul as well as of the    
body of her child1 on condition of being
 herself rich in love of others and in  
piety to ,god4  ,froebel suggests this  
in the introductory poems of ,die       
,mutter ,spiele und ,kose ,lieder4 ,the 
first five of these are the mother's    
communings with herself upon the        
emotions that arise in her heart1 as she
 nurses her baby in her arms1 and       
realizes that to her and her husband has
 been sent a living witness of the very 
present ,god1 who is the author of their
 being1 and has united them by a love   
that makes that being a blessing to     
themselves1 which they are bound to     
extend beyond themselves4 ,the rhymed   
introduction of the several little      

child-songs that follow are suggestions 
to her of the meaning of her instincts1 
and of the bearing on the development of
 the child's heart and mind of the      
little gymnastics described4 ,and just  
as she could not be the educator of her 
child into his individual body if she   
were a paralytic herself1 so1 if she be 
not affectionate and generous herself1  
she cannot educate him into the social  
body of which he is a living member2 nor
 unless she loves ,god herself1 can she 
inspire him to recognize the ,parental  
,spirit of whom we are 7as heathen poet 
and ,christian apostle alike aver7 the  
veritable children4 ,we are the         
offspring of ,god1 said ,st4 ,paul1     
quoting from the ,greek poet ,aratus in 
the ,sermon on ,mars' ,hill1 which is a 
model of all reformatory instruction1   
whether religious or secular4 ,i think  
all true instruction1 proceeding from   
the known to the unknown1 is both       
secular and religious1 on the principle 
that to those who have the seed1 can be 

given the increase4  ,in the first of   
these mother-songs of ,froebel1 the     
mother finds that the baby she holds in 
her arms1 though another than herself1  
is in a certain sense one with herself2 
thus is unveiled 7revealed7 to her the  
,divine ,fountain of ,being1 the ,person
 of ,persons1 from whom she and her     
little one have severally come2 and her 
feelings of wonder and gratitude awaken 
the sense of responsibility to make her 
child grow conscious as she is of the   
common ,father1--and thankful as she is 
for life in such close relation with    
herself1--who is the first form in which
 ,god reveals ,himself to the child2 for
 when he first looks away from his body 
so far as to perceive that his mother is
 another than himself1 she fills the    
whole sphere of his perception6         
,rousseau affirms that every child1 if  
left to its own natural growth1 would   
think its mother was its creator4 ,and  
,william ,godwin in his ,enquirer 7or   
some volume of his writings7 has quite  

an eloquent paper1 setting forth that   
the natural religion of a child is to   
worship its earthly parents4 ,i have    
made some observations and had a        
personal experience which makes me doubt
 this1 though ,i do not doubt that the  
characteristics of parents nearly always
 determine the character of the child's 
religion4 ,but the question of who is   
his own creator does not naturally come 
up to a child1 even when he begins to   
ask who made the things about him4 ,his 
own consciousness is of being increate1 
and when brought to know that his body  
grows old and must die1 the fear that   
this causes is because he imaginatively 
associates his undying self1 which is a 
presence not to be put by with the      
perishing body4 ,what the soul1 by      
virtue of its inherent immortality1     
fears and hates1 is loneliness1 absolute
 isolation6 ,and when we think of the   
body1 which we identify with ourselves  
from the moment that we have taken it up
 and walked by its instrumentality1 as  

put away alone in the ground1 the       
undying person that the soul is1        
shudders1 and can only be comforted by  
learning to conceive itself wholly      
detached from the decay1 and housed     
within the bosom of ,him who is the     
,alpha and ,omega of our life2 of ,him  
whom we have learnt to know with the    
spirit and understanding also1 by the   
process of living in human relations4   
,for we know ourselves as individuals   
first by means of the body1 and we know 
ourselves as a component part of the    
social whole of humanity by means of    
genial intercourse with our kindred1 it 
being revealed to us that we are        
substantially social1 as well as        
distinctly individual1 by our           
instinctive horror of separation from   
them4 ,later in life only1 there are    
pleasures of solitude for those few who 
by imaginative act make nature populous 
with personifications1 and consequently 
the refracting atmosphere of the ,divine
 ,personality4 ,the baby that finds     

itself alone cries for and is comforted 
by the embrace which restores the sense 
of union with its mother4 ,seldom is a  
baby in such a wretched state of feeling
 that a tender embrace and kiss will not
 completely comfort it4  ,what a proof  
it is that ,god is ,love1 that the very 
embrace that symbolizes to the baby's   
heart the sense of human companionship1 
gives its mind that impression of       
objective nature which is the first     
momentum of the human understanding6    
,the gentle pressure of one sensitive   
body upon another produces              
counter-pressure1 a resistance that is  
positively pleasurable1 whereby the     
impenetrability of matter becomes a     
delightful instead of a frightful       
revelation to the mind of the ,immutable
 ,reality of the loving ,creator1 as the
 complement of our own changeful        
individuality6 ,it is the first syllable
 of that word 7or speech of ,god7 made  
intelligible by the various qualities   
and forms of matter1 the ,truth which   

,he is forever addressing to man4 ,how  
gracious it is1 that ,he should so      
inextricably mingle the first impression
 of matter with that perception of the  
otherness of person that makes ,love    
possible6 ,thus love and the sense of   
individuality are correlative creations 
and twin births4 ,later1 the sense of   
individuality becomes a positive        
self-love 7which in its healthy degree  
is innocent71 and the perception of     
otherness of person1 with whom it is    
delightful to be in free union1 becomes 
the basis of the self-forgetting        
generosity of mankind4 ,these opposite  
principles are at first mere and perhaps
 equal sources of satisfaction1 having  
no moral character whatever4            
,afterwards1 they become respectively   
hard selfishness or a weak and base     
servility1 or they may rise into a      
majestic self-respect1 and that         
sublimest love which is to make the     
human race1 as a whole1 the image of    
,god1 not only king over material       

nature1 but one with the perfect ,son of
 ,man1 also ,son of ,god1 who1 with a   
humility and dignity equally venerable1 
is able to say1 ,i and my ,father are   
,one6  ,but you will say that ,i am     
getting quite beyond the nursery4  ,in  
the earlier years1 the growth of the    
religious life is merely germinal4 ,and 
as it is involved within the mothers at 
the beginning1 it must be cherished     
sympathetically by her removing all     
occasion for self-care and self-defence1
 and thus prevent the sense of          
individuality from degenerating through 
fear into inordinate self-will and      
self-love4 ,the child should be treated 
with unvarying tenderness and           
consideration1 without having his senses
 pampered into morbid excess by         
over-indulgence1 but above all things1  
never wounding nor frightening his      
heart1 nor repressing the simple and    
healthy expression of his feelings and  
thoughts4 ,for enforced repression tends
 to produce ugly temper1 baseness1 or   

subtlety1 according to the child's      
temperament1 which is also in imperfect 
social harmony1 if not absolutely       
quarrelsome4 ,it must be her work1      
therefore1 not only to complete the     
child's organic education1 but to take  
him1 as it were1 into her own           
affectionate spirit by using the methods
 which ,froebel has suggested to the    
mother for the discipline of her        
infants4 7,i use this word discipline in
 its true sense of teaching2 not in the 
sense of punishment4 ,that the word     
discipline should ever have come to mean
 punishment is a severe commentary on   
the ideas and modes of education that   
have hitherto prevailed in              
,christendom47  ,the kindergartner1 as  
well as the mother1 must be thoroughly  
grounded in the faith that ,god has done
 ,his part in the original endowment of 
children2 and that ,he is truly present 
with her1 helping her to remedy the     
effects of the mother's shortcomings4   
,she will certainly succeed in her work 

if she studies ,his laws with an earnest
 purpose to carry them out1 first in the
 government of herself1 and then in     
leading the children to self-government4
 ,wordsworth in his ,ode to ,duty1      
sings3--            ,there are who ask  
not if ,thine eye            ,be on     
them1 who1 in love and truth1           
,where no misgiving is1 rely            
,upon the genial sense of youth4        
,glad hearts6 without reproach or blot1 
,who do ,thy work1 and know it not6     
,and blest are they who in the main     
,this happy faith still entertain1      
,live in the spirit of this creed1      
,yet find another strength according to 
their need4            ,may joy be      
theirs while life shall last1           
,and ,thou1 if they should totter1 teach
 them to stand fast4  ,little children  
certainly1 of all persons1 are oftenest 
found in this condition when            
,love is an unerring light1             
,and joy its own security4  ,and that   
other strength1 which must come by      

reflection on and study of the unfolding
 nature of the child in the felt        
presence of the ,inspirer of ,duty1 will
 certainly be needed by the             
kindergartner who will receive children 
not always from the hands of natural and
 faithful mothers1 but of uncultured    
servant-maids4 7,it is but justice to   
the latter to say that there are        
occasionally found among the ,irish     
nurses those who could teach many       
mothers4 ,the ,irish nature is not      
altogether bad material for the         
production of good motherly nurses2 but 
it must not be left wild2 it needs a    
great deal of discipline2 and ,i hope   
the time may come when schools for the  
education of children's nurses1 such as 
,froebel established in ,hamburg1 which 
still exist1 may be founded in all our  
cities47 ,though ,i think the education 
of mothers is still more important and  
the first thing to aim at1 as it would  
render nursery maids comparatively      
unnecessary4 ,it is so short a period of

 a mother's life when she has young     
children1 and the book of nature which  
these few years open to her is so rich1 
that1 for her own being's sake as well  
as for the children's1 it seems to me a 
terrible loss for her to delegate her   
maternal cares to others during the     
nursery period4 ,on the other hand1 when
 the age for the kindergarten comes1 the
 mother needs to be relieved of the     
increasing care2 and children1 in their 
turn1 need other influences than can be 
had in a family1 especially in families 
where parents have work to do outside of
 their homes4 ,it is1 indeed1 a         
consummation devoutly to be wished1 that
 the time may come when labor may be so 
organized that no mothers may be obliged
 to leave their children's souls uncared
 for in order to get the wherewithal to 
sustain their bodies4  ,the deepest     
reason why a child should be taken care 
of in its earliest infancy by its mother
 rather than by a person comparatively  
uninterested in its personality1 is     

this1 that only a mother can respect a  
child's personality sufficiently4 ,all  
others regard the child for its         
manifested qualities2 but with the      
mother1 it is the child itself that she 
loves1 quite irrespective of any        
qualities that he manifests4            
,phenomenally1 a little child is a      
complex of self-assertion and generosity
 7or a desire for union with its kind72 
a desire or a feeling of finiteness in  
strange contrast with that instinct to  
have dominion which gives vitality to   
self-assertion4 ,we call this primal    
desire for union his heart1 and this    
primal self-assertion his will4 ,the    
will expresses itself in efforts to     
change its environments1 putting what is
 at rest in motion1 knocking down1      
tearing up1 because it does not yet know
 how to put in order1 or to change      
things artistically4 ,the child acts    
without external motive1--doing things  
merely because it can4 ,even after a    
child is old enough to think and talk1  

and has done some act for which you see 
no reason or motive1 when you ask him   
why he did it1 he not unfrequently will 
say1 because4 ,i remember when ,i was a 
child of six or seven1 that ,i would    
give this answer with a perfect sense of
 satisfaction that it was an answer2 and
 when it would sometimes be said1       
because is no reason1 or because is an  
old woman's reason1 ,i recollect my     
feeling of surprise4 ,i seemed to myself
 to have given the most substantial     
reason4 ,the word meant to me a great   
deal4 ,and ,i now think ,i was truly    
philosophical in this1 for ,i affirmed  
the primal truth1 that a                
self-determining person in spontaneous  
action1 if only of some instinct1 is a  
first cause#d--;an absolute cause--to   
the extent of consciousness4 ,it was an 
intuition4  ,now to retain the sense of 
this causal personality is at the root  
of all stability of character1 all      
nobleness of manifestation4 ,but        
self-assertion in an ignorant child is  

more apt than otherwise to be           
disorderly1 discordant1 and perhaps     
destructive2 it therefore provokes      
resistance in the unthinking1 but       
challenges the thoughtful to give       
guidance4 ,it is of life-and-death      
importance to the child whether this    
force shall meet mere hard resistance1  
which shall utterly crush it or increase
 it by reaction1 or whether it shall    
meet with a genial sympathetic guidance 
to which it will voluntarily and gladly 
surrender itself4 ,a mother loves this  
little ignorant force of self-will and  
wants it to have free course4 ,she      
cannot help desiring to have her child  
have its own way4 ,she does not want it 
to be opposed by others4 ,she will1 as  
far as possible1 further or humor it1 as
 we say4 ,and when she finds it         
necessary to control it1 she will try to
 do it by awakening the child's         
affectionateness1 and so captivating its
 fancy as to make it feel it is doing as
 it likes1 though it be something       

different from what it was impelled to  
do at first2 in short1 she inspires him 
to will the better thing1 and so        
educates the blind instinct of          
self-assertion into a harmonizing and   
beneficent power1 and preserves the     
child's dignity and nobleness instead of
 crushing its personality4 ,we hear of  
breaking the child's will4 ,a child's   
will should never be broken1 but opened 
up into harmony with ,god's will through
 a lower harmony with the will of its   
loving and loved mother or              
kindergartner4 ,but a mother will be    
more sure than any one else to bring    
about this result1 because she acts from
 an impulse of the heart deeper than all
 thought1 while the kindergartner by    
thought must cultivate in herself the   
impulse4  ,there are those who deprecate
 motherly indulgence as if it were the  
greatest evil4 ,doubtless it will become
 a great evil if it be not properly     
subordinated to the wisdom which        
appreciates the divinity of order1 or if

 it is alternated with capricious       
severities2 in short1 if the indulgence 
proceeds from indolence or self-love    
instead of love of the child4 ,the      
indulgence that really comes from the   
last is a recognition 7unconscious1 it  
may be7 of the divine possibilities of  
the child1--a spark of the divine       
creativeness6 ,of the two evils1 extreme
 indulgence is not so deadly a mistake  
as extreme severity4 ,indulged children 
return from afar4 ,the prodigal of the  
,gospel story may have been             
over-indulged1 perhaps1 in being allowed
 to take his portion of goods1 and go   
off by himself1 out of the reach of his 
father's counsel and authority1 and left
 to his own uneducated self-will4 ,but  
the sinner1 when he came to himself     
7observe that expression71 recognized   
the self-forgetting1 fatherly love in   
that very indulgence2 and it was the    
immeasurableness of that love that      
revived his self-respect and hope1 and  
saved him2 for the hope was not         

disappointed4 ,love giveth1 upbraiding  
not4  ,the one fatal thing is to wound  
the child's heart4 ,it is better to give
 up the point of controlling its will to
 righteousness for the moment1 than to  
do that2 and a parent is the least      
likely of all persons to wound his      
child's heart4  ,when nothing can be    
done without wounding1 the parent who   
trusts his own heart will leave the     
rebel to the consequences which ,god    
holds in his gracious hands for the     
final salvation of every one of his     
children4  ,besides1 to choose to give  
up one's own will is the only complete  
and salutary giving up1 enabling the    
soul to mount up spiritually like the   
eagle and renew its strength4 ,there are
 families in which the act of           
disobedience is absolutely unknown1 in  
earlier or in later life2 where there is
 no necessity for uttered commands1     
because expressed wishes are enough4    
,the most perfect1 if not the only real1
 obedience ,i have ever seen1 has been  

that of strong men to an unexacting1    
tender mother4  ,this is a subject on   
which ,i feel very strongly1 for it     
seems to me that the greatest social    
disorders that exist in the nations     
among which the order that reigns in    
,warsaw#e is foremost1 is the           
consequence of unreasoning obedience to 
wills not infinitely wise and good4 ,the
 worth and duty of obedience is         
precisely in ratio with the validity of 
the command2 and a command is valid only
 so far as it is inspired by a          
disinterested and proper respect for the
 being who is commanded4 ,children      
should only obey their parents1 in the  
,lord2 and parents should never provoke 
their children to wrath4  ,i may be told
 that the important element of          
self-assertion 7which gives strength to 
character7 may be weakened by being     
always disarmed1 and killed by the      
mother's sympathy2 and that to provoke  
it into conscious strength1 direct      
antagonism is necessary4 ,but the best  

antagonism is that quiet1 inevitable    
one1 that comes from the inexorableness 
of material nature which the child must 
needs feel1 the more disorderly he is1  
but which he sees is insensate and      
impersonal2 whose antagonism1 therefore1
 does not grieve his heart1 and         
disappoint his hope as human oppression 
does1 making him sad or bitter1 but     
stimulates his mind to conquer and      
subdue it1 or develops a dignified      
patience4 ,the appointed domain for     
kingly man is not the brotherhood1 but  
material nature2 and gradually he is to 
learn that nature's inexorable laws are 
the expression of a ,supreme            
,personality as benignant as it is      
august1 who takes up ,his human child   
into ,himself1 not without his          
concurring will2 for mankind mounts on  
the nature which he gradually subdues   
into a stepping-stone1 by knowledge1 and
 the use of it4 ,the mother must        
remember that though the first1 she is  
not the only instrumentality by which   

the ,divine ,providence works4 ,the time
 comes when she is compelled to deliver 
her cherished darling up to other       
influences2 when the child bursts out of
 the nursery1 not only self-asserting   
and affectionate1 but putting forth     
energies1 and seeking satisfaction of   
sensibilities that cannot be met within 
that narrow precinct4  ,the kindergarten
 must1 then1 succeed by complementing   
the nursery2 and the child begin to take
 his place in the company of his equals1
 to learn his place in their            
companionship1 and still later to learn 
wider social relations and their        
involved duties4 ,no nursery1 therefore1
 not even a perfect one1 can supersede  
the necessity of a kindergarten1 where  
children shall come into cognizance of  
the moral laws which are to restrain and
 guide their self-assertion1 and quicken
 and enlarge their social affections1   
leading them to self-denials for the    
sake of opportunities for themselves of 
useful and creative art1 beneficence1   

and heroism4  ,the time for transition  
from the nursery to the kindergarten is 
definitely indicated by two facts4      
,firstly1 ,divine ,providence has so    
arranged general family events that     
every mother must give up having the    
child live1 as it were1 entirely within 
her life1 because she has other children
 to nurse1 or other social duties to do4
 ,and1 secondly1 every child's growth in
 bodily strength and conscious          
individuality makes him too strong a    
force of will for so narrow a scope of  
relation as is afforded by one family4  
,while hitherto1 to be outside of the   
single family influence was an evil1 it 
would now be an evil to confine the     
child entirely to it1 narrowing his     
heart and mind1 and deforming his       
character4 ,he needs to be brought into 
relation with equals who have other     
personal characteristics1 other         
relations with nature and the human race
 than his own family4 ,the instinct of  
the growing child1 at this period1 to   

get out of doors to play with other     
children1 is unmistakable4 ,to check it 
vexes or depresses him4 ,in getting     
possession1 first of his body1 and then 
of his personal and social              
consciousness1 he has become an object  
to himself1 and feels himself a power   
among other powers affecting each other4
 ,but he is still more or less          
consciously a prisoner 7if not a slave7 
of nature1 by reason of his ignorance of
 the laws of the universe1--that body   
outside of his own body1--which he is   
destined1 in alliance with others1 to   
take possession of1 by action upon and  
within it1 giving him knowledge of it1  
and enabling him to make it into        
instrumentality for the expression and  
embodiment of great ideas and a noble   
will4  ,all government worthy of the    
name begins in self-government1 a free  
subordination of the individual in order
 to form the social whole4              
,subordination is something higher than 
subjection4 ,we subject mere animals2   

intelligent moral agents must be        
subordinated4 ,it is still the mother's 
part rather to inspire2 the             
kindergartner's part is to subordinate1 
not to check childish1 spontaneous talk1
 though1 of course1 it must be regulated
 so far as not to let the children      
interrupt each other impolitely1 and to 
keep it to some main subject4 ,some     
kindergartners begin the session by     
asking each in turn what is interesting 
to him4 ,mrs4 ,kraus-,boelte generally  
receives each one as he or she comes in4
 ,they go to her for the morning kiss1  
and have something to say1 in which she 
expresses due sympathy1 and later recurs
 to and connects with what others say1  
and thus produces general conversation4 
,mrs4 ,van ,kirk is very happy in her   
introductory conversations4  ,in playing
 with the gifts1 the teacher dictates   
certain movements and arrangements1 for 
the purpose of the children's getting   
into the habit of listening and quickly 
catching the directions given2 and the  

children should be encouraged to follow 
her words in what they do1 rather than  
to imitate each other4 ,in their        
spontaneous work they often make a new  
symmetrical form1 which is really       
beautiful2 and then it is well to call  
on the child to direct his companions   
how to make it2 for children delight in 
the dignity of directing1 and learn to  
be very precise in the use of all the   
words expressing relation of all        
kinds1--prepositions1 adjectives1 and   
adverbs1--precisely as well as nouns and
 verbs4 ,language does not merely       
transfer the outward inward1 but soon   
begins to transfer the inward outward4  
,love1 and other sentiments of the soul1
 good and bad1 are named1 as well as    
sensible objects4 ,even the instinctive 
search after proximate causes leads     
children to infer the substantiality of 
wind and the other invisible forms of   
matter2 and the spiritual senses        
inherent in the ,me1 which is the most  
essential of all substances1 verifies   

the ideal world to children1 as truly as
 the bodily senses verify the material  
world1 and even more so2 for children   
live in ,god before they exist out of   
,god4 ,the ,italian philosopher         
,gioberti says that the soul is a       
spiritual activity2 that is1 it sees    
,god as the first act of its life4 ,god 
says1 ,be thou and the soul--before it  
is put into the sleep of nature 7the    
deep sleep that came upon ,adam7--looks 
back and says1 ,thou art4 ,we have the  
memory of this primeval vision1 and act 
in our sense of holiness 7wholeness871  
right1 justice1 pure love from the      
uncalculating delight of loving1 the    
ideals of beauty1 and the sense of      
accountability to ,god and man1 which   
forever haunt us1 sometimes giving us   
pain1 as remorse1 whose sting is in the 
comparison of our outward manifested    
self with our inward sense of being     
increate 7as ,milton expresses it74 ,it 
is this supernatural pre-intellectual   
soul which distinguishes man from the   

animal creation1 and is symbolized by   
his form1 which looks upward to the     
symbol of infinity made by the sky1 with
 which the human being instinctively    
communes1 and towards which the child   
wants to fly1--and delights in and loves
 the birds1 beyond all other forms of   
animal life1 because they can fly4      
,gioberti goes on1 in his psychology1 to
 say that when the soul1 which has      
recognized its ,divine ,source as the   
first act of its life1 is put to sleep  
in nature1 it is gradually waked up by  
the individual forms of nature1 which   
are so many syllables of the ,divine    
,word that are echoed in human words1   
which describe matter and its           
evolutions2 then the understanding      
begins1 and 7which is the point ,i want 
you to observe especially at this       
moment7 the words of even a very young  
child soon bring to its understanding   
spiritual realities4 ,and it is the     
office of education to see that the     
relations of things1--the laws of order 

among things1--the adjustment of        
external cause and effect1 be accurately
 worded2 and especially that the        
spiritual consciousness gets a happy    
symbolization2 that is1 that the best   
words are used to do justice to the     
,ideas of ,god and the sentiments of the
 heart of man4  ,a materialistic        
educator 7or no less a mere dogmatist in
 religion1 who does not see that the    
logical formulas and abstract terms of  
scientific theology cannot possibly wake
 up the primeval vision7 may do an all  
but infinite mischief to the character  
and heart1 by the words he uses in      
talking to children2 and the theologian 
a greater mischief than the materialist1
 because the forms and evolutions of    
matter are1 as ,i have said1 syllables  
of the ,word that was in the beginning  
with ,god and1 in a certain sense1 ,god1
 while the abstractions of the human    
mind are the refuse of finite spirit1   
infinitely superficial1 mere limitations
 of thought which become                

stumbling-blocks to the mind when not   
used as stepping-stones to new outlooks1
 or rather1 inlooks4 ,never should      
children be talked to in the language of
 theological science1 but wholly in     
imaginative symbolization1 and the      
symbols should be chosen with great     
care1 and we should be on our guard     
against rousing the faculty of          
abstraction which is a sleeping danger  
in the nature1 whose premature          
development is injurious in strict      
proportion to ignorance and             
sensitiveness4 ,the symbols of the      
spiritual should be human because human 
consciousness involves substance outside
 the physical1 and1 therefore1 did the  
,word which had not been comprehended in
 its creation of everything which it had
 made1 though without it nothing was    
made1 take flesh and dwell among us1 in 
order that we might apprehend the glory 
of ,god and perfection of man with our  
whole nature4 ,that it would do so1 was 
the insight of the ,hebrew genius1      

whenever by worthy soul-action the      
law-giver1 king1 and whoever entered    
into the liberty of prophesying was     
raised to the height of his nature4 ,now
 a child is on its being's height1      
mighty prophet1 seer blest1             
,on whom those truths do rest           
,that we are toiling all our lives to   
find1  and therefore a child can supply 
a substantial meaning to any name for   
,god adequate to awaken the living echo 
of the soul that            ,cometh from
 afar            ,trailing clouds of    
glory from ,god1  whose voice sent it   
forth1 as ,gioberti says1 to suffer and 
to be for a season on earth4  ,i hope   
you follow me in my thought1 for ,i     
think ,i am looking into the child1     
which is the thing that ought to be done
 if one undertakes to teach it4 ,that   
the child really knows ,god before ,god 
is even named to him is not a           
speculative theory with me but a fact of
 my experience4 ,it is one of my        
earliest remembrances1 that ,i was      

sitting in the lap of a young lady1     
whose name and countenance ,i have      
forgotten1 who was caressing me1 and    
calling me sweet1 beautiful1 darling1   
etc41 when all at once she seized me    
into a closer embrace and exclaimed1    
rather than asked1 ,who made you8  ,i   
remember my pleased surprise at the     
question1 that ,i feel very sure had    
never been addressed to my consciousness
 before4 ,at once a ,face arose to my   
imagination1--only a ,face and          
head1--close to me1 and looking upon me 
with the most benignant smile1 in which 
the kindness rather predominated over   
the intelligence2 but it looked at me as
 if meaning1 ,yes1 ,i made you1 as you  
know very well4 ,i was so thoroughly    
satisfied1 that ,i replied to the       
question decisively1 ,a man4  ,the lady 
said to another who sat near us1 ,only  
think6 this great girl does not know who
 made her6  ,i remember ,i was no less  
sure of my knowledge1 notwithstanding   
she said this4 ,though it was the first 

time ,i had thought ,god and given the  
name man to the thought1 it seemed not  
new to me4 ,i had felt ,god before4  ,i 
was a rather large girl1 more than four 
years old1 as ,i know from the fact that
 we were living in a certain house1 to  
which we went on my fourth birthday4 ,my
 next recollection is of going into a   
room of this house1 where my mother was 
sitting1 working at an embroidery frame 
that hung against the wall4 ,i went up  
to her and said1 ,mamma1 ,eliza asked me
 who made me1 and ,i told her a man1 and
 she said he didn't6 ,i stated this     
reply as a grievance and outrage4       
,since ,i came to the age of reflection1
 ,i have always regretted the           
conversation that followed4 ,it was not 
judicious1 and seems to me a little out 
of character for my mother1 who was of  
strong religious sentiment and quick    
imagination1 and all other conversation 
on religious subjects that ,i remember  
of hers was very good4 ,she was rather  
thrown off her guard by my unexpected   

theology and lost her presence of mind4 
,i was her oldest child1 and she had    
waited to see some enquiry raised before
 speaking on the subject4 ,i had seemed 
more stupid than ,i was1 for ,i belong  
by nature rather to the reflective than 
perceptive class1 and so had very little
 language4 ,at this distance of time ,i 
cannot1 of course1 remember the details 
of the conversation1 but ,i came out of 
it with another image of ,god in my     
mind1 conveying not half so much of the 
truth as did that kind ,face1 close up  
to mine1 and seeming to be so wholly    
occupied with ,his creature4 ,the new   
image was of an old man1 sitting away up
 on the clouds1 dressed in a black silk 
gown and cocked hat1 the costume of our 
old ,puritan minister4 ,he was looking  
down upon the earth1 and spying round   
among the children to see who was doing 
wrong1 in order to punish offenders by  
touching them with a long rod he held in
 his hand1 thus exposing them to        
everybody's censure4 ,of course my      

mother said no such thing to me1 but    
what she did say1 by subtle associations
 with the words she used1 gave me this  
image1 which ,i need not say rather     
checked than promoted my spiritual      
advancement4  ,this experience has been 
of value to me as a teacher since1 for  
it has effectually saved me from being  
didactic and dogmatic in my religious   
teaching of children4 ,the ,socratic    
method is the true way of bringing into 
the definite conscious thought ,god's   
revelation of ,himself to the soul4     
,that image of authority and power to   
punish did not1 ,i think1 help1 but     
rather puzzled my moral sense of which  
,i was already conscious4 ,for ,i       
remember that ,i used to muse very much 
in my childhood upon the mental         
phenomenon of feeling myself to be two  
persons4 ,i was clearly conscious of an 
inward conversation on all occasions of 
a question of right and wrong1 when a   
higher and lower law distinctly uttered 
themselves4 ,the lower self often       

prevailed by the argument that the thing
 to be done was transient1 ,i would do  
it only this once1 and never again2 and 
often ,i thus sinned against the very   
present ,god1 which ,i think ,i might   
not have done so presumptuously1 had ,i 
associated the thought of this strange  
other me with that kind face of ,love   
,divine4 ,when later in life ,i did     
learn that the remonstrating voice was  
unquestionably ,god1 because ,he is the 
,love that ,i saw in my childish vision1
 the war between self-love and          
conscience ceased4 ,but this was not    
till a great body of death had been     
accumulated1 which ,i have never        
shuffled off except in moments of hope4 
,but to take up the thread of my        
discourse again4 ,i would very earnestly
 say that the ,socratic or              
conversational method is the only way of
 bringing into a child's definite       
consciousness ,god's revelation of      
,himself to souls4 ,but this requires a 
mutual understanding of words1 and if we

 are careful1 we may produce this in the
 kindergarten4  ,froebel intimates that 
a general impression of there being an  
invisible ,friend and ,protector may be 
given by the baby's seeing the mother in
 the attitude of devotion1 and he would 
have recognition of ,god called forth by
 her naming the unseen ,father at       
moments when the child's heart is       
overflowing with joy and love1 or       
seeking to know where some beautiful    
thing comes from4 ,the child feels      
already at such times the presence of   
the ,infinite ,cause1 the ,infinite     
,source of joy and goodness1 and the    
name of ,heavenly ,father given to this 
presence will not be an empty vocable4  
,using with the name of ,father the word
 our1 with which the ,lord's ,prayer    
begins1 suggests that ,he is the ,father
 of all alike1 and all human beings will
 thus be united together with ,him in   
the child's imagination4#f  ,this idea  
of one personal but comprehensive       
,being1 the centre of the social        

organization1 is a quickening of the    
immortal personality1 which has a date  
in time no less certainly than the      
quickening of the body1 and is our sense
 of identity4#g  ,,footnotes3  #d ,see  
,hazard's ,man a ,creative ,first       
,cause4 ,a book published since this    
lecture was first given4  #e ,order     
reigns in ,warsaw was the form of words 
in which the subjugation of the ,poles  
to ,russians in #ahdi was announced in  
,france4  #f ,see ,frederic ,denison    
,maurice's book on the ,lord's ,prayer1 
published by ,hurd  ,houghton4  #g ,see 
,appendix1 note ,a4     ,,lecture ,,iv4 
,,the ,,kindergarten4   ,,in my last    
lecture ,i spoke of the ideal nursery2  
for only there1 hitherto1 has the divine
 method of education ever been          
completely carried out1 the             
unquestionable teacher there being the  
child1 trailing clouds of glory from    
,god who is our home2 its sweet content 
and inspiring smile indicating when its 
nurse is treating it aright2 while all  

that is wrong1 whether proceeding from  
mere ignorance or selfish wilfulness on 
the part of the adult1 is indicated by  
its cries of fright and anger1 which it 
behooves her to heed4  ,how is it that1 
with the spectacle forever before our   
eyes of the mother and infant1 mutually 
emparadised in child's play 7that       
mutually educating communion of trust   
and love1 by which the child is put into
 gradual possession of his body1 and    
joyous consciousness of his             
individuality71--how is it1 ,i say1 that
 we find education has lost its ideal1  
and as soon as the child leaves the     
nursery for the schoolroom1 an          
antagonism has begun1 with its          
blessedness at strife1 and which leaves 
us all such scarred and bewildered      
creatures as we find ourselves to be1 as
 soon as we come to reflect8  ,but ,i   
must remember that what we have to speak
 of especially is the kindergarten1     
which follows hard upon the nursery4    
,when the child's growing activities    

begin to require a larger social sphere 
than the nursery1--i4e41 at about three 
years old1--it was ,froebel's plan to   
gather the children of several families 
into what he called a ,child ,garden1   
and to extend the nursery law of        
cherishing 7which is the dealing with   
living organisms that children are71 by 
exercising them for several hours of    
every day in rehearsing in plays1 in the
 first place1 all the sweet charities of
 life4 ,this employs their physical     
forces1 and makes them experimentally   
know that human happiness and goodness  
are social and generous4  ,for the      
so-called movement plays are social     
exercises1 gently calling out moral     
sentiments1 as well as intellectual     
powers4 ,they can only be beautiful and 
enjoyable when they give mutual         
pleasure2 and this involves that mutual 
reference and kind consideration of each
 other which leave no room for selfish  
feeling or action4 ,moral education is  
the alpha and omega of a kindergarten1  

but it cannot be given by precept4 ,to  
do the will of ,god1--i4e41 to obey the 
moral law1--doing to others as we would 
have others do to us1 even in play1 is  
the only way for children to know       
vitally the doctrine of moral life4     
,froebel has suggested a variety of     
these movement plays1 all of them       
conceived with the greatest care as to  
their intellectual as well as moral     
effect4 ,they always have a fanciful    
aim1 within the scope of the child's    
knowledge and affection1 and to play    
them begins to develop the understanding
 also4  ,a gentle intellectual exercise1
 involved in learning by rote1 reciting1
 and singing the songs that direct the  
plays1 takes the rudeness out and puts  
intelligence into that exhilaration of  
the animal spirits which healthy        
children crave1 and prevents it from    
exhausting the body or disordering the  
mind2 the joyous association of the     
children with each other aiding this    
effect4 ,in the sedentary plays1 which  

are called occupations1 and in which the
 child is genially drawn into producing 
symmetrical effects to the eye1 by      
making things 7albeit only little toys7 
which begin their artistic life1        
,froebel has had equal regard to the    
moral as to the intellectual influences4
 ,when the child has gone beyond the age
 in which he is satisfied with making   
transient forms and gathering the       
materials back into boxes1 and desires  
to make something that will last1 a     
legitimate sense of property arises4 ,he
 feels that what he has made is his own1
 for the thought and work which he knows
 that he has put into it are his own4   
,froebel1 therefore1 would have him1    
before he begins to make anything1 pause
 and appropriate it intentionally to    
some object of his love1 reverence1 or  
pity4 ,this will check the otherwise    
rampant propensity to hoard1 and prevent
 the passions of avarice1 vanity1 and   
jealousy from making their appearance4  
,in our common school life1 the pride of

 showing off their powers1 and excelling
 others1 is regularly cultivated in     
children by competition1 as a stimulus  
to industry4 ,but this is as unnecessary
 as it is deleterious4 ,for             
disinterested desire to confer pleasure1
 and express gratitude and love of      
others1 is found by experience to be a  
surer stimulus to industry than the     
baser passions1 and has the additional  
value of cultivating positive sweetness 
and active benevolence4 ,it is          
desirable1 and really produces the      
greatest practical humility1 for        
children to regard themselves as embryo 
powers of beneficence1 learning to do   
the ,heavenly ,father's business from   
the beginning1 like the child ,jesus4   
,then may they grow in favor with ,god  
and men1 as they grow in stature1 and   
all their knowledge will prove a divine 
wisdom unto the salvation of others and 
themselves4 ,to go into a truly ordered 
and well governed child-garden1 and see 
all the little children busy making     

things for the ,christmas tree1 or for  
birthday and new year's gifts1 for all  
the friends they know or fancy1 we shall
 see sufficient proofs that love is the 
truest quickener of industry1 and       
love-inspired industry the true         
sweetener of the disposition and temper4
  ,moreover1 such industry is the       
special desideratum to temper the spirit
 of the present age1 which is so keen   
and energetic that it hurries our young 
men into pursuits in their amusements   
which take on the character of gambling2
 and hence gambling in business1        
gambling in politics1 where even human  
beings1 instead of being regarded as    
brothers to be kept1 are used as dice1  
to be recklessly thrown in our game4    
,the only preventive or cure for this   
passion for gambling is industry1 and   
the only industry that is attractive is 
artistic2 and why should not all        
industry become artistic1 now that the  
great cosmic forces are suborned1 by our
 advancing civilization1 as the         

legitimate slaves of men1 to do all the 
hard work for men8 ,i have already set  
forth this view of the subject in the   
,plea for ,froebel's ,kindergarten as   
the ,primary ,art-,school1 which ,i     
appended to ,cardinal ,wiseman's lecture
 on the relation of the arts of design  
with the arts of production 7which ,i   
published in #ahfi1 under the title of  
,the ,artist and the ,artisan           
,identified1--the ,proper ,object of    
,american ,education74  ,before ,i leave
 these general remarks for more specific
 explanation of ,froebel's method of    
intellectual development1 ,i would make 
one more observation4 ,it is in the     
social and moral character of the       
kindergarten that ,froebel has shown    
himself so much superior to ,rousseau1  
whose method was to cultivate           
individualities exclusively1 the teacher
 pretending to know no more than the    
child1 but taking his idiosyncrasy for  
his only guide in discovery and         
invention4 ,in the first place1         

,rousseau's method has been found an    
impracticable one1 for it requires a    
separate teacher for every child2 and in
 the only instance1 perhaps1 in which it
 was ever carried out with perfect      
fidelity1 that of ,maria ,edgeworth's   
eldest brother 7we have in her memoirs  
of her father all the facts71 the       
ultimate effect was to make a           
monstrosity4 ,he was utterly strange1 so
 odd and unsocial1 nobody but his       
father1 who educated him1 could have any
 practicable relation with him4 ,he     
might be said to be conscientiously     
unsocial1 and therefore immoral2 and1   
though not ungifted1 he was an utter    
failure in human life4 ,we see similar  
effects produced measurably1 in all     
cases where the main object is to       
cultivate the individual rather than the
 universal characteristics of humanity4 
,froebel was tender1 and gave freedom to
 individualities1 but he took great care
 not to pamper them4 ,they are the      
results of the free-will1 irrefragable1 

and will take care of themselves        
sufficiently1 if not cruelly snubbed1   
but tenderly respected4  ,what is to be 
intentionally cultivated in earliest    
infancy1 are the general affections and 
faculties1 which relate us to our kind1 
insuring common sense and common        
conscience with a reasonable            
self-respect4 ,therefore1 what is done  
in the kindergarten is necessary for all
 children1 their idiosyncrasies being   
left free to play on the surface and    
give variety and piquancy to life1      
freedom and dignity to the individual4  
,all minds seem to be divided into two  
classes4 ,in one class1 the primal      
tendency is to observe single objects2  
and these are the so-called smart       
children1 interesting the spectator by  
their vivacity and precocity4 ,in the   
other class1 children seem to be dull in
 sense1 unobserving1 but dreamy1 as if  
they had an over-mastering presentiment 
of that connection of things which binds
 them into wholes4 ,it has been remarked

 that this latter class turns out the   
great men1--the poets1 the philosophers1
 the inventors1 high artists1 great     
statesmen1 and law-givers1--while the   
precocious children disappoint          
expectation2 probably because they have 
accumulated such a chaos of single      
impressions of disconnected things1 that
 it quite overwhelms the classifying and
 generalizing powers of the intellect4  
,froebel's method equally meets the     
respective wants of both these classes  
of minds1 supplying by specific culture 
the other side of their practical       
endowment4 ,by its discipline of        
production1 it gives the lively and     
restless ones the wand of the           
,fairy-,order1 in discovering to them   
the connections of things1 and the      
conditions as well as laws of           
organization2 while for those of the    
dreamy1 poetic1 philosophic temperament1
 it sharpens the senses to individual   
things1 supplying the definite and      
sensuous impressions1 and suggesting the

 corresponding words that enable them to
 give an account of their own thinking1 
and illustrate to others the struggling 
ideal2 which1 like conscience and the   
love of order and rhythm1 is perhaps the
 yet persistent vision of that ,heavenly
 ,father's face1 which ,jesus ,christ   
has told us we are created beholding4   
,jesus evidently is quoting a familiar  
proverb1 when he says for their angels  
behold the face of my ,father who is in 
heaven4 ,does it not refer to the       
,persian mythology current in ,judea    
after the captivity8 ,however neglected 
and eclipsed1 that primeval vision can  
never be quite lost4 ,it persists in the
 love of order and beauty2 in the desire
 to be loved infinitely2 in hope that   
springs eternal in the human breast2 in 
the ideals of imagination1 that haunt   
both the savage and the sage1 and1 at   
worst1 in remorse1 in which1 as ,emerson
 says1 there is a certain sweetness1    
whether it be gentle as in what the     
,quakers call the reproof of truth1 or  

felt as the reproachful strivings within
 us of our neglected infinite nature4   
,this brings me to speak of ,froebel's  
superiority to ,pestalozzi4 ,the        
kindergarten is not mainly              
object-teaching1 though of course a     
constant object-teaching is involved2   
all the materials of their work and all 
the surroundings of the children become 
objects of examination in their         
individualities of form1 size1 number1  
etc41 and in their possible connections 
with each other and with the child4 ,if 
,froebel proposes to give the fruits of 
the tree of life1 before he gives those 
of the tree of knowledge1 it is only    
that the latter may prove1 not a curse1 
but a blessing4 ,the world's history and
 the present state of civilization in   
the foremost nations of the world shows 
us that knowledge may be a power without
 being a good 7a snakish subtlety not   
,divine ,wisdom74 ,it begins to be      
realized in ,europe as well as in       
,america1 that ,froebel's idea of       

education1 in making character the first
 thing1 and knowledge the hand-maiden of
 goodness1 is the desideratum of the    
age1 and promise of the millennium4  ,i 
should like to read you some letters of 
eminent men in ,france1 addressed to    
,froebel's most earnest disciple and    
apostle1 the ,baroness                  
,marenholtz-,blow1 which ,i have        
translated from the appendix of her     
,work in ,relation to ,education 7see   
,appendix1 ,note ,b74  ,in an address to
 the school committee of ,boston in     
#ahfh ,i gave the call addressed in     
#ahfg by the ,philosophers' ,congress in
 ,prague to the convention of teachers  
in ,berlin1 and the call of the latter  
to the second convention of this        
congress at ,frankfort-on-the-,main in  
#ahfi4 ,the burden of all these papers  
is the paramount necessity of religious 
and moral education1 begun in earliest  
infancy1 in order that the modern       
intellectual activity may not land us in
 licentious vices and heartless atheism1

 our nearest dangers4 ,they all accept  
,froebel's method of education by work  
and experience 7beginning with the work 
and experience of the child of three    
years old7 as the first condition of the
 regeneration of the human race4  ,it is
 the office of the kindergartner to     
awaken the intellect1 which the child   
does not bring into the world1 like its 
heart and will1 full-grown4 ,the infant 
suffers and enjoys as keenly1 and wills 
as energetically1 at first as ever in   
its life1 but apparently begins and     
lives for some time1 unconscious of a   
world without as a not me4 ,it is purely
 subjective1 i4e41 feeling its material 
environment to be a part of itself4 ,as 
,emerson says3--            ,the babe1  
by its mother1              ,lies bathed
 in joy2            ,glide its hours    
uncounted2              ,the sun is its 
toy6            ,shines the peace of all
 being1              ,without cloud1 in 
its eyes2            ,and the sum of the
 world              ,in soft miniature  

lies6  ,only by intentional help of     
those around the child can it grow into 
individual consciousness of its         
relations with nature in that order     
which produces the sound intellect4 ,for
 the intellect is a growth in time1 that
 carries on the nursery exercises of the
 limbs and affections by the movement   
plays1 and adds those sedentary plays   
with the series of gifts1 which are     
symbols of all nature in miniature1 that
 objective revelation of ,god to which  
the receptive mind answers by thoughts4 
,thinking is that reaction of the       
individual mind upon nature which1 when 
it is put into words1 produces          
progressively an image of ,god1 which is
 the human mind4  ,the kindergartner's  
conversation with the children upon     
their playthings is therefore her most  
important and delicate work1 and one    
which she cannot do instinctively1 but  
only if she scientifically understands  
the child on the one hand1 and nature in
 some department on the other4 ,it is   

impossible in this lecture1 perhaps1 to 
demonstrate my meaning4 ,by following   
out ,froebel's own method of playing    
with the gifts1 as suggested in ,mrs4   
,kraus-,boelte's guide or in ,the       
,florence ,handbook1 the whole process  
of the formation of the human           
understanding by the order of objective 
nature will become patent1 and enable   
the kindergartner to avoid any great    
mistakes in her guidance of the         
children's minds1 which guidance should 
always be tentative1 and respectful1 to 
say the least1 of their freedom to will4
 ,then we shall have not mechanical     
work1 but orderly1 creative work from   
the children1 whose spontaneity is not  
to be choked2 but when it seems to be   
going in a wrong direction1             
interrogatively guided4 ,like ,ariel1   
she must do her spiriting gently1 lest  
she violate the legitimate              
individuality1 and we have ,caliban     
instead of the germ of ,prospero4  ,i   
here pause to display two kinds of work 

actually done by children under seven   
years of age at ,frau ,marquadt's       
kindergarten in ,dresden4 ,they enable  
me to show that those sedentary plays1  
with which ,froebel would have children 
amused1 must needs develop and educate  
the perceptive faculty and understanding
 in a substantial manner2 for these     
things were done without patterns1 and  
therefore from thought1--the thought    
being sometimes suggested by the        
dictation of the child-gardener1        
requiring of the child only one single  
act of reflection4 ,but much of this    
work was invented by the children       
themselves1 their wildest fancies being 
controlled to produce symmetry1 by      
following the one rhythmical law of     
always making an opposite to everything 
they do4 ,after showing and explaining  
the modus operandi of the work          
exhibited1 ,i went on to say3--  ,i     
believe nobody disputes1 after they see 
what kindergarten is1 that it is the    
gospel of salvation for children4 ,the  

exercises put them into complete        
possession1 not only of their limbs1    
especially the characteristic limb of   
man1 the hand1 just when they are the   
most flexible1 and therefore most easily
 trained2 and of their organs of sense  
7by which they gradually make the       
universe their instrumentality71 but    
also of accurate speech1 enabling them  
to express their impressions of         
individual things1 as well as of what   
they do with things and in the order of 
its doing4 ,thus they are prepared for  
entering upon more abstract subjects1 by
 means of books and schools of          
instruction4 ,a child well gardened and 
exercised in the intelligent use of his 
mother tongue enters upon the process of
 learning to read1 for instance1 with   
all the more advantage from being       
accustomed to hear and use language with
 precision and fluency2 and is ready to 
learn to cipher all the more quickly1   
because of the concrete arithmetic and  
geometry he has mastered experimentally 

with the playthings and in the          
occupations1 all his habits of delicate 
observation and nice calculation formed 
by the embroidery and other fanciful    
work giving the basis for intelligent   
classifications4 ,even the few years of 
experience of some genuine kindergartens
 in this country has already proved     
this4 ,i can give an instance in detail 
of the almost miraculous rapidity with  
which a class of seven-year-old children
 learned to read in the primer called   
,after ,kindergarten--,what8 7,note ,c1 
in ,appendix47 ,all the time given to   
child-gardening is therefore more than  
saved at the next stage1 when           
instruction begins4 ,other advantages   
accruing are incalculable1 for the      
children themselves have become         
intelligent and conscientious           
co-operators with their elders1 instead 
of passive receivers or antagonists4    
,when ,miss ,youmans' ,first ,lessons in
 ,botany 7a book made to teach botany in
 nature on ,prof4 ,henslow's method7 was

 introduced into the ,new ,york primary 
schools1 with great expectations of a   
brilliant success1 it was found that the
 children did not take hold as expected 
of this science of observation4 ,i see  
now1 said ,miss ,youmans to me1 the     
indispensableness of kindergartens to   
develop the faculties2 more than half   
the children are intellectually         
demoralized by neglect or injudicious   
teaching before they are seven years    
old4 ,everything1 however1 depends upon 
the single-minded self-devotion and     
affectionate character of the           
kindergartner1 and it is obvious that   
her education must be as special as that
 of a teacher of instrumental and vocal 
music2 for as little as music can be    
taught by the ear1 or drawing by the    
eye1 without studying the underlying    
principles of harmony and symmetry1 can 
kindergartning be taught empirically4   
,its foundation is in both a scientific 
and sympathetic study and understanding 
of the child's perceptive powers and the

 material world4 ,not merely what is to 
be taught1 as is the case with a        
university professor1 but the           
free-willing and deep-feeling beings    
that are to be taught must be studied   
generally and individually above all    
things else4 ,hence1 there must be      
special schools for teaching            
child-gardening1 or a special department
 made in the already existing normal    
schools4  ,the burden of thinking out   
the steps of procedure in the schoolroom
 is too great a one to be laid on the   
teacher who has to exercise the general 
care4 ,it must all be at the tongue's   
tip and fingers' ends beforehand4 ,it   
took ,froebel a lifetime1 with all his  
genius and wisdom1 to discover all the  
steps of this order of exercises1 in    
correspondence with the true evolution  
of the faculties2 but one man dies1 and 
other men enter into the fruits of his  
labors4 ,besides1 it is as cruel to     
study the philosophy of education at the
 expense of the living children's minds1

 as it would be to study anatomy and    
medicine at the expense of their living 
bodies4 ,all kindergartners should      
observe and practise for awhile under   
the direction and criticism of those who
 are already experts and adepts2 and the
 latter should be careful that their    
assistants try no rash experiments1 but 
at first reverently observe successful  
work4 ,it is the highest interest of all
 teachers to learn this method1 because 
it develops themselves4 ,it not only    
makes the best mothers1 but the most    
perfectly accomplished women4 ,it is    
entering into the secret of creation and
 redemption1 which is the flower and    
fruit of human culture4#h  ,when people 
ask me if kindergartning is not a method
 especially adapted to ,german children1
 ,i reply that it seems to me to        
encounter as great obstacles in that    
nationality as in any other4 ,it is not 
a national method1 but the human method2
 and ,i would remark in this place that 
it strikes me as especially desirable   

for ,irish children4 ,the natural       
predominance in them of fancy needs the 
check of accurate perception1 associated
 with accurate expression2 accurate     
perception1 first1 of the individuality 
of objects1 their form1 size1 color1    
direction1 their mutual resemblances and
 contrasts1 and the no less accurate    
perception of their relations to each   
other and to the child4 ,these things   
can only be made objects of perception  
by children's being accustomed to make  
things1 which employ the activities that
 otherwise will play at random and      
divert their attention from the matter  
in hand4 ,in my observations of ,irish  
servants1 ,i am struck with their never 
seeming to see what is before their     
eyes1 or to hear what is said to them1  
on account of the predominance of their 
creative faculties4 ,accurate perception
 of the things children play with1 and  
successful manipulation of them to      
produce effects1 would also help them to
 moral integrity2 for order moralizes   

just in proportion as disorder          
demoralizes4 ,successful action cures   
idle dissipation1 while unsuccessful    
efforts discourage and paralyze         
industry4 ,froebel wishes the child to  
be started at something he can certainly
 accomplish1 though perhaps not without 
direction in words4 ,when the child sees
 an effect produced by himself1 he will 
repeat it until he can produce the      
effect without direction1 and1 if asked1
 will be delighted to show another child
 how he has done it4 ,it is a necessary 
step to put his action into words1 and  
raises it from mere mechanical into     
intellectual work2 from ,chinese        
imitation into ,european and ,american  
invention4 ,by and by1 when he has      
learned a little steadiness of attention
 by doing successfully what pleases his 
fancy1 he will make some motion of his  
own1 and proceed according to the law of
 symmetry 7whose virtue he has learned7 
to discover and make new forms of beauty
 and use2 but he should still be        

carefully overlooked1 and saved1 by     
timely suggestions1 from making         
mistakes4 ,these suggestions he will    
crave and not resist1 if they are not   
peremptory1 but are put in the form of a
 question1 which seems to respect his   
power to choose1 which is his           
personality1 the image of ,god within   
him4 ,in proceeding in this way1 both   
teacher and child are led more and more 
to realize that there is a mysterious   
third ,being present1 who is neither the
 teacher nor the child1 but in whom they
 meet1 through whom they communicate1   
and who gives the law they both must    
respect2 that there is1 in short1 ,one  
in whom they live and move and have     
their being2 that is the ,god who       
worketh in them to will and to do2 that 
,he enables them to create beauty1 not  
at random1 but with a certain freedom   
which is not lawlessness4 ,he is the    
,creator of the ,beauty they do not     
make1 and of the ,good they love1 and   
gives the ,laws which they obey1 and in 

obeying become powers of good and       
inventors of beauty2 for the laws of    
order are truly ,god's thought revealed 
to their thought4 ,to be active powers  
of good and beauty is to be religious1  
and also to be free from superstition2  
to love ,god instead of being afraid of 
,him2 to make their lives a reasonable  
service1 and thus become free from      
priestcraft and spiritual tyranny4      
,inefficiency1 still more than          
ignorance1 is the mother of fetich      
worship1 and reduces man to slavery2 and
 to be surrounded by natural and        
artistic beauty does not cultivate the  
mind1 unless it is already an active    
power4 ,reverie is not thinking4 ,but   
the mind can only become active by the  
electric touch of a sympathetic mind    
which is already in motion4 ,it is the  
destiny of men to become one in that    
same sense that the ,divine ,father and 
,son are one4 ,god has made human       
communion a moral necessity1 and does   
nothing for man1 except by the          

instrumentality of man4 ,by man came    
death1 by man also cometh the           
resurrection from the dead4 ,in short1  
education1 that mysterious communion of 
wisdom and innocence1 is presupposed in 
reasonable religion4 ,i once heard an   
eloquent man1 who was speaking of       
education1 say1 ,the ,archangel is born 
upon earth2 we may know him by the many 
difficulties that he has found and      
surmounted1 and his consequent power to 
educate2 for education is the highest   
function of humanity in earth and       
heaven1 cementing the links of the chain
 of love which binds us all to one      
another and to ,god4 ,we are always     
either educating or hindering the       
development of our fellow-creatures2 we 
are always being uplifted or being      
dragged down by our fellow-creatures4   
,education is always mutual4 ,the child 
teaches his parents 7as ,goethe has     
said7 what his parents omitted to teach 
him4 ,every child is a new thought of   
,god1 whose individuality is significant

 and interesting to others1 though it is
 his own limitation2 and to appreciate a
 child's individuality is the advantage 
the teacher gets in exchange for the    
general laws which he leads the child to
 appreciate4 ,it is this variety of     
individuals that makes the work of      
education fascinating1 and takes from it
 all wearisome monotony4 ,those persons 
who feel that education is wearisome    
work have not learned the secret of it4 
,i have never seen a good kindergartner 
who was not as fond of the work as a    
painter of his painting1 a sculptor of  
his modelling4 ,teachers who are not    
conscious of learning from their pupils1
 may be pretty sure they teach them very
 little4  ,it is because kindergartning 
is this true education1 which is mutual 
delight to the adult and the child1 that
 ,i have faith it will prevail1 and its 
prevalence is my hope for humanity4 ,by 
the infinite mercy of ,god1 no human    
being is hopeless of redemption into    
,god's perfect image at last2 but       

humanity will not be redeemed as a      
whole1--will not become the image of    
,god1 or live the life of ,god1--until  
little children are suffered to go unto 
,christ while they are yet of the       
kingdom of heaven1 and are blessed from 
the first and continually1 by those who 
shall take them in their arms to bless  
them4 ,those are only perfect           
kindergartners who are hidden in        
,christ1 receiving every child in his   
name1 and humbly learning of them the   
secrets of greatness in the kingdom of  
heaven1 which is to be established on   
earth4 ,kindergartning is not a craft1  
it is a religion2 not an avocation1 but 
a vocation from on ,high4  ,,footnotes3 
#h ,for details of manipulating the     
gifts and occupations1 see ,the         
,florence ,handbook1 published by       
,milton ,bradley2 or ,mrs4              
,kraus-,boelte's ,manual in ,eight      
,parts1 which is being published by     
,steiger4     ,,lecture ,v4  ,,language4
   ,,teaching1 which in the common sense

 of the word is the suggestion of       
thoughts by words1 is not the           
kindergartner's special work1 but the a 
priori process of drawing out into the  
individual consciousness of a child     
those latent powers whose free activity 
gives him conscious relations1 first1   
with his kind2 secondly1 with material  
nature1 including his own body2 and1    
thirdly1 with ,god4 ,he is unconsciously
 in this threefold relation already1 but
 to become conscious of these relations 
severally1 in his own growth builds up  
the human understanding1 which is not   
born with him like his sensibility and  
force of will4 ,the human understanding1
 a creation in time of the free will1   
creates language as the element of a    
life not shared with animals2 an        
intellectual life using the symbolism of
 nature as a means of                   
intercommunication1 and which is        
correspondent and bearing a relation to 
its creator1 man1 similar to the        
relation of the material universe to    

,god1 being in both instances an image1 
as in a mirror1 of what is necessary and
 immutable in the self-consciousness1   
though without entity itself4 ,hence1 as
 the material universe expresses the    
wisdom of ,god1 human languages express 
the imperfect wisdom of man4 ,language  
is the element in which the intellectual
 nature makes a sphere wherein to live  
and move and have its being4 ,what      
breath is to the material body1 making  
man alive in nature1 language is to the 
social body1 making it alive in history4
  ,a word is both spiritual and         
material1 being an articulate form of   
the voice which1 as ,goethe has happily 
said1 is the nearest spiritual of our   
bodily powers1 taking significance from 
the articulating organs1 which are      
symbolical1 like everything else in     
material nature1 which1 as ,i said      
before1 is but an image1 as reflected in
 a mirror1 without absolute entity1 but 
bearing witness of an entity            
progressively apprehended by the finite 

spirits of men1 who are the children of 
the ,infinite ,spirit inheriting        
creative power forevermore4  ,the       
inarticulate sound of the voice is the  
scream of pain or the shout of joy1     
mutually intelligible to all human      
hearts2 and this aerial basis of        
language continues to be more or less   
intelligible to all souls1 when         
modulated as in poetry into melody and  
rhythm by emotion and character4 ,the   
first human language was1 perhaps1 music
 of the deepest character1 of which     
phase there is historic trace in the    
spoken ,chinese1 which has been         
perishing for ages on the lips of a     
nation whose origin is lost in the      
depths of antiquity4 ,this spoken       
language is monosyllabic1 and even the  
initial consonant often only a          
semivowel1 while the whole word takes   
its significance from the tone of the   
vowel2 thus lu in a low tone would have 
one meaning1 ,,lu in the tone of a      
musical third another meaning1 and so on

 as the tone ascends through the octave4
 ,the inception of such a language      
implies an original equipoise of a brain
 not yet despoiled of its first vigor   
through moral delinquency which is      
incident to the freedom to will of a    
finite spirit1 and consequently the     
,chinese language was inevitably lost4  
,it would be interesting to enquire if  
those rare individuals among the        
,chinese who are expert in the spoken   
,chinese1 are not of finest musical     
temperament4  ,not till after thinking  
had begun could articulation by the     
organs of speech begin4 ,thinking is the
 free individual act which associates   
the mind's activity and the sensibility 
of the heart with material things1 and  
must precede the use of words4  ,a time 
comes to every intelligent child when it
 wonders how words should express       
thoughts4 ,victorious analysis has never
 yet penetrated the whole mystery of    
language to the complete satisfaction of
 men1 though ,i think philologists and  

metaphysicians are on the way to it1 and
 have reached some fundamental facts4   
,for instance1 that insignificant sounds
 and articulations could not make       
significant words1 and that vocal sounds
 7vowels7 get their meaning from        
feeling1 while articulations get theirs 
from the symbolism of the organs of     
speech4  ,the organs of speech are1     
first1 the throat1--as the guttural     
organ is called in ,english because     
through it we take our food and send    
forth our voice1--is out of sight1      
covered up1 hidden1 the central point   
where the voice starts2 secondly1 the   
lips1 which are obvious1 movable1       
parallel2 thirdly1 our teeth1 against   
which the voice strikes1 are hard1      
stiff1 and dead in comparison with the  
flexible lips1 and the tongue which     
connects all together1 the voice rolling
 over it and hardly articulated4 ,hence 
the hard c and g1 and the rough aspirate
 h are factors in all words signifying  
the beginning of self-originating motion

 7observe go and kick1 or cause to go71 
the causal1 the central1 covered1       
hidden2 while the labials1 p1 b1 f1 v1  
are factors in all words expressing     
obviously moving phenomena2 and the     
dentals1 d1 t1 s1 z1 found in words     
expressive of stiff1 hard1 dead         
phenomena 7the word death is all but    
identical with the word teeth72         
separation and number being expressed by
 s and z1 which are made by throwing the
 vocal breath out between the separated 
teeth4 ,the liquids r and l1 r being    
also a factor of words expressing       
indefinite beginning1 7as original1     
auroral1 arise1 etc47 are made by the   
voice moving over the tongue more or    
less energetically1 to express movements
 whose difference of energy is          
exemplified in the words fry and fly1   
grow and glow1 ,m closes the lips       
without preventing the continuous sound 
of the voice from being heard2 and n1   
negating limitation by throwing the     
breath 7or voice7 out at the nose1      

symbolize respectively the positive and 
negative aspects of ,infinity4  ,of     
course ,i am giving only a hint in order
 to define what ,i mean when ,i say     
significant words are not made out of   
insignificant sounds1 and that          
articulated sounds get their meaning    
from the symbolism of the organs of     
speech4  ,the historical origin of      
language is lost in the depths of       
antiquity1 when the human race was yet  
in that equipoise of mind1 heart1 and   
self-activity1 which in the process of  
evolution is only progressively         
recovered by the free agent1 it being   
the office of education to restore it4  
,the infant 7that is1 the non-speaking  
child7 in vision of the ,eternal1 only  
gradually becomes aware of the          
succession of time4 ,for1 as ,mr4       
,emerson sings in his ,sphinx song1--   
,the babe by its mother            ,lies
 bathed in joy1            ,glide its   
hours uncounted4  ,and ,wordsworth says 
of the little child1--            ,on   

whom those truths do rest1              
,that we are toiling all our lives to   
find2            ,by the vision splendid
            ,the youth is still         
attended2  and            ,shades of the
 prison-house begin to close            
,upon the growing boy1            ,yet  
he beholds the light and whence it      
flows2            ,he sees it in his    
joy3            ,at length the man      
perceives it die away1            ,and  
fade into the light of common day4  ,but
 this fall from the ,ideal is not what  
,calvinistic theology declares it to be1
 reprobation either intellectual or     
spiritual6            ,oh1 joy that in  
our embers            ,is something that
 doth live1            ,that nature yet 
remembers            ,what was so       
fugitive4  ,true education shall lead   
out the imprisoned spirit1 growingly    
conscious of individuality1 by means of 
the symbolism of the prison-house itself
 which is that correlation of necessary 
forces we call the material universe4   

,the material universe1 as ,i have      
already said1 is the symbolization of   
everything in ,god except his           
creativeness which is the spiritual     
essence that he shares with ,humanity1  
his only-begotten ,son4 ,it is the body 
of ,god1 and human language is the body 
of individualized ,humanity1 whose      
imperfections correspond with its       
various partial developments and        
short-comings4 ,and it is ever growing  
towards perfection in the form of       
poetry1 bearing witness to the          
creativeness 7or genius7 of man         
forevermore4 ,as breath is to the       
material body1 keeping men alive in     
nature1 so language is to the social    
body1 keeping individuals alive in      
history and literature2 and as the      
material universe is symbolical of      
,god's wisdom1 so the echoes of the     
universe tossed from the lips of men are
 symbolic images of the wisdom of man4  
,language1 in short1 being of both      
natures1 spiritual and material1 makes  

an elemental sphere for the intellectual
 life1 beyond the material2 in short1   
makes a metaphysical world1 in which the
 finite and infinite spirits commune    
with other finite spirits and with the  
,infinite ,one2 for by words every      
minutest shade of individual            
consciousness may be communicated from  
one finite mind to another1 making not  
only an immortal communion of men       
possible1 but a communion of ,god and   
,humanity also that shall have no end4  
,heaven and earth pass away1 but the    
,word of the ,lord endureth forever4    
,but ,i must not be tempted into        
philosophizing farther upon language at 
present1 precisely because it takes us  
into the deepest mysteries of           
speculative thought1 and our business   
with it now is practical1 and concerns  
the nursery and kindergarten processes  
of culture4  ,looking at it             
superficially1 speech is an imitative   
art1 and so far as our experience goes1 
is always taught by elders to the young 

generation empirically4 ,this teaching  
of the mother-tongue in the nursery is  
an immensely important thing1 because it
 carries on the development of the      
understanding towards the fulness of    
,reason 7which is seeing particular     
things in their proportionate relation  
to the whole74  ,in the whole course of 
a child's education1 nothing is done    
which so much involves the totality of  
his activity as his learning to talk4   
,for to talk presupposes observation1   
discrimination1 memory1 fancy1          
understanding4 ,the first three         
7observation1 discrimination1 and       
memory7 are nearly passive reactions    
from sensuous impressions4 ,but fancy   
and understanding are creative acts of  
the human spirit1 almost defying        
analysis4 ,in fancy1 the mind acts quite
 reckless and even defiant of nature's  
laws and order4 ,in understanding1 it   
observes and uses them subjectively4    
,that children delight in using words to
 name things in the order of nature1 and

 to express qualities and relations in  
connection1 making an echo-picture      
within of what they see without1 is not 
so wonderful as the exaltation of       
delight produced by a story which is1 as
 it were1 triumphant over nature's laws1
 and reckless of its order2 and the     
shocks of laughter with which they catch
 at a grotesque and impossible          
combination of images made in their     
fancy by means of words4 ,the           
predominance of fanciful talk to        
children which seems to be instinctive  
with all peoples1 everywhere1 is an     
indication that fancy is as legitimate  
an activity as understanding1 to say the
 least4 ,it seems to me to be an        
evidence of our being begotten directly 
by the creative spirit1 sons of a divine
 ,father1 who is the complex of         
,infinite ,love1 ,infinite ,wisdom1 and 
,infinite ,power1 of which our human    
feeling1 power of thinking1 and         
executive ability are the shadow1 or    
rather a living image4  ,both fancy and 

understanding are developed in time by  
words4 ,we all know how children are    
waked up and delighted by ,mother ,goose
 absurdities1 and still more by fairy   
stories that seem to set at naught the  
facts and override the laws of nature4  
,it is a stubborn fact1 of which        
materialistic positivists afford us no  
explanation1 and which ,i commend to the
 consideration of ,mr4 ,mansell1 and    
whoever else talks of the limitations of
 religious thought4 ,and ,i think it    
will be found that children who are     
talked to by ,mother ,goose and         
fairy-story tellers learn to talk more  
quickly than others1 and have more      
vivacity of mind generally1 with a power
 of entering into the minds of others   
commensurate with their sensibility1 and
 justifying the human sympathies which  
are often a burden to the unimaginative1
 who are nevertheless kind4 ,a great    
deal of the misunderstanding of others  
which causes unnecessary pain and social
 bitterness1 checking generous          

furtherance of one another's good       
purposes1 arises from want of saliency  
of imagination1 preventing us from being
 able to put ourselves in another's     
place4 ,and of course it is not without 
the highest reason that the ,father of  
our ,spirits has given fancy the        
advantage of the first start in our     
mental process4 ,that fancy precedes    
understanding in our psychological      
history cannot be denied by any nice    
observer4 ,i have known some parents who
 would not use ,mother ,goose or fairy  
stories with their children1 but        
substituted therefor amusing experiments
 in physics1--the metamorphosis of      
insects and the classification of plants
 according to their differences4 ,their 
children became scientific when they    
grew up1 were fine mathematicians1 and  
were interested in mechanical inventions
 and natural history2 but took          
comparatively little interest in        
political and moral problems1 though not
 at all wanting in the social and       

patriotic affections1 which also        
characterized their parents1 who were   
themselves brought up on the imaginative
 system not well modified by studies of 
nature's phenomena1 which was probably  
the reason of their strong reaction from
 the imaginative method4  ,but ,i have  
known as intimately some other parents  
who made predominant1 perhaps extreme   
use of ,mother ,goose and fairy         
literature4 ,their children much earlier
 and more completely got command of all 
the resources of language1 had a        
tendency to art1 especially literary    
art1 in their own activity1 and were    
earlier interested in human history1 and
 all varieties of human experience      
reflected in the literature of nations2 
but perhaps were slower in attaining    
practical ability for life's labors4    
,each direction of education has its    
advantages and disadvantages in the     
religious relation1 and ,i think it is  
the better way to mingle them1          
especially at the early period of the   

kindergarten1 where the objective point 
is to cultivate the understanding1 which
 needs that we should appreciate the    
facts and order of external nature as   
the exponent of ,god's wisdom4 ,this    
will chasten and give substantiality to 
the creative action of the human fancy1 
which is never to be snubbed1 but gently
 entreated to be reasonable1 or we shall
 have ,caliban instead of ,ariel or     
,prospero1 as ,i have said before4  ,i  
cannot find out whether ,froebel has    
anywhere expressed himself distinctly on
 this point4 ,there are certainly no    
grotesque images and no fairy stories in
 the mother's prattle with her children 
over pictures1 and in the out-door walks
 which are suggested in the ,mtterspiele
 und ,kse-,lieder2 but children are led 
to recognize the poetical symbolism of  
nature1 and its invisible and impalpable
 substances and forces2 the invisible   
forces of air1 heat1 and light are used 
to lead them out from the world of      
matter towards the more substantial     

spiritual world where the soul meets and
 communes with ,god1 the omnipresent    
,spirit to be apprehended only by the   
spirit within us1 whose organs are      
ideas4#i  ,in the kindergarten1 as in   
the nursery1 children learn language by 
using it empirically4 ,to utilize their 
love of talking as they play is what is 
first to be done by the kindergartner4  
,the things seen and done give a clear  
definition and precise significance to  
the words used1 which become the        
stepping-stones of the mind1 by which it
 mounts up from the sensuous ground of  
the understanding into the heaven of    
invention and imaginative art1 plastic  
and heroic2 and thence to communion with
 ,god4 ,but before children are put to  
reading1 before proceeding from things  
through thoughts1 and from spiritual    
experiences through ideas to their vocal
 signs1 and from vocal signs to their   
written or printed representations1 it  
is wise to consider the signs           
themselves4 ,i do not mean to go deeply 

into etymologies or anything that is    
abstract4 ,it is not doing so1 for      
instance1 to ask children what is the   
difference between the words see and    
look4 7,can you see without looking8    
,can you look without seeing87 ,it gives
 precision to the understanding to      
discriminate what are often called      
synonymes1 but which seldom mean        
precisely the same thing1 unless1 in our
 potpourri of a language they are mere  
translations1 as for instance morsel and
 bit1 respective derivatives from the   
,latin morsum and the ,english bitten4  
,the little ,english-speaking child     
should not be troubled with the         
derivation of morsel1 but is pleased to 
be called to notice that of bit4 ,we    
must be guided here by ,froebel's rule  
of proceeding from the known to the     
unknown1 and not endeavor to plunge     
children into the unknown without a     
clue4  ,that children understand and use
 figurative language readily1 shows that
 without going out of their childish    

world we can define symbolic expression 
to some degree1 and this is a means of  
regulating fancy4 ,but ,i must take     
another opportunity to speak of the     
method of doing this4#aj ,i can now only
 affirm that unless children could      
signify by words not merely their       
impressions of material things and their
 correlations1 but their feelings and   
thoughts1 it would be impossible for the
 religious education to be begun in the 
nursery1 or to be carried on in the     
kindergarten1 as ,froebel proposes it   
shall be4  ,it is only by naming to the 
child his own intuition of creative     
being or cause1 or rather by leading the
 child to name it1 that the             
understanding is started upon the       
religious thinking which is necessary to
 keep pure from superstition his        
religious feeling1 while his blind sense
 of ,god is changing from an undefined  
intuition of the heart into a definite  
thought of the mind1 which change       
,froebel would have take place very     

early4 ,but this is the most delicate   
region of consciousness to enter1 and we
 must take great care that we do not    
profane instead of consecrating the     
process by what we do and say4 ,words   
that are adequate and living names for  
the spiritual intuition of a very       
present ,god1 generate spiritual        
thoughts in natural relation with them4 
,and this reminds me of a circumstance  
in the mental history of ,laura         
,bridgeman1 illustrative of what ,i     
mean4  ,this poor child was deprived1   
when two years old1 of her sight and    
hearing1 and partially of taste and     
smell1 by the scarlet fever1 which left 
her but one avenue of knowledge of      
material things1--the sense of touch4   
,but through that the practical         
benevolence of ,dr4 ,howe won a way to  
her imprisoned spirit1 and opened       
communication of thought with her by    
means of words2 and she even learned to 
read in the raised type for the blind4  
,the whole story is immensely           

interesting and important to any        
teacher4 ,she had been taught enough of 
the properties of matter to be able to  
work on and with things1 and moral      
science could be taught her through her 
own and others' activity2 but how was   
she to be taught about ,god and         
spiritual things8 ,dr4 ,howe reserved to
 himself to speak to her of ,god1       
forbidding all others to do so1 and     
watched for his opportunity4  ,my sister
 ,sophia went over to the asylum to     
model ,laura's bust1 and one day asked  
her teacher 7who was with her always7 to
 translate into spoken words the        
conversation that she saw was passing   
between them by means of the hand       
language4 ,very soon occurred the       
following3--  ,laura4 ,i want to go to  
walk4  ,teacher4 ,you cannot go to-day1 
because it rains4  ,laura4 ,who makes it
 rain8  ,instead of making a direct     
reply1 the teacher went on to explain   
how moisture exhaled from the earth by  
the action of the sun1 and was collected

 in masses which were called clouds1 and
 when the clouds were so full as to be  
heavier than the air1 it fell to the    
earth in drops of rain4  ,laura said1   
reverently1 ,god is very full4  ,the    
teacher was startled1 and said1 ,who    
told you about ,god8  ,laura4 ,no one   
told me4 ,the ,doctor is going to tell  
me about him when ,i know more words4   
,but ,i think about ,god all times4     
,the teacher said to my sister1 ,this is
 very important1 and went to tell the   
,doctor1 who was a good deal moved1 but 
found himself at somewhat of a loss4    
,that evening he came to a little       
gathering at our house to talk about it4
 ,he said that nearly a year before1 if 
not longer1 ,laura had come upon the    
word ,god in her reading1 and           
immediately stopped and asked the       
meaning of the word4 ,according to his  
directions1 she was then sent to him1   
and he was so anxious not to do any     
harm1 especially not to frighten her    
with the idea of ,infinite ,power 7which

 is the main element of our conception  
of ,god1 even eighteen hundred years    
after ,christ's manifestation of        
,infinite ,love71 that he was           
embarrassed1 and said to her that she   
did not yet know other words enough to  
explain the word ,god1 but when she had 
learned more words1 he would tell her1  
and meanwhile he wished she would not   
ask any one else4 ,but now he was       
pondering what was the best way to      
proceed4 ,i suggested that perhaps      
,laura could teach him more than he     
could teach her about ,god1 and asked   
what was the sentence in which she had  
found the word4 ,but this he had never  
known4 ,it was then suggested that      
probably the word had explained itself1 
for no sentence could possibly contain  
the word1 not even in an exclamation1   
that would not suggest to such a        
perfectly clear thinking mind as ,laura 
had always shown1 the fact of supreme   
love or wisdom4 ,the company present    
proved this by trying to make sentences4

 ,i do not know what he finally         
concluded to do or say to ,laura4 ,i    
think certainly that the true way would 
have been to have drawn her out1 and    
according to what she said or seemed to 
need1 to have shaped whatever teaching  
he had to give1 taking great care not to
 negate any of her positive assertions2 
for we could not doubt that ,god was    
manifesting himself to the imagination  
of her heart1 if not yet in the forms of
 the human understanding4  ,if ,i had   
known how to use the hand language1 ,i  
would have solicited the privilege of   
going to learn what this hermit soul    
could have told me before it was        
darkened by our traditional theology1   
which did not originate in children1--  
,on whom those truths do rest           
,that we are toiling all our lives to   
find1  but in the minds of old sinners  
who had lost the original purity of soul
 that sees ,god4 ,i think about ,god all
 times6 ,how interesting it would be to 
know exactly what she thought6 ,that it 

was nothing terrific or painful was     
evident from her habitual mood1 which   
was even joyous4 ,so careful had the    
,doctor been to educate every bodily and
 mental activity1 that she had none of  
that discouragement1 inelasticity1 and  
indolence of mind1 which comes of want  
of success in childish effort4 ,a       
genial1 educating assistance was always 
around her1 but careful not to weaken   
her by doing anything for her that she  
could learn to do for herself4          
,obstacles1 therefore1 only stimulated  
her efforts1 and so delightful was her  
sense of overcoming them1 that1 for     
instance1 she would laugh exultingly    
when sewing if her thread became        
knotted1 or if in anything she was doing
 there was some little difficulty to be 
surmounted4 ,her faith in herself seemed
 never to have been broken2 but she     
rested on the fulcrum of ,infinite ,god1
 in whom she lives and moves and has her
 being4  ,the only thing we ought to do 
in the religious nurture of childhood is

 to preserve this faith which comes from
 the child's seeing ,god even more      
clearly and certainly than it can see   
outward things4 ,see to it that you use 
language so as more clearly to define   
and not to blot out the divine vision1  
as old ,dr4 ,barnard's cocked hat and   
black silk gown and seat in the clouds  
eclipsed the sweet face with which my   
,creator seemed to own me as his child1 
as ,i told you in my last lecture4      
,another mistake that was made in my    
religious education was during a visit  
that ,i made to a great-aunt when ,i was
 five years old1 and was taught to say  
the ,lord's prayer by the servant who   
put me to bed4 ,i got the idea that some
 unknown evil might happen to me in my  
sleep if ,i did not do this1 and was    
also told that ,god would be displeased 
with me if ,i thought about anything    
else when ,i was saying it4 ,but ,i was 
involuntarily conscious of having my    
mind full of images1 while the words of 
the prayer were empty vocables4 ,in     

order to prevent the intruding thoughts1
 ,i would try to rush through the words 
quickly1 going back to the beginning    
over and over again4 ,but this          
artificial duty was not associated with 
the instruction of my mother1 who was in
 general very happy in what she said to 
me about ,god1 dwelling on his goodness1
 referring to it everything delightful1 
making ,sunday a day of quiet but       
constant enjoyment1 letting us paint1   
and cut paper1 with other little        
amusements1 devoting herself to making  
us happy1 while the rest of the week she
 was busy2 for she kept a large school1 
and ,sunday was1 as she often said1 her 
only and blessed day of rest4 ,long     
after1 at a time of religious           
controversy and so-called revival1 ,i   
was immensely aided by hearing my mother
 say to a young aunt of mine who        
affirmed that ,st4 ,paul1 in saying that
 we must pray without ceasing was       
fanatically unreasonable3 ,yes1 if      
praying meant saying over prayers2 but  

spiritual prayers mean a devotional     
attitude of mind towards ,god which we  
can have whatever we are doing4  ,this  
sentence seemed to pour light into a    
shady place4  ,don't you say prayers1   
mama8 ,i said to her when aunt was gone4
  ,not when ,i am alone1 she said2 for  
,god sees my thoughts and feelings1 and 
knows that ,i love him1 and always want 
his help4  ,my mother had nothing of the
 martinet about her4 ,she took it for   
granted that upon the whole we wanted to
 do what was right4 ,she was not apt to 
give the worst1 but the best            
interpretation to doubtful phenomena4   
,she believed that to treat a child with
 generous confidence invoked generosity 
and truthfulness1 and what was better   
than all the rest1 she did not talk down
 to her children1 but rather drew them  
up to her own mental and moral level2   
and interlarded stories from ,spenser's 
,faerie ,queen and the ,scriptures with 
stories of the kind and noble deeds of  
real people around us4 7,see ,appendix47

  ,her religion was moral inspiration to
 herself and consolation for all        
calamity1 and always very naturally     
expressed4 ,she more than corrected her 
first mistake and inadequate talk with  
me about my ,creator1 by telling me the 
story of the ,pilgrim ,fathers1 when ,i 
was yet so very young that my fancy     
clothed her words with grotesque images1
 but on the whole did better justice to 
the spirit of the emigration and the    
ultimate results it has worked out for  
the world than the exact facts that     
transpired in history4 ,what ,i gained  
from my self-created mythology was that 
my ancestors knew themselves to be      
,god's children1 whom neither           
tyrannizing king nor priest had any     
right to prevent from going to him in   
prayer first hand1 and that in order to 
do his will as their consciences        
understood it1 they left home and       
country and all the comforts of         
civilization1 and trusted themselves in 
a frail vessel to be driven over a      

stormy ocean by the winds1 at imminent  
peril from the waves below1 which would 
have swallowed them up1 had not ,god1   
who loved them1 approved what they were 
doing1 guided the ship 7by a power      
stronger than the wind1 for it was his  
love7 through the narrow opening of     
,plymouth ,harbor to the rock where ,i  
still seem to see them streaming along1 
a procession of fair women in white     
robes as sisters 7for so ,i had         
interpreted the word ancestors1 who     
strangely enough were all named ,ann74  
,i still seem to see these holy women   
kneel down in the snow under the trees  
of the forest1 and thank ,god for their 
safety from the perils of the sea2 and  
then go to work in the sense of his very
 present help1 and gather sticks to make
 a fire1 and build shelters from the    
weather with the branches of the trees4 
,among these rude buildings my mother   
took pains to tell me that they built a 
schoolhouse where all the children were 
to be taught to read the ,bible4  ,there

 is nothing for which ,i thank my mother
 and my ,god more than for this grand   
impression of all-inspiring love to     
,god1 and of all-conquering duty to     
posterity1 thus made on my childish     
imagination1 and its association with   
the idea of personal freedom and        
independent action4 ,it never could have
 been made except by one who herself had
 faith in ,god1 and believed that he had
 made all men free to come to him1 and  
also that the mother was his first      
appointed mouthpiece4 ,the fanciful     
images which were the effect of the     
shortcomings of my ignorance did not    
hide the vital truths which ,i was as   
open to accept then as now2 namely1 that
 ,god is my ,father1 the ,father of all 
souls1 from whom no one has a right to  
shut off another4  ,that first          
schoolhouse1 which ,i fancied that ,i   
saw the ,ann ,sisters building1 taught  
me as no mere words ever could have     
done1 that it was the most acceptable   
service to ,god to educate all his      

children to know him and his works4     
,that first idea of human duty ,i have  
never outgrown1 but still believe       
universal education is the true culture 
of the ,american people1 the reasonable 
service they owe to him who called them 
out of the ,old ,world to be a nation of
 individuals4 ,there was nothing fatal1 
therefore1 in that first false notion of
 ,god 7which ,i received for a time71   
though it was for a time more of an evil
 to me than it would have been to a     
child less subjective1 or of more lively
 perception of things without4          
,liveliness of perception brings so many
 things before the mind1 and so         
stimulates its volatility1 that it      
undoubtedly prevents the stereotyping of
 many a single impression and fancy that
 does injustice to spiritual truths2 and
 false impressions1 unless strongly     
associated with terror or some other    
morbid sensibility1 do not take hold of 
a child so strongly as the images that  
are consistent with the eternal laws of 

mental evolution1 such1 for instance1 as
 that human face divine with which ,i   
had instantaneously clothed my intuition
 of ,god1 and which1 notwithstanding its
 temporary eclipse1 has haunted me all  
my life4  ,it is very encouraging to the
 educator to know that the innocent soul
 of childhood has so much more affinity 
with truth than with falsehood1 because 
the best and most careful educator      
cannot sequestrate children entirely    
from false impressions4 ,but what finds 
no echo in the spirit passes off1 unless
 the mind is shocked into passivity by  
fear or pain4 ,when the soul is active1 
it has a certain superiority to passive 
impressions1 and makes use of them as   
materials for imaginative production4   
,it is1 therefore1 desirable to keep    
children employed in gentle activity    
which has successful results1 and happy 
in the midst of attractive natural      
surroundings1 by which ,god is working  
with us in the same purpose of educating
 the child1 allowing us to be his       

partners1 as it were1 in this work1     
because it educates us4 ,it is not      
uncommon to hear persons say that they  
would like to begin life all over again 
with the knowledge they have gained from
 their life-experience4 ,this we can all
 do if we will in imagination really    
live with our children1 as ,froebel     
says1 whose motto explains what ,christ 
meant when he bids us to be converted   
and become little children4             
,,footnotes3  #i ,idea is a word ,i     
always use in the sense of insight1 as  
,plato uses it1 rather than in the sense
 of notion1 as ,locke uses it4  #aj ,see
 note ,a in ,appendix1 and the ,record  
of a ,school4     ,,lecture ,,vi4  ,a   
,,psychological ,,observation4  ,,part  
,,first4   ,i ,,said in my last lecture 
that had ,i possessed the power to talk 
in ,laura ,bridgeman's hand1 ,i should  
have begged ,dr4 ,howe to let me have   
some conversation with her after she    
said that she thought about ,god all    
times2 not that ,i felt that ,i could   

teach her1 but that ,i might learn what 
,god had taught her concerning ,himself4
 ,it was a wonderful chance for a most  
important psychological observation of  
the innocent mind of childhood1 and     
would have afforded1 doubtless1 a       
luminous illustration of the truth that 
the human soul is also a divine         
personality justifying the method       
initiated by ,froebel of conversing with
 the children in the ,socratic manner4  
,but already in my lifetime ,i had had  
an opportunity for psychological        
observation1 made under circumstances   
perhaps still more favorable for getting
 evidence of the importance of a very   
early recognition of the ,heavenly      
,father's name in the formation in a    
healthy manner of the human             
understanding and the development of the
 reason1 verifying the declaration which
 ,froebel has made the corner-stone of  
his system2 namely1 that though a child 
is the extreme opposite of ,god1        
contrasting as effect to cause1 as      

absolute want to infinite supply1 all   
these terms are                         
connected--conciliated--into unity1 by  
,love and ,thought1 which must recognize
 each other1 and whose loss of equal    
companionship is a            ,grief1   
past all balsam and relief1  as ,mr4    
,emerson has sung4  ,i have somewhere1  
very careful memoranda1 made at the     
time1 which ,i have unfortunately       
mislaid1 but ,i will present from       
present recollection as well as ,i can  
the whole psychological observation1    
though ,i am aware that ,i shall leave  
out many little things said and done    
which were perhaps not unimportant links
 in the chain4  ,before ,i begin1 ,i    
will observe that ,i tell it to the     
class to show the difference between    
talking to and conversing with children1
 and to illustrate several truths4      
,first1 ,there is an innate ,idea1 not  
as a thought but as a feeling1 given to 
every child1 of an all-embracing ,love  
7named by ,jesus1 ,father71 one in      

substance with the deepest consciousness
 of self2  ,second1 ,that this ,idea    
becomes a child's personal and          
individual perception only when he has a
 realizable name for it2  ,third1 ,that 
such a name is not an empty vocable1 a  
mere movement of air1 but a sign1 to    
which the intuition of his heart gives  
vital meaning2  ,fourth1 ,that an       
adequate name for ,,god is the axis of  
the intellect1 and the revolution of    
thought around it gives perfect globular
 form and solidity to the mind1         
balancing the centripetal force of      
individual self-assertion with the      
centripetal force of a ,divine ,love1   
comprehending all ,being4 ,before ,,god 
was named to and by this child of whom  
,i am about to speak1 you will see that 
he was a dreary little chaos without    
form and void4 ,after he had learned to 
utter intelligently the name of a       
,heavenly ,father he was what ,i am     
going to tell you4  ,but first ,i must  
tell you how ,i had this opportunity and

 privilege of being the first person to 
name ,,god to this child when he was    
four and a half years old4 ,he was the  
son of a most conscientious mother whose
 early orphan life had been saddened    
with religious terrors4 ,her earliest   
recollection1 as she told me1 having    
been the death-bed1 and immediately     
after1 the burial of her mother1 whom   
she saw1 when she was too young to      
comprehend death1 shut up in a coffin   
and put into the ground2 and she        
remembered how her agonizing cries at   
what seemed the frightful cruelty1 were 
peremptorily hushed1 with the           
declaration of the person taking care of
 her1 that ,,god who made the heavens   
and the earth willed it to be so and    
would punish her if she did not         
acquiesce4 ,little did the thoughtless  
and heartless person who thus dealt with
 the distressed little heart think1 how 
disastrously she was emasculating the   
word ,,god of good by associating it    
with such an image of ruthless power    

divorced from tenderness1 as she        
unheedingly did4 ,it was not till long  
years after that her imagination was    
cleared of the frightful falsehood2 and 
when she came to have a child of her    
own1 her governing thought was to keep  
him ignorant of the fact of death1 and  
the name of ,,god1 until he should be   
old enough to understand them1 as she   
said4 ,she was a person of deep feeling1
 upright and benevolent1 but her        
imagination1 probably by reason of this 
life-long depression1 was of feeble     
wing1 and she was taciturn4 ,in         
consequence1 her child1 though most     
tenderly cared for as to his body1 was  
starved in mind and spirit4 ,his face   
continued to be an infant's countenance1
 and he was strangely without that      
childish joyousness called animal       
spirits1 and grew more and more peevish 
as he grew older2 for he was sequestered
 to the society of his silent mother1   
who would not even be read to in his    
presence1 lest1 as she said1 some chance

 word which he could not understand     
should excite some fear4  ,suddenly a   
hemorrhage of the lungs brought this    
mother to death's door4 ,she had been1  
for a few years before her marriage1 my 
pupil in my own house1 and she used to  
say she owed to me all the happy views  
she had of ,god and ,heaven1 as well as 
of human life and death1 and ,i was sent
 for in this extremity as a mother to a 
child4  ,since her marriage she had     
lived in a city distant from me1 and ,i 
had seen her but little4 ,her child was 
so very timid ,i had made no            
acquaintance with him in transient      
interviews1 and of me he had no         
impression but of one little story that 
,i had told him six months before when  
,i met him at the house of her husband's
 parents4 ,this story ,i had half       
invented to explain a picture in the    
,story without an end1 that ,i was      
showing to him4 7,see ,appendix47  ,when
 ,i came to the mother's bedside1 she   
told me it was best for her to die1     

because she was utterly baffled in all  
her efforts to bring up her child4 ,she 
went on to describe her timid methods2  
she said she feared he was non compos1  
for he made no progress4 ,among many    
phenomena1 she mentioned that when she  
gave him playthings1 he immediately     
broke them to pieces1 and when she tried
 to prevent this1 by endeavoring to make
 him understand their uses and          
construction1 he would look drearily    
into her face and say1 rather than ask1 
,what for8 ,he seemed deficient in will1
 without impulse1 for1 though flowers   
seemed rather to please him1 if she took
 him into the garden and told him he    
might gather them1 he would stand still1
 and helplessly cry2 and she had to     
command him to do everything1 even to   
play1 before he would attempt it4 ,he   
acted like an automaton4 ,moreover1 he  
had no sensibility1 and expressed no    
affection4  ,just at this point of her  
dismal story her chamber door was opened
 by the nurse1 with this great boy in   

her arms4 ,he had his mother's beautiful
 large brow and deep eyes1 but with no  
speculation in them1 and his whole      
figure was lifeless and so languid that 
the arms that had been about the nurse's
 neck1 slowly lost their curve when she 
put him down on his feet4 ,but his look 
rested on me1 who1 with an inviting     
smile and gesture1 held out my hand4    
,immediately the large eyes filled with 
intelligent light1 and with a cry of joy
 he sprang towards me1 climbed up into  
my lap1 clasped his arms round my neck1 
nestled upon my bosom1 and looking up   
with a joyful expression of confidence  
said1 ,story--little boy--drop of water6
 ,it was1 as ,i have said1 about half a 
year before1 that ,i had lured him to me
 as he held off in timidity1 by offering
 to show him the picture where the      
child1 in the ,story without an end is  
represented beside the brook1 looking at
 a drop of water hanging from a leaf1   
telling the little boy a story1 as ,i   
said1 to which he had answered ,story6  

and ,i had gone on and invented a free  
paraphrase of the story given in the    
book1 adapted to his infantile capacity1
 and when ,i had finished1 he said1     
,story again6 and ,i repeated it again  
and again1 so imperative was his story  
again6 and now he again said ,story1    
with a confiding pressure1 as he leaned 
on me then1 gazing at the picture on the
 book in my lap1 giving me the          
conviction that he understood me4 ,it   
was really1 as ,i found subsequently1   
the only rational words that had ever   
been addressed to the child's           
imagination4  ,this does not look like  
want of sensibility1 or mens non compos1
 ,i said to the mother4 ,i never saw    
anything like it before1 she said1 all  
tears4 ,the ensuing silence was         
immediately broken by the child's       
imperative repetition of the word story6
 ,i was too much affected by the        
mother's emotion to remember or invent  
any story1 but it was an early1 warm    
spring day and the windows were open4   

,the house stood on a bluff of the      
,merrimac1 within sight of the ,rapids2 
and the sound of the rushing waters came
 in upon our silence4 ,i said1          
cheerfully1 ,do you hear the water      
running8 to which he responded with a   
joyful yes6 what does it run for8 ,oh1  
because it is glad1 ,i replied1 and     
again he responded with a joyful and    
satisfied yes1 and after a moment asked1
 ,where is it running to8 ,oh1 into the 
ocean1 where all the rest of the waters 
are6 and again an emphatic yes expressed
 his satisfaction4 ,perhaps he          
remembered that in the story ,i had told
 him of a drop of water it had ended    
with the drop falling off the leaf1 and 
running away with its brothers and      
sisters1 and falling into the ocean1 out
 of which the sun had originally taken  
it4 ,at any rate1 he not only repeated  
his yes with the emphasis of            
satisfaction1 but seemed to be          
thoughtful4 ,i said1 ,do you ever look  
out of the window and see the sun shine 

on the water1 and all the little        
sparkles of light in the water8 ,yes1   
said he1 joyfully1 what makes the sun   
shine on the water8 ,oh1 said ,i1 it is 
because the sun loves the water4 ,yes1  
said he1 and began to embrace me in the 
most energetic manner4  ,it was too much
 for the poor mother1 who absolutely    
wept aloud1 whether with joy or sorrow  
she could not tell1 as she afterwards   
said4  ,the sound of her weeping        
attracted his attention1 and he sat up  
in my lap and turned his large eyes upon
 her as she lay in bed1 and then upon   
me1 with a look of concern and appeal4  
,see1 said ,i1 poor mother4 ,she is sick
 and sorry4 ,she wants me to tell her a 
story1 and won't you get down and go    
into the nursery and let me tell dear   
mother a story to make her feel better8 
,then ,i will come to you and tell you  
one4  ,with a cheerful yes he           
immediately got down and went into the  
nursery1 but stopped at the door to     
say3--  ,when you have told mother a    

story1 won't you come right in and tell 
me one8  ,i said to the mother1 ,you    
see1 my dear friend1 that the child has 
mind enough1 heart enough1 and a moral  
nature4 ,he can understand and feel     
sympathy2 feels the symbolism of nature2
 and can obey a self-denying motive4 ,no
 fatal harm has been done after all by  
your delay1 but he needs now to know he 
has a ,heavenly ,father1 fully to       
manifest all the powers of a human      
being4 ,you must allow me to give him   
that name for the ,love he feels within 
and without4  ,not quite yet1 said she1 
not until you come to stay1 because he  
would ask me questions that ,i should   
not know how to answer4 ,children ask   
such terrible questions4 ,i am afraid as
 soon as you name the ,invisible ,,god1 
he will be frightened4 ,don't you know  
,m4 ,d4 was afraid to stay in a room    
alone because of the omnipresence of    
,,god1 which seemed to be an            
unimaginable horror to her8  ,i do not  
wonder1 ,i replied4 ,omnipresence of    

,,god6 ,what was there in a child's     
experience to interpret this ,latin     
abstraction8 ,i think it would have been
 quite another thing1 considering who   
her earthly father was1 had she been    
told that our ,heavenly ,father was all 
about her though she could not see ,him 
with her eyes1 but could feel ,him      
giving her love and joy4 ,i cannot but  
wonder that anybody around her should   
have talked to her in such abstractions4
  ,i am so unready in expression1 she   
persisted1 and can so poorly express my 
thoughts and feelings1 ,i am sure ,i    
should only do mischief if ,i should try
 to answer his questions1 and ,i am sure
 he will go on asking them1 for his mind
 seemed to wake up at once as soon as   
you began to talk to him4 ,how different
 was that 'yes' from the dreary 'what   
for8' with which he always received the 
very best explanations that ,i could    
make of the things he played with4 ,that
 'what for8' was not an enquiry of      
intelligence1 but an expression of utter

 want of perception1 with no interest to
 hear a reply4 ,it is best for him that 
,i should die2 then ,i shall ask his    
father to give him to you to bring up4  
,nobody ought to have children but      
people of genius6  ,no1 no1 said ,i2 it 
does not require genius to talk with    
children1 but only simplicity of heart  
trusted in4 ,i interested him and gained
 a response1 not because of genius1 for 
,i have none1 but because ,i believe in 
him1 and in myself1 whose happiness is  
in loving1 and that ,,god has created us
 to love and commune with one another   
and ,him4 ,you have said yourself that  
he seemed to love flowers1 though he was
 afraid to gather them1 and that he     
loved to hear the street musicians4     
,beauty and music touch his sensibility4
 ,by saying that the waters run because 
they are glad1 and the sun shines on and
 makes things beautiful because he loves
 them1 ,i put his own conscious life    
into the music of waters and the light  
of the sun4 ,he recognized the meaning  

of gladness and love because he himself 
felt glad and loving1 which made a      
pre-existent possibility of recognizing 
the love and joy of the ,creator that   
shine in those natural objects1 because 
they are ,,god',s own words of love     
addressed to ,his own image1 who is     
capable of love and joy and knowledge of
 ,him4 ,if we talk to children in       
instinctive faith1 they understand us4  
,you have not done so because of your   
early misfortune that saddened your     
heart and took away your instinctive    
courage4 ,faith is the proper act of the
 heart 7courage1 you know1 is a synonym 
of heartiness72 the heart goes before   
the understanding in the process of     
life4 ,without heart one can do no      
justice to children in talking with     
them2 with it1 we awaken their minds and
 nurture their souls1 and all our       
mistakes will be of small account beside
 the positive advantage of setting their
 minds in joyful motion 'amidst this    
mighty sum of things forever speaking4' 

,when you come to stay1 was her         
rejoinder1 you can say to him what you  
please1 for then you will be here to    
take care of his mind and answer his    
questions4  ,this was all ,i could gain 
at that moment1 and ,i left her1 to go  
to the child1 who had several times     
opened the door and looked at me        
wistfully1 with a silent appeal which   
was all the more proof of his quickened 
intelligence that he did not tease4 ,his
 own desire to have a story had         
interpreted to him his mother's need4   
,i have very little power of inventing a
 story1 and to his demand for one ,i    
responded by taking from the bookshelves
 ,miss ,edgeworth's first story of      
,frank1 and began to read to him of     
,frank's making a noise on the table and
 the conversation between him and his   
mother that ensued4 ,but this did not   
suit my little one's mood1 which was a  
little exalted by his delight at seeing 
me1 and having had his imagination      
touched by the beautiful language of    

nature that ,i had made intelligible to 
him4 ,he pulled the book away1 and asked
 me to tell him a story out of your own 
self1 as he said4  ,thus urged1 ,i      
began3 ,once there was a little worm    
about as long as the nail of my thumb1  
and no larger round than a big          
darning-needle4 ,this little worm lived 
in a little house that he had made for  
himself in the ground1 just big enough  
to hold him1 when he rolled himself up  
like a little ball with his head        
sticking out4 ,there were no windows nor
 doors in his house1 but one on top1    
which was his door to go in at1 and his 
window to look out of4 ,when he had made
 this house he was tired and crawled    
into it and curled himself up and went  
to sleep1 and slept all night4 ,in the  
morning the sun rose and spread his     
beams all over the world1 and one of the
 bright sunbeams shone into the window  
of the little worm's house and touched  
his eyes and waked him1 and he popped up
 his head and looked out and saw it was 

very pleasant in the garden1 and he     
thought he would go out4 ,he squirmed   
himself up out of his hole1 and because 
he had no feet he crept along the garden
 path4 ,the warm beams of the sun put   
their arms all round his cold1 little   
body and made it warm as could be1 and  
the sunbeam went into his little mites  
of eyes1 and filled him all full of     
light1 and the songs of the birds went  
into his little mites of ears and filled
 him all up with music1 and the sweet   
smell of hundreds of flowers went up    
that little mite of a nose and filled   
him up with their perfumes4 ,and so that
 little worm went creeping along as glad
 as he could be that he was alive4  ,now
 in the house that stood in that garden 
lived a little boy about four years old2
 and when the morning came1 the sunbeams
 had gone into the window of his nursery
 and waked him1 and he was washed and   
dressed and had his breakfast of bread  
and milk1 and then his mama took him to 
the door that led down the steps of the 

piazza into the garden1 and told him he 
might go down the path and have a good  
run to make himself warm4 ,so down he   
ran4 ,but now if that little boy should 
put his strong foot on that dear little 
worm1 it would break him all to pieces--
  ,oh1 he shall not1 he must not6 cried 
the child in a spasm of distress4 ,aunt 
,lizzie1 don't let him break the dear   
little worm to pieces6  ,no indeed1 said
 ,i1 that little boy would not not do   
such a cruel thing for the world6 ,he   
saw the little worm creeping along1 so  
glad to be alive1 and he ran on the     
other side of the path2 and the little  
worm nibbled a little blade of grass1   
and drank a little dew for his          
breakfast1 and then he felt tired1 and  
went creeping back1 full of good food1  
to the little hole that was his home1   
and curled himself up like a little ball
 and went to sleep4  ,now tell me that  
story all over again6 said the child4   
,i did so more than once at his         
entreaty1 and always when ,i came to the

 possible catastrophe of crushing the   
worm1 the same terror seemed to seize   
him1 and he would cry out3--  ,oh1 he   
must not1 he shall not6 and ,i always   
tranquillized him again1 and gratified  
his sense of justice by my assurance of 
the little boy's consideration of the   
little worm's right to his life and     
happiness4  ,of course1 ,i told his     
mother of the effect of this story1 and 
the evidence it gave of the child's     
sound moral nature and innate sense of  
justice4 ,and ,i begged her to let me   
lose no time in referring to the        
presence of the ,heavenly ,father1 that 
the intuition of his heart might become 
the possession of his mind4 ,i said ,i  
did not believe that he would ask any   
question4 ,he would suppose that ,i     
alone knew1 for1 as ,i observed to her1 
he had never for the whole six months   
referred to the little boy with the drop
 of water1 and yet had vividly          
remembered the whole story1 as his      
greeting me had shown1 and ,i had the   

proof of it1 for ,i had just told it to 
him again at his request4 ,i told her if
 ,i proved to be mistaken1 and he should
 ask her any question she could not     
answer to her own satisfaction1 she     
could say she would write to me and ask 
me1 and ,i felt sure he would wait4 ,but
 ,i told her ,i believed what ,i was    
thinking of saying to him would keep his
 thoughts busy while ,i was gone 7for ,i
 was going only for a week to prepare   
for a stay with her for an indefinite   
time74 ,at last ,i gained her consent1  
and the child was put into my bed1 that 
,i might have the conversation the first
 thing in the morning4  ,when ,i awoke1 
,i found him awake1 close by me1 and his
 great eyes seemed to devour me4  ,how  
long you did sleep6 said he2 ,i have    
been seeing you sleep4  ,said ,i1 ,what 
do you see with8  ,my eyes1 he replied1 
and to the questions1 ,what do you hear1
 smell1 taste1 touch with8 he made the  
appropriate answers4  ,but what do you  
love with8 ,i asked4  ,he jumped up upon

 his knees and crossed his arms on his  
breast1 paused a moment wonderingly1 and
 then exclaimed1 ,with my arms6 and     
throwing his arms round my neck1 hugged 
me4 ,i was taken a little aback1 but in 
a moment said3--  ,have you a great deal
 of love8  ,oh1 a great deal1 a great   
deal6 he exclaimed4  ,where is it8 where
 do you keep it8 said ,i4  ,he started  
up again on his knees1 again crossed his
 arms upon his breast1 and said1 ,where 
do ,i8  ,placing my hand on his heart1  
,i said1 ,is it not in there8  ,his     
whole expression was affirmative1 he    
looked delighted1 but did not speak4    
,are you good8 said ,i4  ,sometimes1 he 
said4  ,what are you when you are not   
good8  ,i cry4  ,he had evidently been  
told it was naughty to cry4  ,i said1   
,why are you not good all the time8     
,why ain't ,i8 said he1 after a moment's
 pause4  ,oh1 said ,i1 ,i think you have
 not goodness enough to be good with all
 the time4  ,he looked assent1 delighted
 and earnest4 ,i answered his unuttered 

feeling with the question1--  ,should   
you like to have goodness enough to be  
good with all the time8  ,how can ,i8   
,oh1 said ,i1 you have a good friend who
 has a whole sky full of goodness4 ,he  
gave you all the goodness and love you  
have in there 7,i touched his breast71  
and will give you more and more if you  
want him to1 always and always1 enough  
to be good with all the time4  ,he      
looked perfectly blest1 did not speak1  
but laid himself down close by me1 took 
my arm and put it over him1 and said1 as
 he nestled up to me1--  ,talk to me    
some more4  ,i went on3 ,your good      
friend gives you all your joy to be glad
 with1 and all your love and goodness4  
,they always go together4 ,and now      
listen to me3 the next time you are     
going to cry 7,i used his own practical 
expression instead of saying the next   
time you are naughty71 stop and think4  
,i have a good friend who has a whole   
sky full of goodness and he will give me
 goodness enough to be good with all the

 time1 and ,i guess you will not cry4   
,he responded only with huggings and    
kissings and exclamations of ,i love you
 a whole sky full1 and as ,i did not    
want to overdo or say anything to mar   
the impression ,i had made1 ,i took     
advantage of a noise ,i heard1 to change
 the subject1 and said3--  ,what is that
 noise8  ,he jumped out of bed1 went to 
the window1 and said3--  ,it is the     
carpenters making a house1 and after a  
pause1 asked1 ,who made all the other   
houses8  ,carpenters1 said ,i2 don't you
 see they make houses out of boards8    
,who made the boards8  ,the boards are  
made out of trees4 ,people cut down the 
trees1 and then they saw them up into   
great logs1 and then they split up the  
logs and smooth them out into pieces we 
call boards4  ,who made the trees8 said 
he4  ,i understood very well where the  
tyrannizing unity of his personality was
 leading his understanding1 but did not 
wish1 just then1 to risk giving outward 
form or connection to his thought of the

 ,divine ,cause1 so ,i said3--  ,the    
trees grow out of the ground2 don't you 
see old trees and young trees and little
 baby trees growing out of the ground8  
,for this information he did not give me
 that hearty yes with which he had      
received my communication of spiritual  
facts1 but came back to bed again4 ,i   
persisted1 however1 in talking playful  
nonsense for half an hour1 until his    
nurse came to take him up to dress him4 
,as soon as she appeared at the door1 he
 started up on his knees again1 crossed 
his arms over his breast1 and in a loud1
 joyful voice cried out3--  ,mrs4       
,doyle6 ,i have a good friend up in the 
sky who has a whole sky full of         
goodness1 and he will give me as much   
goodness as ,i want to be good with all 
the time1 emphasizing the last three    
words4  ,the nurse1 a good-hearted      
,roman ,catholic1 who1 like all the     
servants1 had been forbidden to talk to 
the child about ,,god or any kindred    
subject1 looked at me startled1 yet     

gratified1 and said3--  ,what will his  
mother say8  ,i replied1 ,his mother    
will be very glad2 she only wanted to   
wait till she thought he could          
understand4 ,but ,i have told him enough
 for the present2 don't talk to him     
about it2 but if he says anything to    
you1 come and tell me4  ,yes1 said she1 
and ,i thank ,,god you have come to     
teach the poor child something4  ,i then
 said to her aside1 ,his mother is very 
anxious lest he be frightened2 for she  
was frightened about ,,god and death    
when she was a little child1 and has    
suffered from it all her life long4 ,she
 has been a double orphan ever since she
 can remember4  ,i said this to her for 
several reasons3 one was my extreme     
desire to see what the one simple truth 
would do for the child1 and this was the
 reason ,i gave good friend for ,,god's 
name4 ,of course1 the mother craved to  
know exactly what had passed on this    
important occasion1 and was immensely   
relieved and gratified at what ,i told  

her1 and wanted it all to be written    
down2 and thus it happened that ,i made 
memoranda of this and subsequent        
conversations1 and even of those held in
 her presence1 for they continued to be 
no less interesting than they began4    
,observe these points in the child's    
speech to the nurse3 he interpolated the
 words up in the sky4 ,i had given no   
place to the good friend1 though ,i had 
said he had a whole sky full of goodness
 and love2 and the sky being the        
glorious symbol of unboundedness1       
elevation1 purity1 and power to the     
human imagination1 in all nations and   
times1 as is proved by the earliest     
idolaters who worshipped the heavens1   
and the host of stars1 and verifying the
 more spiritual conceptions of the      
,hebrew ,psalmist1 and of ,job1 who did 
not confound 7nor did this child7 the   
sign with the ,living ,,god who created 
it to signify ,his ,being4 ,another     
thing3 ,observe it was not even as the  
giver of love and joy1 but as the giver 

of goodness that the ,person of ,persons
 had seized the imagination of the child
 so powerfully4 ,it was wonderful to see
 that very day1 the effect upon his     
understanding of this conversation4 ,the
 night before1 when ,i told him the     
story of the little worm1 ,i found his  
vocabulary so small that ,i could give  
my imagination a very narrow scope4 ,but
 in the course of the day 7in which1 for
 the first time in his life7 he talked  
incessantly1 asking innumerable         
questions about his good friend1 he     
seemed to have no difficulty in talking4
 ,i am very sorry ,i have not my written
 memoranda1 because ,i should like to   
tell you everything in order2 but ,i    
remember he wanted to know how his good 
friend looked4 ,i replied by asking him1
 ,how does love look8 ,he laughed1 and  
said1 ,love does not look1 but feels4   
,well1 said ,i1 so your good friend does
 not look1 but feels4 ,don't you feel   
him now1 putting love and goodness into 
you8 ,he laughed assent1 and said1      

,where is he8  ,wherever love and       
goodness are1 said ,i2 in you1 in me1   
and in mother1 in everybody who loves4  
,i was encouraged to believe he would   
comprehend this language1 unimaginable  
and inconceivable as such truth is to   
the mere understanding1 for ,i had in my
 remembrance a conversation ,i once     
overheard between two children1 one five
 and the other not three years old1 at  
which ,i had not ceased to wonder since 
,i heard it4 ,i was sitting drawing with
 their mother in a recess of a room that
 hid us from the children's sight1 when 
our attention was diverted by hearing   
the younger one say3--  ,can ,,god see  
me now1 when ,i am all wrapped up in    
this shawl8  ,the elder one replied very
 earnestly1 ,o yes6 ,,god can see       
everybody1 everywhere4  ,but ,i don't   
see how ,he can see me when ,i am all   
wrapped up in this shawl4 ,it is dark1  
persisted the little three-year-old4    
,there was a pause1 when ,eliza1 in a   
very anxious voice1 said3--  ,amelia1   

can you see mama in your eye8 7,she     
meant imagination47  ,amelia replied    
after a moment1 ,yes1 ,i can see mama in
 my eye1 just how she looks4  ,well1    
said ,eliza1 ,i suppose that is the way 
,,god sees everything1 because ,he knows
 everything4  ,i cannot conceive a more 
perfect proof that the soul of a child  
is a sparkle of ,,god1 and its mind the 
intuition of the eternal reason--its    
image1 than was given by this original  
illustration of the truth of truths made
 by a child of five years old4 ,the     
mother made an exclamation of wonder1   
and said3--  ,i am sure ,i never could  
have given so profound an answer as     
that1 and ,i continue to think it the   
most wonderful thing ,i ever heard of so
 young a child's saying1 and had ,i not 
heard it myself1 ,i doubt if ,i could   
have believed it was said4 ,but it has  
given me courage to think that children 
might have very early a definite        
conception of the invisible ,,god       
without materializing it4  ,the         

omnipresence and invisibility of ,,god  
were mysteries that attracted my little 
pupil's mind and taxed it1 but did not  
distress nor perplex it4 ,of the reality
 of ,,god's being1 the intimacy of his  
own relations with ,him1 he never seemed
 to have a doubt2 his delight in the    
thought of ,him was boundless4 ,at the  
end of the first day he said a thing    
which struck his parents with           
astonishment4 ,the evening of the day on
 which ,i arrived1 his father had made  
tea for me in the parlor1 and as the    
child did not want to leave me a moment1
 he was set up at the table in his      
high-chair opposite me1 to eat his bread
 and milk with us4 ,while the father    
talked of one thing and another1 the    
child's eye and mine occasionally met1  
and he would immediately make some      
gesture of lovingness and an            
inarticulate sound1 ee ee ee6 ,at last  
his father checked him with the words   
,don't make those silly noises1 ,foster6
 ,i interposed1 and playfully said3--   

,now please don't come between me and   
,foster4 ,i understand his silly noises 
and just what he means to say to me4    
,how can you expect he will talk any    
sense when you have never given him any 
help to think8 ,the father laughed at my
 transcendentalism1 as he called it4    
,but the second night1 when we were all 
again in the same relative position1 the
 demeanor of the child was wholly       
changed2 he sat silently eating as if   
wrapped in thought4 ,by and by he said  
in a very decided tone1 ,some things    
live1 and some things only keep4  ,with 
a look of astonishment his father       
exclaimed1 ,what an extraordinary       
generalization6 ,the consequence1 said  
,i1 of being talked to as if he were a  
rational being one day6  ,the next day  
,i went to ,boston for a day or two1 to 
make arrangements for returning to stay 
an indefinite time1 which was such a    
disappointment to the poor little thing 
that he screamed in the most passionate 
manner1 so that his mother could no     

longer doubt his sensibility or will4   
,he was so angry with the stage-coachman
 who took me away1 that his father had  
great difficulty in persuading him that 
he was not a bad man1 but1 on the       
contrary1 a kind one1 whom ,aunt ,lizzie
 had asked to come to take her to the   
railroad4 ,at last he somewhat          
reluctantly agreed that he might be a   
good man4  ,but ,i shall never like him1
 he said1 and left his father1 to go and
 caress his mother1 who was weeping1 as 
he divined1 with the same regret as his 
own1 and he was apparently comforted by 
her saying1 that she1 too1 was sorry    
,aunt ,lizzie had to go away for a      
little while1 but she had promised to   
come back in a day or two and stay all  
summer4  ,it turned out as ,i had       
surmised1 that he had asked no questions
 while ,i was gone1 and had said very   
little except to wonder that ,i stayed  
so long1 though ,i was gone only two    
days4  ,when ,i came back ,i had        
immediate evidence that he had been     

thinking while ,i was gone1 and to some 
purpose4 ,you remember that on that     
first morning of our conversation1 he   
had asked me who made the trees1 and ,i 
had said1 ,the trees grow out of the    
ground1 which did not seem to give him  
the satisfaction that my reference of   
his emotions1 sensibilities1 and        
thoughts1 to an invisible personality   
had given him4 ,now1 as soon as the     
embraces of welcome and expressions of  
joy had subsided a little1 he burst into
 the subject which had so possessed his 
mind1 and with a sort of triumphant air1
 as if he was sure of a satisfactory    
response1 he asked3--  ,what did our    
good friend want the trees to grow out  
cf the ground for8  ,i said1 ,do you    
think the trees are pretty8 ,do you like
 to look at them8  ,yes1 ,i think they  
are beautiful4  ,well1 said ,i1 ,i guess
 that was one reason2 you know he loves 
us all1 and so he likes to please us4   
,do you like to please those you love8  
,yes6 and a passionate embrace and kiss 

was the expressive reply4  ,i then went 
on to call his attention to the fruits  
that grow on some of the trees1 and     
which serve us with delicious food1 and 
the uses of wood to build houses with1  
etc4 ,this conversation naturally       
introduced other kindred subjects of    
inquiry as to why our good friend had   
arranged things so and so4 ,the         
tyrannizing instinct of his own mind1 of
 which he had become conscious through  
the exercise of it1 that my naming of   
the ,spirit ,father had so happily      
started1 had made objective to him the  
,unity of all life1 and he was sure that
 the good friend was at the bottom of   
everything outward as well as inward1   
even trifles2 for ,i one day heard him  
say1 as he was lying on the floor at    
play1 ,heavenly ,father1 ,i wish you    
would not let my leg feel so cold4 ,this
 was later on1 in the winter time1      
however4  ,i cannot sufficiently regret 
that ,i have lost my original memoranda4
 ,they were transcribed from notes that 

his mother made1 who was watching every 
word said1 with the most intense        
interest4 ,she always had pencil and    
paper at her side1 because the danger of
 hemorrhage caused her to avoid         
speaking4 ,she wrote down with care the 
very words1 as if they were1 as indeed  
they were1 a divine ,revelation4        
,whatever he accepted or expressed with 
joy1 she felt was true1 knowing as well 
as she did the past emptiness of his    
understanding1 and the dreariness of his
 feeling as an individual4 ,but ,i can  
perhaps remember enough to show you the 
method ,i took1 which was truly the very
 method of conversation that ,froebel   
proposes we should have with children1  
prompted by the ,wisdom of love1 which  
so profoundly respects its object that  
it gives it opportunity to be itself by 
not obtruding4 ,the reason that we do   
not get the lesson that childhood can   
give us is that we thrust our finite    
minds between the child and the ,divine1
 instead of limiting ourselves to       

putting the child into the point of view
 to see for itself what of course though
 essentially one1 is perhaps of         
different aspect to each4 ,i made it a  
point to be very quiet1 and to exhibit  
no surprise at his questions or         
mistakes1 but to lead him by my         
questions to the answers1 and the       
corrections of mistakes which must needs
 arise from one-sidedness4 ,the entire  
respect with which ,i listened to what  
he said gave him complete possession of 
and confidence in his own mind4 ,one    
laugh at any incongruity he uttered 7as 
,dr4 ,seguin would tell you7 would have 
shut him up perhaps forever4 ,how often 
children's thinking is thus nipped in   
the bud6  ,the circumstances in this    
instance were favorable to real         
conversation4 ,in addition to my love of
 psychological observation in general1  
and my love and interest in this child  
in particular1 was that which ,i felt in
 the mother1 whose own childhood had    
been so shadowed by her human           

environment that it had not taught her  
what only childhood can teach with its  
uneclipsed vision of the ,father's face1
 of which ,christ speaks and warns the  
adult not to offend 7or1 as the revised 
version translates it1 cause to         
stumble74 ,on her account1 as well as on
 my own and the child's1 ,i was careful 
not to put my thoughts into his head1   
but merely lead him to the standpoint   
from which he could see the truth for   
himself4 ,it is because these conditions
 made for once an opportunity for a     
genuine conversation between intuitive  
childhood and such maturity of          
experience as ,i had attained1 realizing
 ,froebel's ideal of the conversation of
 the kindergarten1 that ,i am desirous  
to give it to you as a hint of how you  
should proceed--though1 of course1 you  
would probably never have so exceptional
 an opportunity2 because the children   
that come to you will generally have    
minds already misty with half-defined   
ideas of ,,god1 received from the vague1

 half-defined minds of the imperfectly  
educated adults1 conveyed to the        
children either in that careless or     
dogmatic manner in which they are       
usually talked to1 not with4  ,another  
advantage ,i had with this child was1   
that besides the arrested development   
arising from his mother's timid plan    
with him1 he inherited from both        
parents1 and perhaps from remoter       
ancestry1 an individuality of mind that 
was not at all imaginative2 which did   
not1 however1 exclude him from spiritual
 truth1 for that is not the work of     
imagination1 but is discerned by the    
spiritual sense1 being as objective as  
what is discerned by the five senses 7a 
transcendental objective1 not a material
 one74 ,the respectful interest with    
which ,i treated him gave him a happy   
confidence in his own thought1 which was
 my opportunity for observing the       
natural order of mental development4 ,in
 short1 the conversation we had was a   
genuine one as between equals1 unless1  

indeed1 he was the superior in giving to
 me the divine laws of the spiritual    
order4 ,he often surprised me by his    
next question1 and was so disarmed of   
all fear by my consideration and        
tenderness1 that he revealed that which 
is always the individual's secret1 and  
,i gained as much as he did by the      
conversations1 and certainly ,i gained  
certainty in what was previously only   
conjecture on my part4 ,i was sometimes 
obliged to say ,i did not know1 and     
remember his asking me with surprise1   
,don't you know everything8 ,oh1 no6    
said ,i4 ,only our good friend knows    
everything and gives us our thoughts all
 the time4 ,doesn't he give new thoughts
 to you every day8  ,yes1 he gives me a 
great many new thoughts all the time1 he
 replied with animation4 ,on another    
occasion1 when ,i had become perfectly  
exhausted in answering his questions1 ,i
 said to him3--  ,i am very tired1 but  
,i will answer that question1 provided  
you will not ask me another before      

dinner4  ,as he walked away he said1    
,oh1 ,i wish ,i had asked another       
question instead of that6  ,well1 said  
,i1 what8 ,perhaps ,i will answer that  
one4  ,turning back1 he said eagerly1   
,will our good friend answer all my     
questions when ,i go into the sky8  ,i  
said1 ,yes1 every one2 for he knows     
everything1 and can never be tired4     
,the expression of complete satisfaction
 with which he went away from me was    
most expressive4  ,you will observe his 
expression of when ,i go into the sky1  
and consider it together with the words 
that he interpolated saying1 ,i have a  
good friend up in the sky1 in repeating 
to ,mrs4 ,doyle that first morning when 
,i had told him that his good friend who
 gave him thoughts1 and joy1 and        
goodness1 and love1 had a sky full of   
goodness4 ,the sky is the natural symbol
 of the unbounded and infinite and the  
essentially spiritual1 and the          
conception of ,,god into which ,i had   
led him1 and which ,i named his good    

friend1 pervaded all space4  ,the       
subsequent questions of how ,,god       
looked1 and upon ,his whereabouts1 and  
the conversation on this1 by identifying
 ,him with the ,love that he felt within
 himself1 had revealed to him           
,immortality before he had defined      
mortality4  ,the ,,god he felt within   
him in his conscious ,love and without  
him in all manifestations of beauty and 
power1 gave him assurance that he would 
be sometime wherever ,,god was4 ,i have 
lost the connection and place in the    
narrative of another conversation ,i had
 with him on the omnipresence of ,,god4 
,he often had said his thoughts were in 
his head1 and his feelings were in his  
bosom4 ,one day he was sitting in my lap
 close to a table1 with his feet bare1  
and ,i put my hand under the table and  
pinched his toe4 ,he said3--  ,what are 
you pinching my toe for8  ,i said1 ,how 
do you know ,i pinched your toe8 you    
cannot see what ,i am doing under the   
table4  ,i think you pinched my toe1    

because ,i felt it4  ,i thought all your
 thoughts were in your head1 and all    
your feelings in your bosom1 not in your
 toes4  ,my feelings are all over my    
body1 said he2 and when you pinched my  
toe1 the feeling ran right into my head 
and turned into a thought4  ,so you see1
 said ,i1 that you live all over your   
body and in any part of it1 just as your
 ,heavenly ,father lives all over the   
world and in everything at once4  ,yes1 
said he1 ,i did not know how that was   
before4  ,the date of this conversation 
was some weeks1 perhaps months1 from the
 beginning of our intercourse1 as ,i    
know from the use of the word ,heavenly 
,father1 which came after a time to take
 the place of good friend1 and it was   
preceded by some other conversations4   
,he was always overflowing with         
expressions of love to me4 ,when ,i gave
 him anything1 he would embrace me1 and 
,i would ask1 ,which do you love best1  
me or the thing given8 7an apple        
perhaps1 or whatever it might be74 ,he  

would always say1 ,you1 you4 ,once he   
said1 ,i love you more than all the     
apples in the world4 ,once when he was  
kissing my hand1 ,i said1 ,which do you 
love best1 me or my hand8  ,i love both1
 he said4  ,i persisted1 and said1      
,supposing my hand was cut off1 would   
you love me as well8  ,i should love you
 a great deal more1 said he1            
energetically2 for it would hurt you so 
to have your poor hand cut off4 ,would  
it not hurt you dreadfully8  ,i suppose 
it would1 but by and by it would get    
well and what ,i want to know is1       
whether you would love me as well       
without my hand as with it8  ,he still  
declared he should love me more4 ,i then
 said1 ,so you see my hand is not me4   
,it is only one of the things the       
,heavenly ,father gave me to make things
 with1 and ,he gave me my feet to walk  
with1 and eyes to see with2 but my eyes 
and ears and tongue are not me2 and if  
,i should lose them all1 still ,i would 
be all of myself1 and you could love me8

  ,yes1 said he2 but ,i don't want you  
to lose any of those things1 for ,i love
 them all together4  ,my object in these
 conversations was to see if he would   
separate in thought the finite material 
body from the conscious soul or himself1
 as ,i preferred to say1 for to speak of
 one's self as a soul makes what is     
essentially subjective as objective as  
we desire to make the body1 the use of  
which is to reveal to others the        
feelings and thoughts of the individual 
that otherwise the finite apprehension  
could not seize4 ,i was endeavoring to  
prepare him to minister to his mother1  
when ,i could persuade her to let him   
know the fact of death1 by appreciating 
and defining that crisis of life as a   
step onward into the deep consciousness 
of immortality1 which ,i believed would 
lift her out of the abyss into which her
 own consciousness seemed to fall at the
 utterance of the word1 in spite of all 
the intellectual views of immortality   
which she had for many years cultivated1

 but which somehow did not meet her     
exigency1 when she felt herself on the  
brink of the separation of body and     
mind4 ,no intellectual process can give 
what the faith of childhood has in its  
own immortality of which those who had  
the care of her infancy had robbed her4 
,it was delightful to see how she       
enjoyed the child who had long been a   
burden to her4 ,she wanted him in her   
presence all the time with his          
playthings1 and to hear all our         
conversation1 and that ,i should tell   
her what we said in the little time that
 he could not be with her4 ,she declared
 that she never had known what the      
enjoyment of life was till she had it in
 her sympathy with him4 ,all the        
pleasures of intellect1 and also of     
personal affections of the happiest     
kind1 were pale beside the joy of this  
child--in his communion with ,,god1 who 
was in all his thoughts1 and had taken  
him from his dreariness and growing     
peevishness1 into that joy of childhood 

which ,ruskin speaks of as so entirely  
out of proportion to the occasions of   
its expression1 and which still had no  
painful excitement in it1 but was simply
 a spontaneous outflow1 not only        
quickening his thoughts but informing   
his affections with generosity and      
gratitude4 ,the self that lost all sense
 of boundary1 in its joy in the         
unbounded1 spread out to embrace all    
about it4 ,he said one thing to me which
 will1 ,i think1 explain to you what ,i 
mean4 ,of course1 ,i was the first      
person on whom the flood of his heart   
poured itself out1 though he did not    
stop with me1 but also expressed his    
love to all with whom he came into near 
or remote relation4 ,when saying to me  
how much he loved me1 what a skyful of  
love he had for me1 ,i said1 ,yes1      
darling1 ,i know you love me as much as 
you can1 he replied scornfully1 ,i love 
you a great deal more than ,i can6 ,was 
not that a wonderful expression of the  
immortal essence of his love1--of ,love 

,divine8  ,without its being suggested  
to him to thank others for kindnesses1  
he did so without a single exception4   
,he would be taken to drive in the      
carriage with his mother1 and standing  
at the window1 would shout with delight 
at the things he saw on the way1 and    
when he got home would often run back to
 the gate to say1 ,thank you1 horsey6   
and all his habits of timidity were     
forgotten when the street musicians came
 by1 and he was allowed to take out     
pennies to them4 ,callers at the house1 
from whom he used to shrink when they   
would have spoken to him1 were in wonder
 at his hospitable welcome and fearless 
but intelligent interpositions in the   
conversation1 which they thought        
indicated precocity instead of          
backwardness4 ,the length1 breadth1 and 
depth of all the words ,christ let fall 
in the last part of his life1 of which  
,i had had some insight before1 became  
doubly intelligible to me4 ,i saw into  
the beauty and meaning of mankind's     

being created in successive generations1
 and ,i was thus prepared to enter into 
and appreciate ,froebel's ideas and     
methods1 with which ,i did not become   
acquainted till a quarter of a century  
later4  ,i want you to observe that in  
what ,i did there was simply the        
spontaneous wisdom of love--love1 not   
fondness1 not desire of reciprocation1  
but self-forgetting and reverent of its 
object4 ,only this gives the creative   
method1 or is the essence of            
creativeness1 whether human or divine4  
,you remember1 in the memoir of ,froebel
 with which ,i began this course of     
lectures1 it was said that he posed his 
elder brother with his questionings of  
,,god's wisdom in the arrangement of the
 social sphere4 ,unable to answer him1  
the instinct of his love led him to     
divert the child's attention into a     
department of nature where apparent     
discords were seen to be harmonized for 
the production of beauty and use1 that  
the poor little perplexed and bewildered

 child might enjoy himself legitimately4
 ,he gave him the clue to the labyrinth 
and the strength to conquer the         
,minotaur4 ,he had no idea of educating1
 but only of comforting4 ,thus1         
unconscious of any theory of education1 
he solved the problem practically1 first
 for the child ,froebel himself1 later  
for mankind to whom the man ,froebel has
 revealed it with such ample            
illustrations as to make an era in human
 history that1 as we hope1 shall        
retrieve the past4 ,childhood           
understood1 leading in the promised     
millennium of peace on earth and good   
will among men1 will make mankind forget
 the ,babel confusion of its first      
experimenting1 and enter into the mutual
 understanding of the ,pentecostal      
miracle4     ,,lecture ,,vii4  ,a       
,,psychological ,,observation4  ,,part  
,,second4   ,,in our little ,f4's case1 
as it became perfectly plain to his     
mother that he conceived clearly of     
,god's embracing unbounded space as well

 as time in ,his ,infinite ,essence1 she
 became desirous of knowing how he would
 receive the fact of death1 so painfully
 and prematurely forced upon her own    
soul1--whether his mind would leap the  
gulf in which hers seemed to sink at the
 utterance of the word4  ,but the       
difficulty for him seemed to be to      
conceive of death at all4 ,i tried to   
approach the subject in such a manner   
that he should have the initiative1 as  
it were1 in any conversation upon it4   
,there was a poor old man who           
occasionally passed the house in the    
clothes of a pauper1 supporting his     
steps with a stick4 ,one day when he did
 so1 ,f4 asked me1 ,what makes men old8 
and before ,i had time to answer1 added1
 ,mary the name of a former servant used
 to say many days1 when ,i asked her4   
,do many days make men old8  ,yes1 said 
,i1 just as many days make your clothes 
and shoes old4 ,that old man has walked 
on his poor old legs so long that they  
are quite worn out1 and he has looked so

 long with his eyes that they are dim1  
and listened so long with his ears that 
they have grown dull1 and his back has  
grown weak1 and his whole body is so    
worn out that it will not do what his   
thoughts tell it to do1 as your little  
fresh legs and eyes and ears and as your
 whole body does4  ,he received this    
intimation quietly1 but raised no       
question as to the ultimate result2 and 
as often as the old man walked by1 he   
would ask the same question and receive 
the same answer4  ,at last ,i took down 
from the book-closet ,mrs4 ,trimmer's   
story of the robins and read it to him1 
and he became very much interested in   
the little nest and its inhabitants4    
,after a while1 the children in the     
story had birds of their own in a cage1 
which they took care of assiduously1 but
 at length on one occasion went away and
 left them for many days uncared for1 so
 that they died2 ,i read right on       
through the page on which it was told   
that on going to the cage when they came

 home1 they found the birds lying on    
their backs with their beaks wide open1 
stark dead6 ,i paused in my reading1 and
 he repeated1 stark dead6 what do those 
words mean8 ,what was the matter with   
the birds8 ,i laid the book down1 and   
said1 ,you know that some things live1  
and some things only keep4 ,yes1 said   
he4 ,i continued1 ,you know that living 
beings feel pain or pleasure1 one or the
 other1 all the time1 and that things   
that only keep do not feel at all4      
,yes1 said he4  ,well1 things that live 
and feel--living beings--always eat and 
drink2 they continue to live by eating  
and drinking1 and ,god tells them to eat
 by making it pleasant for them to taste
 things4 ,now these little birds lived  
by eating and drinking1 and if they had 
been free1 they would have found food   
and drink somewhere in the world2 but   
those children had shut them up in a    
cage2 and when they were so thoughtless 
as to go away and forget the birds that 
they had undertaken to take care of1 the

 little birds grew hungry1 and you know 
it is not pleasant to feel even a little
 hungry1 but they grew hungrier and     
hungrier till their poor little bodies  
were as full of pain as they could be4  
,now our ,heavenly ,father could not    
possibly have them suffer so much pain1 
and so ,he told them to come to ,him1   
and their life went right out of their  
bodies1 and then their bodies were just 
like everything else that only keeps2   
they could feel no more pain4  ,what a  
dear1 dear1 dear ,heavenly ,father it   
is6 said the child2 what nice ways ,he  
has about everything6  ,yes1 said ,i1   
,he has the ways of love4  ,he asked no 
questions at this time1 nor made any    
generalization4 ,i took up the book1 and
 read on about the children's burying   
the bodies of the birds1 etc4  ,thus the
 death of the body was first presented  
to his imagination as only a relief from
 pain of the life that inhabited it4 ,he
 was immensely interested1 and the      
subject became the most common topic of 

conversation4  ,there were some books in
 the house which had pictures of hunts1 
and one was of a stag-hunt1 the stag at 
bay1 the dogs seizing him1 the huntsmen 
firing4 ,these books had been carefully 
kept from him4 ,i now took them down1   
and showed them to him1 interested him  
in the timid stag running for its life1 
and its ingenious devices to elude the  
dogs by swimming across streams1 and at 
last when the dogs had seized it1 or the
 huntsman fired the cruel shot which    
tore the breast or side of the poor     
beast1 the final release1 ,god's call of
 the life to ,himself6 ,at which the    
child would utter exclamations of       
delight3 that final escape was the best 
of all4  ,this story was so interesting1
 it absorbed his attention1 and he did  
not generalize4 ,but it took its place  
among the good deeds of ,god's love1    
that when life became too painful in the
 body it was taken away to enjoy itself 
with ,god4  ,his mother1 in whose       
presence were all the conversations1 was

 intensely interested2 but still as he  
did not think of human death1 she hardly
 felt that he had conceived the idea4   
,i told him about the metamorphoses of  
insects1 and their depositing their life
 in eggs as soon as they were born4     
,when the old man came by1 as he did    
nearly every day1 we commented on the   
wearing out of his body1 but he did not 
think of death as a relief for him4  ,at
 last one day it happened that          
stretching out of the window for some   
purpose1 he nearly lost his balance1 and
 it was only by my timely seizing him   
that he escaped falling out4 ,i said1   
,f41 what if you had fallen out on those
 rocks and been broken all to pieces6   
,he shrieked with horror1 ,i don't want 
to6 ,i don't want to6 ,but what if you  
had6 said ,i1 calmly4 ,you came very    
near it4 ,what should you have done8    
,what could ,i8 he screamed4 ,what could
 ,i do1 all broken to pieces6 ,why1     
don't you think1 said ,i1 smiling1 that 
your ,heavenly ,father would have taken 

you right into ,his own bosom8  ,a      
heavenly smile spread over his face and 
a look of perfect satisfaction and      
acquiescence1 and he said after a       
moment's pause1 ,i forgot my ,heavenly  
,father4 ,oh1 what a dear1 dear1 dear   
,heavenly ,father ,he is6 ,then1 after  
another moment1 he said in a distressed 
voice1 ,but must ,i be broken all to    
pieces when ,i go to the ,heavenly      
,father8  ,oh1 dear1 no6 said ,i2 but   
when we are broken all to pieces1 or    
starved1 or are very sick1 ,he takes us2
 but generally people grow to be old    
like the old man1 and all their bodies  
get worn out1 and they get very tired   
and kind of go to sleep1 and the        
,heavenly ,father takes them1 so they do
 not wake up again in their old bodies1 
which are buried as the children buried 
the bodies of the robins4  ,he expressed
 himself very happy1 and asked a great  
many questions1 and it seemed as if he  
had already known of the fact of death4 
,at all events1 he now accepted it as   

the common destiny1 without any painful 
feeling1 and it seemed to give new      
realization to his mother's feeling that
 her own was indeed nothing but a morbid
 feeling1 and that normal nature did not
 shrink from death4 ,the subsequent     
questions were innumerable4 ,i read to  
him ,krummacher's parable of the        
caterpillar and butterfly in the garden 
of ,thirza1 after the death of ,abel1 as
 it was paraphrased by ,mr4 ,alcott when
 he read it in his school1 in which ,i  
was assisting him at the very time that 
,i was called away to the child's       
mother4 ,and it was the study ,i had    
made of childhood in his school which   
had enabled me to pursue with so much   
confidence the method ,i took with the  
child1 though it was in my own childhood
 ,i conceived the plan2 and ,i remember 
speaking of it to ,dr4 ,channing in     
#ahbd1 and how much interested he was in
 the idea1 though he told me that in his
 own case he was indebted to the        
symbolism of nature1 especially the     

ocean seen from the beach at ,newport1  
for clearing his mind of the effects of 
the teaching and preaching which he had 
heard4 ,these grand objects1 and later  
the beauty of some manifestations he had
 seen of love giving courage and power  
to the weak1 kindled his ideal1 and gave
 form and substance to his consciousness
 of ,god4  ,for a time there was nothing
 but delight expressed in the fact of   
death1 the relief from all suffering1   
the enlargement of life and joy and new 
knowledge of ,god and ,his ways4 ,at    
last a little incident showed him the   
shadow which attends death in this      
world4  ,we often went to call on the   
family of the physician who attended his
 mother4 ,one day when we went1 the     
,doctor1 who was very fond of ,f41 took 
him into his lap while ,i was playing   
with the baby in his mother's arms4     
,they always called it baby4 ,i said to 
,mrs4 ,d41 ,has not baby any name8 ,the 
mother replied1 ,his name is ,edward4   
,f4 looked up at the ,doctor with a     

bright1 joyous expression1 and said1    
,where is your other ,edward8 ,the      
,doctor's face changed instantaneously2 
he clasped the child close to him1 and  
said1 ,oh1 he has gone to his ,heavenly 
,father1 with a burst of grief4 ,f4     
stretched himself back1 looked into the 
agitated face1 and said with a look of  
the greatest concern1 ,are you sorry    
that he has gone to the ,heavenly       
,father8 ,oh1 very1 very sorry1 said the
 poor father4 ,should not you be sorry  
if he should take away your dear mother8
 and putting the child down1 he         
immediately left the room4 ,mrs4 ,d4    
said1 ,the ,doctor has never got over   
the death of that child1 and we never   
name him in his presence4  ,i           
immediately left the house1 and we      
walked some distance in silence1 and as 
,i found ,f4 did not incline to speak1  
,i said1 ,f41 did the ,doctor look glad 
when you spoke to him about his other   
,edward8 ,he pressed himself close up to
 me1 and said eagerly1 ,no1 no6 he      

looked very sorry4 ,what made him sorry8
 ,did he not like to have his other     
,edward with the ,heavenly ,father8 ,oh1
 yes6 he liked that1 but then he wanted 
to have him in his own arms4 ,you see he
 cannot see him now1 and he wants to    
kiss him4 ,yes1 said ,f41 he hugged me6 
,i continued3 ,you see1 the ,doctor is  
very strong and well1 and ,i suppose he 
will live in his body a good many years1
 and he has ,mrs4 ,d4 and ,julia and the
 rest1 but he wants that other ,edward1 
too1 every day of his life4 ,f4 replied 
sympathizingly1 ,he was large1 and      
white1 and bright1 and when ,i go into  
the sky1 ,i shall look all over to see  
where he is4 ,i said1 after a little    
while1 ,shall you say anything more to  
the ,doctor about his other ,edward8    
,no1 indeed6 said he4 ,i never shall say
 another word about him4 ,do you think  
,i want to make the poor ,doctor sorry8 
,i told his mother1 when ,i got home1 of
 the whole affair1 and we agreed that it
 was well he should see the sad side of 

death for the survivors4  ,it was soon a
 question with ,f4 how we were to live  
without the body1 and he asked me4 ,i   
told him ,i did not know exactly how it 
was to be1 but ,i supposed ,god would   
let new eyes1 ears1 and whatever limbs  
we should need1 grow out of us1 made of 
the finest stuff like air1 which we     
could not see because it was so         
delicate1 or even feel1 as we did the   
air when it moved1 but which souls could
 use just as they pleased4 ,he said1 ,i 
have seen some pictures of souls that   
had gone out of their bodies1 and ,i did
 not know before what they were4        
,surprised1 ,i asked him how they       
looked4 ,he said1 ,they were nothing but
 heads with wings4  ,the delightful     
thing was to see the effect of all this 
earnest prattle upon the mother2 and one
 day1 after ,i had returned from a visit
 to a friend in the town1 she told me   
she had had a conversation with ,f4 on  
her own approaching death that was very 
satisfactory4  ,she said she had his    

bread and milk put on a little table    
opposite her easy-chair1 and when he was
 happily engaged1 she said1 ,f41 ,i     
think our ,heavenly ,father will soon   
take me to ,himself4 ,he looked up with 
an expression of great feeling1 and said
 tenderly3 ,do you8 ,then you will get  
rid of that poor1 sick body1 and your   
cough2 and he added presently1 ,perhaps 
he will give you wings6 ,she said       
nothing could be likened to the         
impression of peace and sweetness which 
these simple words made upon her4 ,soon 
after1 he said1 ,but what will be done  
with your poor old body8 7,she said he  
spoke as if it was of not much          
importance47 ,she replied1 ,your father 
and ,aunt ,lizzy will take it to        
,cambridge in a carriage1 and put it    
into the ground2 and the grass will grow
 over the place1 and sometimes you can  
come to the place2 and ,i guess ,i shall
 look out of heaven and see you4 ,but in
 a few minutes he began to cry1 and     
said1 ,i want to go with you into the   

sky4 ,she said1 ,oh1 you have a nice    
little body1 which gives you a great    
deal of pleasure1 and you must stay here
 with poor1 dear father6 ,what would he 
do when he has no wife any longer1      
without his little boy to make him      
happy1 and take care of him when he     
grows old8 ,after a little more of such 
remonstrance he said1 ,well1 ,i will    
stay with him6 ,it was curious that in  
talking with me he never referred to    
this subject of his mother's approaching
 death1 which evidently had touched him 
tenderly1 and ,i did not introduce the  
subject4  ,it was also a curious        
circumstance1 that after this matter of 
death was1 as it were1 settled          
satisfactorily1 and the mind of his     
mother freed from all trouble on the    
point1 the love of this life1 to which  
she had hitherto been more than         
indifferent1 sprang up in her with great
 energy1 and she proposed to break up   
the house1 and go to ,florida for cure6 
,her husband and ,i could not share the 

hope1 but we could not but sympathize in
 the new joy in life1 that she seemed to
 have received from her now happy child1
 with whom she had learnt to live in the
 spirit4 ,things were so arranged that  
she made her husband's father's house1  
about thirty miles distant1 the first   
goal of her journey4 ,she reached with  
great fatigue this first stage1 and     
stopped to rest1 and never mentioned    
,florida afterwards4 ,she breathed on   
another year1 during which time ,i only 
saw her in weekly visits1 having        
returned to ,mr4 ,alcott's school in    
,boston4 ,her disease was not very      
painful1 but so lingering that every    
trace of her former beauty was lost in  
the ghastly emaciation4  ,there were in 
the house two little cousins1 younger   
than ,f41 taken care of exclusively by a
 very sweet mother1 and this gave him   
the most desirable social intercourse   
and play that took the place of our     
discourses at the right moment1 and     
called into action very sweet traits of 

character4 ,my weekly visit of a day or 
two was a great affair to the children4 
,i told them stories1 innumerable       
variations of ,the ,story without an    
,end1 and of ,pilgrim's ,progress1      
modified to their infant minds4 ,i      
always repeated the stories in precisely
 the same words 7which is a great point 
in telling stories to children1 and     
impresses them on the memory71 and they 
became very familiar with the ends of my
 paragraphs1 and would take them from my
 lips1 and repeat them as a chorus4     
,thus when ,i had got ,pilgrim laid away
 in the upper chamber of the ,house     
,beautiful1 whose white draperies ,i    
minutely described1 they would all      
interrupt me1 and sing out1 ,and the    
name of that chamber was ,peace4 ,so of 
the last words of other paragraphs that 
,i purposely made epigrammatic4  ,the   
substantial character of the child's    
piety and sense of immortality1 which ,i
 have described as bubbling up at the   
name ,heavenly ,father1 spoken at the   

right time1 and in the right way1 was   
exhibited unmistakably in his after     
life1 and began to express itself at    
once in his association with his little 
cousins1 which proved a very timely     
thing for him1 bringing out his moral   
character by means of what he constantly
 did to make them happy1 and keep them  
good1 but he never said anything to them
 about the ,heavenly ,father4 ,that     
subject seemed reserved for me4  ,it was
 amusing to see how fatherly he was to  
the little one1 and he continued this   
fatherly manner all his after life to   
all the children with whom he came in   
contact1 and even during his childhood  
it was singularly unmixed with any      
tyranny or managing spirit4 ,he would   
play as they wanted to with them4 ,he   
seemed to be drawn to children because  
he could so easily understand their     
innocence1 and make them happy by his   
companionship1 and because he enjoyed   
them4  ,all his subsequent life he      
exhibited an exquisite sensibility to   

beauty1 which he continued to accept as 
the ,creator's smile of consent2 the    
very good pronounced on everything which
 ,he had made4 ,in the last part of his 
mother's life1 she became so frightfully
 emaciated1 that it was evidently       
painful for him to look at her2 but he  
said nothing about it2 and it was sweet 
to see the delicacy with which he tried 
to conceal this pain from her1 when he  
was admitted into the room to see her1  
which1 at length1 came to be only in the
 middle of the day1 when she was seated 
in an easy-chair1 with a broad white    
footstool at her feet4 ,he would come   
into the room1 looking on the floor1 and
 seat himself on the footstool1 with his
 back partly turned to her1 and1 drawing
 down her hands1 cover them with kisses3
 he refused1 as it were1 to recognize   
her1 under that ghastly mask1 which1    
however1 did not shut off from his      
remembrance1 her former loveliness2 for1
 as soon as she was really dead1 and he 
began to think of her in heaven1 she    

became his standard of beauty4 ,during  
the little more than a year that he     
continued under my care1 not so         
beautiful as my mother1 or as beautiful 
as my mother were words very frequently 
in his mouth4 ,as she approached her    
death1 she was so careful lest he should
 have any of the shock which her own    
mother's death gave to her1 that she    
readily consented that he should go for 
the last few days with the other        
children to stay with a kind neighbor4  
,he was therefore not present at her    
death2 neither was ,i4 ,it was an event 
greatly longed for by herself1 at last1 
and its approach1 which she knew before 
any one else discerned any special      
change1 seemed to gladden her4 ,her last
 breath was peaceful2 her last words1   
,give my love to ,f4  ,i told him of the
 event the morning after the funeral1   
from which ,i returned with his father1 
in the dusk of the evening1 calling for 
the child to go home and sleep with me1 
which he always was delighted to do4 ,he

 was put to bed in the room where his   
mother had died1 and ,i went in with    
him1 to explain her absence1 if he      
should notice it4 ,but he was tired1 and
 so occupied with my presence1 he did   
not1--not even when he woke in the      
morning4 ,at last1 ,i said to him1 ,do  
you see what room we are in8 ,he rose up
 and looked around1 and said1 ,why1 it  
is my mother's chamber6 ,where is my    
mother8 ,i paused a moment to see if he 
would divine the truth1 and then said1  
,the dear ,heavenly ,father has taken   
her at last6 ,he fell back on the       
pillow1 with a single exclamation of not
 painful wonder1 and a countenance      
sublime with the mingled expression of  
awe1 love1 and joyful satisfaction4 ,the
 fact of her absent body seemed to be a 
more palpable proof of the truth of her 
deathless soul1 than even her form and  
word1 which had represented it to his   
senses4 ,he was silent1 as we grow when 
feeling most1 as if he realized that he 
was in the presence of the substance of 

things hoped for1 the evidence of things
 unseen4 ,you may be sure ,i respected  
this sacred silence1 which seemed to me 
to last several minutes1 but possibly it
 was only one4 ,at last he said gently1 
,was the window open8 ,i replied1 ,i    
don't know2 ,i only know our ,heavenly  
,father1 who is everywhere1 you know1   
took her to himself4 ,he does not mind  
about windows1 you know4 ,no1 indeed6 ,i
 know that very well1 he said1 with a   
little laugh 7as if he wondered at his  
momentary lapse of thought74 ,soon he   
asked1 ,did ,he give her a new body     
right away8 ,i do not know anything more
 about that than you do1 ,i replied2 ,i 
only know ,he will do better things for 
her than we can think of4 ,do you think1
 said he1 that she looks beautiful as   
she used to8 but1 before ,i could reply1
 he suddenly added1 ,i want to go to my 
mother4 ,i want to see her now1 and     
began to cry4  ,i kissed him1 and began 
gently to recall the conversation that  
she had had with him the day she told   

him she expected soon to leave him2 and1
 after a while1 he said spontaneously1  
as he had done when he talked with her  
he would stay with his father to comfort
 him for the loss of her4 ,his father   
told me afterwards1 that when he saw    
him1 he went over the same ground again1
 beginning with saying that he wanted to
 go to her2 but when his father         
represented to him how solitary he      
should be with no wife or son to show   
their love to him1 ,f4 closed the       
conversation with the words1 ,well1 ,i  
will stay with you till ,i grow up 7as  
if it was quite within his option to do 
so or not74  ,very soon after this ,i   
took him away with me to ,salem1 where  
he remained in our family for a year or 
more1 ,i think4 ,my father's family were
 living at the corner of an old burial  
ground1 two sides of the house being    
bordered by it4 ,the day we arrived we  
went directly to my sister ,sophia's    
room1 which looked out upon this burial 
ground4 ,he was immediately attracted to

 the window by the trees1 and exclaimed 
joyfully1 ,oh1 ,aunt ,lizzy1 what a     
beautiful green garden this is6 ,what   
are those things8 7referring to the tomb
 stones47 ,i replied3 ,that green garden
 is where people lay away1 underground1 
the poor old worn-out dead bodies of    
their friends1 who are with our ,father 
in ,heaven1 and those things are called 
tombstones2 they are put there with the 
names carved on them of the persons     
whose bodies are buried in those spots4 
,he at once seemed greatly interested   
and pleased1 and became still more so   
after he had seen some burials2 his     
emotions of joy at the thought of the   
enfranchised spirits entering on their  
heavenly life1 being tempered with      
tender sympathy for the bereaved friends
 in their mourning-robes1 whom he       
sometimes saw weeping at the earthly    
parting4 ,he was always very anxious to 
know how the buried ones had died1 from 
what particular sickness or danger they 
had escaped2 and one day when my sister 

,mary came back from a walk1 he joyfully
 told her that he had found out another 
way in which souls went to heaven4 ,she1
 of course1 asked him1 ,what way8 and he
 said1 ,why1 sometimes ships that go to 
sea are driven by the wind against some 
rocks and broken to pieces1 and all the 
men's bodies are drowned1 and they go to
 heaven through the water4 ,another     
time1 he ran to her in great excitement1
 and said3 ,oh1 ,aunt ,mary6 ,i saw a   
little baby's body buried in the green  
garden2 some carriages came1 and there  
was a hole dug already1 and people got  
out of the carriages1 and one man had a 
little box in his arms in which the     
baby's body was2 and they put some ropes
 around it1 and let it down2 and then   
they filled up the hole with the dirt1  
and ,i saw the little baby fly up1 fly  
up1 fly up6 and he accompanied the words
 with a circular gesture of his arm4    
,whether the subjective conception was  
so vivid1 that it reproduced itself to  
his imagination in an objective form1 as

 the ,sistine ,madonna is said to have  
done to ,raphael2 or it was what is     
called a spiritual manifestation2 it was
 evidently a reality to him1 and no     
comment was made1 except that my sister 
said1 ,i never saw a soul fly up4  ,i   
should say here that this child was not 
imaginative1 and we never saw in him the
 smallest untruthfulness in speech or   
act1 nor tendency to exaggeration4 ,in  
this he resembled both his parents4     
,afterwards1 he became something of a   
scientist1 and studied medicine for his 
profession4 ,he was a good classical    
scholar in college1 and before his early
 death1 had completed in manuscript the 
history of one of the mechanical arts4  
,i think he was not of a visionary      
temperament4 7,see ,appendix ,e47  ,his 
life with us in ,salem was perfectly    
delightful4 ,he had no faults1 though a 
certain pertinacity 7which was an       
expression of inherited firmness of     
character7 sometimes required a little  
disciplinary conversation1 nothing more4

 ,i never knew of his being subjected to
 any punishment1 or requiring any1 in   
all his childhood4 ,he had not the usual
 impetuosity of children2 perhaps the   
effect of his early depression of       
spirits4  ,my sister ,mary had a        
day-school in the house1 made up of     
children between six and twelve years of
 age2 he was allowed to have his        
playthings in the school-room1 and loved
 to listen to her oral instruction of   
the children in natural history and     
science1 especially in the stories that 
she told or read to them about human    
beings1 in whom he was always more      
interested than in animals4 ,i taught   
him how to read by the word method in   
,the ,story without an ,end1 a slower   
and more laborious way both for him and 
me than the mixed method detailed in my 
,kindergarten ,guide1 of which ,i have  
lately published a primer under the     
title of ,after ,kindergarten1 what8    
,but had ,i then known of ,froebel's    
method of employing childish play1      

organized by the adult with single aim  
to intellectual development1 ,i should  
not have taught him to read so early1   
but something more profitable2 ,i then  
shared what ,professor ,agassiz called  
the ,american insanity of teaching      
children to read before they have       
learned the things signified by words1  
which he1 like ,froebel1 believed would 
produce habits of mind positively       
injurious1 dropping a veil between the  
observer and nature1 preventing all     
freshness of thought1 and destroying the
 mind's elasticity and originality4 ,but
 ,i had not 7at that time7 presumed to  
question the time-honored tradition1    
that the beginning of education was     
learning to read4  ,when1 later1 my     
studies with a great philologist gave me
 a little light upon the subject1 and   
showed me that ,english had the         
misfortune to be written by an          
inadequate alphabet1 whose result was to
 confuse the phonography entirely1 by   
obscuring the original principle of     

having but one letter for one sound1 and
 a letter for every different sound1 ,i 
realized the positive disadvantage of   
children's being forced through a       
process which baffles all their natural 
instincts of classification2 and it was 
then ,i invented a method of separating 
,english words into classes1 the        
phonographic ones to be first made      
familiar1 and the exceptions classified4
 ,yet ,i could not be insensible to the 
unnaturalness of beginning with spending
 so much of the time of very young      
children upon this work of the imperfect
 mind of man1 as languages are1 rather  
than on the works of ,infinite ,wisdom4 
,i was therefore well prepared to accept
 ,froebel's method of first sharpening  
the senses by examination of things that
 charm children1 and of developing the  
understanding by first making things    
according to the laws which constitute  
the mind1 and then naming them in all   
perceptible relations4 ,first let us    
form a mind which can apprehend nature  

as the standard of truth1 before we     
undertake to inform it with what        
embodies the confusions and errors of   
men2 as1 for instance1 in a considerable
 degree the written ,english language   
does4 ,for language stands in the same  
relation to man as nature does in       
relation to ,god4 ,the eternal word of  
,truth makes things before it is made   
flesh4 ,the confusion of tongues was the
 inevitable consequence of the fall of  
man out of that communion with ,god in  
which children are born1 and our written
 language is an image of this confusion1
 especially the ,english1 whose         
so-called orthography is the most       
anomalous of all languages2 and the     
acquisition1 therefore1 ought to be     
postponed1 at least until the           
understanding is fairly developed by    
some recognition of so much of the ,word
 of ,god as is alive in the things we   
see and can handle4 ,the time comes when
 the children can understand that       
exceptions prove the rule1 and then     

those irregularities and anomalies of   
,english writing may be made even       
entertaining lessons to children2       
because if its laws and rules are       
apprehended first1 there is something   
amusing to them in contradictions of law
 that so many words seem to be4 ,it is  
the pleasure in the grotesque2 children 
enjoy the funny1 as they call it1 but it
 is a different enjoyment from that of  
the beautiful1 and the latter is the    
highest element for human activity4 ,a  
predominance of the funny even          
demoralizes intellectually as well as   
morally1 but it has its own subordinate 
place in healthy child life4  ,my little
 friend had a slate and pencil1 and     
immediately inclined to draw from real  
objects1 but we did not know how to give
 him any other help than to guess at    
what were the things he was trying to   
represent4 ,if we could not guess1 ,i   
remember he would blush1 and go away1   
saying he would fix it a little4 ,i had 
the instinct that he could only be      

effectually encouraged by success1 and  
,i would endeavor to divine what he     
meant1 by looking to see what were the  
surrounding objects when ,i saw him     
drawing1 and would point out to him with
 congratulation any part in which he had
 at all succeeded1 letting the rest go4 
,but without adequate and legitimate    
guidance he necessarily became          
discouraged with his failures4 ,what    
children do not succeed in1 becomes     
distasteful to them1 and they turn their
 attention from what has disappointed   
them1 and thus their natural tastes die1
 or are starved out4 ,as they have no   
knowledge of materials1 nor judgment in 
using them1 they undertake the          
impossible1 and being baffled1 lose     
courage to undertake the possible4 ,so  
young artists accumulate difficulties by
 their unwise choice of subjects1 not   
realizing the limitations of their own  
powers4 ,it is the part of the educated 
kindergartner to supply this want of    
judgment and analysis until the pupil   

catches the secret of gradualism and the
 law of opposites4 ,froebel's plan of   
giving the squared slate and paper to   
ensure straightness of line in          
children's drawing is like the leading  
strings by which the mother helps the   
child to develop his limbs for walking1 
which cannot be done without his own    
personal effort4 ,so ,froebel's plan of 
having the kindergartner suggest a      
symmetrical drawing of lines in         
opposites1 vivifies the sense of        
symmetry into a thought1 whence springs 
a plan of making still another symmetry4
 ,for by suggesting opposites1 and then 
the connecting of them1 the child       
delightedly sees orderly forms that grow
 under his hands1 and feels that he is  
acting from his own individual          
personality 7which he is1 though the    
thought was suggested by the words of   
another74 ,what he does gives him       
confidence in his own mind1 whose       
fanciful movement suggests other        
symmetries2 for though fancy is a       

spontaneous play of the free will among 
impressions passively received1 it is   
amenable to the laws whose exponents are
 presented to it by nature's works and  
human suggestion4  ,f4 liked to watch my
 sister ,sophia at her drawing and      
painting1 but its very perfection       
discouraged efforts on his own part4 ,it
 is bad not to do really at once what we
 conceive of ideally4 ,it was only in   
the moral and religious sphere that we  
really lived with him1 and he was       
properly educated by us4 ,we always     
answered all his questions about what we
 were doing1 and how1 and why 7,i wish  
now ,i had asked him more questions74   
,my sister ,sophia had a rare talent for
 talking with children1 whose purity and
 innocence she comprehended by a        
sympathetic intuition1 and to whose     
imagination her ,christian faith gave   
ample scope1 for it was hampered by no  
human creeds4 ,we had a circle of       
acquaintances who were only too much    
inclined to pet him1 and who1 knowing   

something of the history of his mind1   
liked to talk with him4 ,his mother had 
been very much beloved by this circle1  
and ,i used to tell him that for her    
sake1 they cared for and attended to    
him1 which interested him immensely1 and
 perhaps prevented his considering      
himself as a person of too much         
importance comparatively4 ,he would talk
 of going to see his ,,mother',s        
,,friends4 ,if new persons spoke to him 
kindly1 he would ask me immediately if  
they knew and loved his mother2 at all  
events1 the element of personal         
,,egotism did not appear1 and the       
affection he at first poured out on me1 
now freely flowed out in every          
direction4 ,i remember his saying to me1
 one day1 with an accent of great       
self-gratulation1 ,i think ,i have a    
great many friends1 and in a moment     
after added1 my mother was so beautiful6
 7as if that were the reason of it74 ,a 
young husband and wife became inmates of
 our house1 and brought a beautiful     

infant4 ,this was a perennial fountain  
of delight to ,f4 ,the singular beauty  
of the little one was a constant subject
 of observation4 ,one day he was looking
 at her1 as she lay on her mother's lap1
 and presently he burst out1 ,oh1       
,ellen1 your little bright eyes are     
shining themselves into a sun6 ,he was  
equally delighted with the musical sound
 of her crowing4 ,his ear for sounds was
 fastidiously delicate4 ,one day my     
mother was in the garden1 looking at    
some wild flowers which had been brought
 to her for transplanting4 ,as she      
looked at them she said to ,f41 ,run    
into the house1 and get my-- ,he        
interrupted her eagerly with1 ,don't say
 that ugly word6 ,i know what you mean1 
and he ran into the house1 and brought  
back ,bigelow's ,plants around ,boston  
7,bigelow was the ugly word74 ,but let  
me hasten from these details1 to redeem 
my promise of telling you how prayer    
became a thought of his mind1 and his   
spontaneous practice4  ,it was very     

early a question of great interest to   
his mother1 and also to me1 whether     
prayer would become spontaneous with    
him2 that is1 whether he would think of 
speaking to ,god in human words4 ,his   
intense realization of ,god's presence  
seemed to be a cause of his not doing   
so1 and ,i feared to put ,,god at a     
distance by suggesting what1 in ordinary
 cases1 is a means of bringing ,him     
near4 ,if prayer be defined as a        
communion of the finite and ,infinite1  
as personal as that of children with    
earthly parents1 his whole conscious    
life was a prayer2 for truly ,god was in
 all his thoughts from the day he first 
accepted ,him so joyfully as the        
,substance and ,giver of goodness and   
love1 which involved to the natural     
logic of his innocent mind the corollary
 that ,he was the ,giver of everything  
outward1 as well as inward1 which gave  
him any happiness4 ,i did not dare to   
meddle with the natural evolution of    
thought in so happy an instance1 but    

watched to learn the true method of life
 of the little child1 as ,christ        
suggested to his disciples to do4 ,one  
day when his grandmother1 who was at the
 house on a visit1 dropped her needle1  
she called to ,f41 ,come1 and look with 
your little sharp eyes for my needle4   
,he did so1 with his usual alacrity in  
service1 and soon found it4 ,then he ran
 to me1 and said1 ,when ,i go into the  
sky1 ,i shall thank my good ,friend for 
giving me such sharp eyes4 ,i said1     
,what do you wait so long for8 ,he gave 
me a glance of recognition1 as it were1 
and laughed 7as if he had been convicted
 of saying something silly72 but he said
 no more then4 ,from that moment1       
however1 he often came to me to say1    
,when ,i go into the sky1 ,i shall thank
 my ,heavenly ,father for giving me this
 or that2 and ,i would always answer him
 as before1 ,why do you wait8 which     
would always bring out the same complete
 expression of satisfaction on his face1
 showing that he loved to renew the     

occasion for my uniform reply1 ,why do  
you wait till then8  ,on one of these   
occasions he turned from me1 and said   
very tenderly1 ,i thank you1 ,god4 ,one 
day1 after he went to ,salem1 he had    
been suffering from a bad earache1 and  
my sister had relieved it by putting a  
little tuft of cotton dipped in arnica  
into his ear4 ,then she asked him to go 
to the window and look out into the     
green garden1 and she took up a pencil  
to draw4 ,very soon he began1 ,,god1 ,i 
thank you for making this green garden  
to put away the dead bodies in4 ,,god1  
,i thank you for making these beautiful 
trees grow out of the ground4 ,,god1 ,i 
thank you for making all the pretty wild
 flowers grow4 ,he paused between each  
complete sentence1 and my sister1 having
 a pencil in her hand1 wrote down his   
words till she had covered a sheet of   
letter paper with his thanksgivings2 for
 he went on naming everything he could  
think of2 and it was quite wonderful to 
hear the minuteness of his grateful     

appreciation of life4  ,one sentence    
was3 ,i thank you1 ,,god1 for making    
medicine to put into my ear when it     
aches4 ,he also thanked ,,god for his   
father1 and his father's letters to him1
 for his mother in heaven1 for many     
friends whom he loved1 naming them4 ,i  
hope that sometime ,i shall find my     
sister's paper1 which ,i have mislaid   
with the other memoranda of this        
interesting psychological observation4  
,the pauses between the thanksgivings   
became longer and longer1 and at last1  
after one for which he seemed to have   
searched his inmost mind1 in despair of 
finding anything else1 he closed with1  
,my dear ,,god1 ,i love you very much4  
,you will observe that in all this      
spontaneous act of devotion1 there was  
no petition4 ,in the fulness of his     
happy life1 and1 as ,i think1 in the    
faith that ,god was giving him          
everything needful1 and more1 he never  
thought of asking for anything4         
,temptation to wrong-doing had not yet  

revealed the need that the progressing  
spirit always feels of more goodness and
 love1 which ,i had taken care to       
represent that ,god gave whenever the   
soul acknowledged to itself its need and
 aspired for more of this1 its vital    
substance4 ,for it is my opinion that   
prayer should always be for spiritual   
good only1 in order that our religion   
should be pure from self-seeking1 and   
generously self-forgetting in its       
aspirations for perfection4  ,a little  
while after this incident1 my sister was
 reading to him1 and came to a sentence 
in which were the words morning and     
evening prayer4 ,he immediately stopped 
her and asked her1 ,what does that mean1
 that word prayer8 ,she said1 ,many     
grown up people1 when they wake in the  
morning1 and find that ,god has taken   
care of them in the night when they     
could not take care of themselves1 and  
given them a new day after their good   
sleep1 feel very thankful1 and love to  
tell ,god so1 just as you did the other 

day when you thanked ,god for so many   
things2 and besides1 remembering that   
there are a good many things they ought 
to do1 and that ,he gives the love and  
goodness1 they like to ask ,him         
beforehand to give them what they shall 
need to be good with when the time comes
 to want it2 and at night1 after they   
have got through the day1 they like to  
thank ,him for all the joys of the day1 
and they ask ,him to take care of them  
through the night that is coming1 when  
they shall be asleep and cannot take    
care of themselves2 and this loving talk
 with ,god is called the morning and    
evening prayer4 ,i think she added that 
when she was little she used to say1    
when she was going to bed3--            
,now ,i lay me down to sleep2           
,i pray the ,lord my soul to keep2      
,if ,i should die before ,i wake1       
,i pray the ,lord my soul to take2  and 
that was her evening prayer4 ,i think it
 is a very good way1 said he1 and ,i    
mean to do so this very night when ,i go

 to bed4 ,and it was true that when he  
went to bed1 he remembered and made a   
similar thanksgiving to his former one  
in kind1 and closed with this little    
verse4 ,and again in the morning he     
began the first thing to thank ,god for 
the new day1 etc4 ,nor did he forget    
afterwards1 night and morning1 to give  
thanks and utter prayers spontaneously1 
and seemed to enjoy it4  ,one morning he
 waked me with his loud singing1 and as 
soon as ,i opened my eyes1 said to me1  
,aunt ,lizzy1 ,i am singing my morning  
prayer4 ,i said1 ,there was a wonderful 
little shepherd boy once1 whose name was
 ,david1 who loved ,god as you do1 and  
who always sang his prayers4            
,immediately he wanted to know all about
 him1 and ,i told him the story of      
,david in his childhood and up to the   
time he was sent for to sing to ,king   
,saul2 and ,i ended with saying that ,i 
would read to him some of ,david's      
psalms 7as these sung prayers were      
called72 and this ,i did1 and the       

eloquence of the sweet singer of ,israel
 seemed to vivify his idea of the       
,heavenly ,father1 and of ,his          
connection with the soul within us all  
and the world without4 ,especially ,i   
tried on him the effect of the ,psalm   
beginning1 ,the heavens are telling of  
the glory of ,god1 whose rhythm had     
charmed my own childhood1 even before ,i
 fully comprehended it2 and he liked to 
hear it1 too4 ,before this1 ,i had read 
considerably from the ,bible to him1 for
 he had one day said that he wondered   
how the world began to be in the first  
place1 and ,i had said3 ,yes1 everybody 
wonders about that4 ,but there is a book
 7pointing to the ,bible7 where one of  
the first men told about how it seemed  
to him1 and ,i will read it to you4 ,so 
,i opened the book and began the first  
chapter of ,genesis1 without            
introductory comment4 ,when ,i came to  
the words ,and there was light1 he      
sprang up and shouted1 ,directly when   
,he said ',let there be light1' there   

was light directly6  ,i wished ,longinus
 could have heard the confirmation of   
his great criticism4 ,immediately he ran
 into my father's study1 which was      
across the entry1 and burst out1 ,dr4   
,peabody1 when it was all dark and there
 was nothing made1 ,god said1 ',let     
there be light1 and there was light'    
directly6 directly6 ,this was not       
enough2 he ran to find my mother and    
sister1 and again repeated the simply   
sublime words4  ,then he came back to me
 to hear the rest1 and ,i finished the  
chapter which he wanted me to read to   
him again and again1 day after day4 ,i  
read afterwards the parable of ,jotham1 
which he liked to hear very much4 ,i    
cannot help thinking how much more ,i   
might have made of that very parable for
 his moral culture had ,i then known of 
,froebel's gospel of work4 ,i can hardly
 bear to think how stupid ,i was2 the   
effect of not having had the            
kindergarten education myself4  ,but he 
was too soon taken away from my         

observation1 not without my             
acquiescence1 however2 for it was to go 
to his father1 who1 ,i thought1 needed  
his companionship4 ,and as it was at a  
distance that he lived1 and1 as         
afterwards my own life was full of      
vicissitude for many years1 ,i lost the 
run of him entirely4 ,there was a mutual
 misunderstanding between his father and
 me1 for several years1 from his        
thinking ,i wanted to be free from the  
care of him1 and ,i thinking he did not 
desire my personal influence on him1 and
 we were both mistaken1 as we found out 
afterwards4 ,when he went to ,harvard   
,college1 he came to see me1 and the    
interview was very interesting4 ,he had 
a sweet1 though it had become a dim1    
remembrance of a happy time with us1    
succeeded1 as he told me1 by a lack-love
 experience of years of a dark1 gloomy  
time at a boarding-school1 to which he  
was sent when he was eight years old1   
because1 as he said1 his grandmother    
thought he ought not to be living with  

his solitary father at a hotel4 ,but the
 boarding-school proved more than a     
heart solitude1 as the boys were rough  
and cruel to him in their unguided play4
 ,while he was with me1 on the occasion 
of this call1 it happened that my sister
 ,sophia's children came into the room  
where we were4 ,they had a very vivid   
idea of him from their mother1 she      
having often spoken of him to them1 and 
telling them of his joy in learning he  
had a ,heavenly ,father1 when he had    
never thought or been told of it4 ,when 
,i said to them1 ,this is ,f41 one of   
them said1 ,is this ,f48 ,i thought he  
was a little boy1 looking at him        
wonderingly1 surprised to see a grown-up
 man4 ,i told him they were well        
acquainted with his childhood4 ,it      
touched him very much1 and the          
conversation that ensued touching on    
several things ,i have told1 brought    
back the old time more distinctively1   
and he said he should often come to     
recall it by my help1 and to learn more 

of his mother1 whose beautiful face     
haunted his dreams4 ,but just afterwards
 ,i left ,boston for some years1 and did
 not see him again until after his      
return from ,vienna1 where he went after
 leaving college1 and remained till he  
had completed his medical studies4 ,i   
promised then to show him his mother's  
letters to me1 written in her girlhood1 
and to tell him how much the early      
experience of his own childhood had     
ministered to her a heavenly            
consolation4 ,but again inexorable      
circumstances interfered4 ,he became a  
practising physician in ,worcester1 and 
,i went to ,concord to live1 and we     
procrastinated a promised visit until at
 last ,death mocked our slow affections4
 ,i saw him last wrapped in the flag of 
his country1 for when the war broke out 
in #ahfa1 nothing would do but he must  
go to it2 and he went as one of the     
surgeons of the #aeth ,regiment1 which  
was terribly cut up4 ,for a year and a  
half he did an incredible amount of     

work1 for he would always have his      
hospital on the field of battle1 and the
 #aeth was in a great many battles1 and 
left but few survivors1 most of whom are
 maimed or halt4 ,he took care of those 
wounded ones who could not be taken from
 the battle-field1 wrote letters for    
them1 and never took a furlough1 as     
every other officer and surgeon did4 ,in
 the last letter that he wrote to his   
father1 he said that this year and a    
half was in one sense the happiest time 
of his life2 for it was the only time   
when he seemed to be of any use4 ,he was
 killed at last1 walking up through the 
main street of ,fredericksburg1         
,virginia1 in the van of the regiment1  
as was his wont1 and his death was      
instantaneous4 ,his patriotism and his  
bravery were the fruits of his piety4   
,every year his father and ,i met to    
decorate his grave until his father's   
death in #ahhc-d4 ,he is buried at ,mt4 
,auburn by his mother's side1 whose body
 was removed from the tomb in the old   

burial ground of ,cambridge4 ,i have a  
photograph of him taken at the same age 
as his mother when she died1--thirty-one
 years4 ,it was the year before he went 
to the war1 a drooping head1 pensive as 
if marked for early death4 ,but when ,i 
saw him dead1 his brow was lifted1 his  
whole countenance had become grand and  
heroic1 and it was plain that he had    
found his ideal vocation4 ,his funeral  
was celebrated in the city of ,worcester
 with military honors1 the wounded      
soldiers of his regiment following the  
hearse in carriages1 and the sidewalks  
of the city thronged with the multitude 
of spectators4 ,a discourse upon the    
text1 ,no man can do more than lay down 
his life for his friends1 was pronounced
 over him at the church1 and the        
beautiful hymn sung1 ,nearer my ,god to 
,thee1 which seemed to me the most      
appropriate conceivable1 though he had  
never been far from ,him1 after he knew 
a name for ,him4  ,after the funeral his
 father's relatives and friends gathered

 together1 and we talked of him4 ,i told
 my recollections of his childhood1 and 
all of them expressed the feeling that  
the life he had led was in perfect      
harmony with such an early acquaintance 
made with the ,heavenly ,father4        
,,lecture ,,viii4  ,,religious          
,,nurture4   ,,froebel speaks of the    
child as a trinity1 meaning a unity in  
threefold relation 7with ,god1 with man1
 and with nature71 and says that        
education1 to be perfect1 or even       
healthy1 must help him to be conscious  
of all these relations at once1 in order
 to ensure the equipoise of heart and   
intellect with his spiritual power 7or  
freedom to will71 in which inheres his  
just self-respect and natural religion4 
,nature 7that is1 the material universe1
 as ,i have said before7 is ,god's      
expression of mathematical and all      
correlative laws1 the apprehension of   
which builds up the intellect of the    
individual who1 through his sense       
perceptions1 on which he reflects and   

generalizes1 gains knowledge of his     
surroundings1 beginning with that part  
of nature which is within his own skin4 
,it was the grand intuition of ,oken    
which has been splendidly illustrated by
 ,dr4 ,j4 ,garth ,wilkinson in his      
,human ,body in its ,connections with   
,man1 that the human body is the        
metropolis of material nature1 in which 
may be found in vital order all the     
elements of the material universe which 
are1 outside of the human body1 in a    
more or less chaotic state4 ,this       
development of the individual intellect 
needs more or less aid from the human   
environment1 simultaneously with that   
nurture of the heart which means man's  
conscious relation to man4 ,but though  
morality1 which is the performance of   
man's duty to man1 is not religion1     
which is man's consciousness of relation
 to ,god1 it leads to it inversely1     
because it shows the heart its need of a
 ,father of us all1 in order to be      
happy4 ,all three processes1 the        

intellectual1 the moral1 and the        
religious1 must go on together1 to make 
a perfect education1 for in proportion  
as integral education is wanting in     
those about the child1 his intellect    
will be starved1 confused1 or darkened  
with error2 and immorality and          
irreligion will more or less transpire  
in the individual4  ,froebel perfectly  
realized the deficiency of this integral
 education to be the cause of all the   
evil that is the present experience of  
mankind1 in spite of ,church and ,state 
and the optimism which in form of hope  
springs eternal in the human breast 7for
 the pessimist is the exception1 not the
 rule among men1 the great mass of whom 
are pursuing some ideal aim1 even though
 it be a low one1 their moral sentiment 
having been perverted and their religion
 having become a superstitious idolatry 
either of material forms or of logical  
formulas74  ,the system of education    
which ,froebel discovered1 or invented1 
in consequence of realizing this1 is    

what we are endeavoring to learn and    
apply1 that we may bring out of the     
moral chaos around us the lost equipoise
 of the threefold nature in our         
children1 by ourselves plunging into    
infant life in imagination and realizing
 its innocent heart and unfallen        
spiritual state1 watching it in its own 
attempts to understand and use its      
material surroundings and its human     
environment1 to the end of guiding it by
 our own experience and matured         
knowledge1 from the errors and          
misfortunes it inevitably falls into if 
left to its own ignorant experimenting  
unrevised4  ,the playthings and means of
 occupation ,froebel invented are to    
develop the intellect1 and are a perfect
 miniature of nature1 and to use them in
 playing with the child is an art and a 
science that the kindergartner must add 
to her moral affections and religion1   
which are also her indispensable        
qualifications4  ,i wish to say this    
very emphatically1 all the more because 

this part of your education 7the art and
 science that develop the intellect7 is 
not my part of your training course1 but
 the moral and religious nurture2 and   
therefore ,i must leave the exhaustive  
analysis of the gifts in their relation 
to the unfolding intellect as well as of
 the schools of work 7as the series of  
embroideries1 foldings1 drawings1       
weavings1 pea-work1 etc41 are called1   
and which require your study the whole  
year7 to your accomplished trainers to  
do justice to4  ,but before ,i turn to  
my specific department1 ,i would say    
that this intellectual part of the      
training1 which it was the special      
genius of ,froebel to discover1 is of   
equal importance2 for it is the duty of 
man to worship ,god with the mind1 as   
well as with the heart and might1 though
 that is a part of the great            
commandment1 which seems to have been   
systematically overlooked by many of the
 churches1 if not virtually denied4  ,to
 worship ,god with the mind means to    

develop the intellect2 as to worship    
,him with the heart keeps pure the moral
 sentiments and quickens moral action2  
and to worship ,him with the might lifts
 the will1 quickened by the heart and   
enlightened by the mind into oneness    
with the ,holy ,spirit1 more and more   
forever4 ,and here let me recall to you 
what ,i said of ,froebel's authority in 
my second lecture1 and beware of        
deviating from the path he has pointed  
out 7he was nearly fifty years in       
inventing his technique72 and be very   
careful about adding to his ,gifts or   
,schools of ,work1 though ,i would not  
have you mechanical followers4 ,there   
will be legitimate outgrowths of his    
method4 ,he himself1 in one of his      
,pedagogies1 published after his death  
by ,wichard ,lange1 has suggested a     
school of drawing upon the curve1 which 
,miss ,marwedel has developed1 leading  
the child naturally through vegetable   
formation2 and ,mr4 ,edward ,a4 ,spring1
 the sculptor1 has also suggested and   

partly carried some children through    
animal forms1 from the worm to the human
 face divine2 and we hope both these    
schools may be published and used4 ,in  
the musical line1 also1 in which        
,froebel was personally rather          
deficient1 ,mr4 ,daniel ,bachellor1 now 
of ,philadelphia1 has suggested a series
 of exercises by means of the           
correspondence of tones and colors1 that
 makes the children as creative in the  
discovery of melodies1 as they are of   
the harmonies of color in their weaving 
and painting4  ,there is unquestionably 
danger that the kindergartner may       
degenerate into mechanical imitation and
 rote-work in this part of her guidance 
of the children1 nevertheless in some of
 the charity kindergartens ,i have seen 
there was danger of doing injustice to  
the technique4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,on this last day 
of communion with you on the ,froebel   
education1 ,i would like to speak with  
some comprehensiveness and particularity

 on the subject of religious nurture4   
,mark me1 ,i say religious nurture1 not 
religious teaching4 ,the religion that  
integrates human education is not to be 
taught4 ,it is the primeval             
consciousness of filial relation to     
,,god1 who alone can reveal ,himself2   
for human language has no adequate      
expression of ,,god1 founded as it is on
 the material universe1 which is the    
finite opposite of ,creative ,being4    
,every individual child is a momentum of
 ,,god's creativeness which the human   
,providence of education must take as   
its datum4 ,only childhood symbolizes   
,,god as the sum of all being1 realizing
 itself in joy incommensurable4 ,ruskin 
has happily said the joy of childhood is
 out of all proportion to the occasions 
that call forth its expression1 and in  
order to make ,,god the central         
conscious truth of the child's          
intellect1 we must give the name father 
or mother to ,,god1 which is            
intelligible to the heart1 and which    

will identify its filial aspiration with
 the parental bounty1 as another1 yet   
the same4  ,but what ,i want you to     
observe is1 that language being limited 
in meaning by its origin in material    
nature1 you should talk about ,,god as  
little as possible1 after having given  
,him the name that will excite the      
child's worshipful aspiration1 and limit
 yourselves carefully to regulating     
moral manifestations1 leading children  
to act kindly1 generously1 truthfully1  
in your own assured faith that ,,god is 
present to inspire the truth1           
generosity1 and loving will that is     
practically prayed for with good        
resolution4 7,good resolutions are the  
special prayers of faith1 as children   
should be taught expressly47            
,kindergartners cannot carry out this   
course quite irrespective of the theory 
of human nature declared in their       
creeds4 ,but the heart is generally     
larger than the creed1 as was once      
strikingly evidenced to me by ,louisa   

,frankenberg1 a dear1 devout old ,german
 kindergartner1 who had learned the art 
of kindergartning from ,froebel himself1
 in the very beginning of his own       
experimenting2 but she was such a bigot 
to the ,lutheran ,church that she could 
not theoretically admit as a ,christian 
any one who did not swear by its dogma  
of total depravity4 ,yet ,i remember    
hearing her exclaim1 ,oh1 ,froebel's    
method is so beautiful6 because the     
affectionate plays and innocent         
occupations take the children entirely  
away from the depravity of their hearts4
 ,she said this with a gush of love and 
faith that showed how much the unbounded
 human heart is beyond being totally    
eclipsed by shadows cast by the limited 
human intellect4 ,it is neither feeling 
or thinking1 but righteous doing1 that  
gives us victory4#aa  ,the child in the 
first era of his life has no individual 
consciousness of separation from ,,god1 
and for a certain time it is obvious to 
all observers that this august          

unconsciousness even prevents the       
immediate development of an intellectual
 conception of him4 ,the child in its   
infancy 7infant1 you remember1 means not
 speaking7 does not see nature as       
object1 but feels it also to be himself1
 and hence he has no language1 for      
language is the expression of his       
intellect4 ,hence the infant's sublime  
unconsciousness of danger and absolute  
fearlessness1 and its impulse to spring 
upward out of its mother's arms1 the    
laws of gravity notwithstanding6 ,it    
stands1 as ,wordsworth has sung1--      
,glorious in the might of heaven-born   
freedom on its being's height1  and only
 gradually do    ,shades of the         
prison-house begin to close around the  
growing boy4  ,for1 as the same poet has
 it in that ode which is as much        
inspired as anything in the sacred      
oracles of the ,hebrew or the           
,christian3--                ,earth     
fills her lap with pleasures of her own2
           ,yearnings she hath in her   

own natural kind1           ,and even   
with something of a mother's mind1      
,and no unworthy aim1           ,the    
homely nurse doth all she can           
,to make her foster-child1 her innate   
man1               ,forget the glories  
he hath known                   ,and    
that ,imperial ,palace whence he came4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,hence1 in a season of calm weather1    
,though inland far we be1           ,our
 souls have sight of that immortal sea  
,which brought us hither2               
,can in a moment travel thither1        
,and see the children sport upon the    
shore1           ,and hear the mighty   
waters rolling evermore4  ,the not      
unworthy aim of the humble nurse is to  
give the child the sense of having life 
in himself as an individual free agent1 
so that he may come into intellectual   
consciousness of the laws of ,,god by   
going counter to them1 which reveals to 
him that he is separating from ,,god in 
his activity4 ,this separation is sin1  

which is a short word for separation1   
and the first step in the development of
 individuality1 and therefore           
pardonable1 because it is finite4  ,now 
the true religious nurture is to keep   
the child in the mood of ineffable joy  
in which he was created1 while he is    
evolving his sense of individuality and 
free agency by experimenting freely1 but
 more or less painfully1 so that he     
shall not lose sight of the central     
,sun1 to which everything he is slowly  
learning through his senses and his     
reflection is related2 and this must be 
begun by giving a name to the central   
,sun that shall express the character of
 his inmost consciousness of joy and    
love1 which is his vision of ,,god1 and 
needs to be recognized as ,,god in the  
understanding4  ,in the ,old ,testament 
we see that it is the name of the ,lord 
which is set forth as the only means of 
escaping that idolatry which is         
destructive of progressive spiritual    
religion4 ,the name of the ,lord1 or    

,ruler1 with the ,hebrews was ,,jehovah1
 a word made up of the three tenses of  
the substantive verb to be1 was1 is1 and
 shall be1 and which ,philo1 the        
,alexandrian ,jewish philosopher1       
translates ,,the ,,eternal4 ,it was     
understood by the worshippers to be the 
ineffable ,creative ,reality1 so that   
when they came to the word in their     
sacred ritual they did not speak it1 but
 reverently bowed their heads in a      
moment's silence1 or paraphrased it1    
,,the ,,lord ,,god4  ,but ,jesus1 the   
bright1 consummate flower of the ,hebrew
 race1 used the name ,father 7my and our
 ,father71 which you may observe was    
original with him4 ,that word expressed 
the whole of his theology4 ,he made no  
disquisitions on ,,god',s being1 but    
simply recognized the vital relation of 
mankind to its ,creator by this word1   
which any child who has come to see that
 he and his mother are two can          
understand and will love4  ,froebel has 
proved by his nursery method that the   

child shall get this idea and name of   
,,god from his mother2 and at all events
 when children come to the kindergarten 
they will generally already have heard  
some name for ,,god1 adequate or        
inadequate4 ,now all you have to do--but
 that is a great deal1 indeed the       
greatest thing--is not to cloud the     
child's intuitive knowledge of ,,god by 
your inadequate words as was done in the
 case of ,m4 ,d41 who was afraid of the 
omnipresence of ,,god1 as ,i mentioned  
in my narrative of ,f4 ,h41 and in the  
case of his unfortunate mother at her   
mother's funeral4 ,in the case of little
 ,f4 the mistake was not to have given  
any name before his sense perceptions   
had made a prison house for the growing 
boy4 ,but you have seen how the shades  
were dispelled by my taking it for      
granted with him that a ,heavenly       
,father existed1 which he joyfully      
accepted at once1 for ,i knew that      
,in the embers was something that did   
live1            ,and ,nature yet       

remembers            ,what was so       
fugitive4  ,the naming of ,,god in the  
kindergarten should be in music1 which  
is the natural language of spirituality 
7or aspiration71 lifting the soul above 
the cold level of the intellect that    
cognizes the correlations of the natural
 universe4 ,froebel finds support of his
 faith in the efficacy of song1 that    
puts devout expression into the works of
 nature1 in the historical fact that the
 civilizing literature of all nations   
begins in religious hymns4 ,the         
different characteristics and the       
different destinies of nations are seen 
in germ in the national songs1 which are
 in large degree and sometimes          
exclusively addressed to the ,powers    
above4 ,the ,li-king of the ,chinese1   
the ,rig ,veda of the old ,aryans1 the  
,puranas of the ,hindus1 the ,garthas of
 the ,iranians1 the recently discovered 
early poetry of the ,egyptians1 and even
 the magical formulas of the            
,babylonians1 all express with more or  

less exaltation of spirit the primeval  
intuition of ,supreme ,being1 and use   
the particulars of material nature as   
words of ,,god pointing to that unity of
 all life that is the music of the      
spheres4 ,is it not heard in the voice  
of the healthy infant1 which is the most
 exquisite music on earth1 and later    
seen in the pictures made by the        
imagination before language that is     
coined by the human understanding has   
introduced prosaic1 that is1 analytic   
definitions1 and drawn the human        
individual away from feeding its heart  
on the fruits of the ,tree of ,life     
7which are music and poetry7 to the     
fruits of the tree of knowledge1 which  
are evil as well as good4 ,the          
kindergarten exercises should begin and 
end with spiritual songs and hymns2     
indeed1 they should come in any time at 
the call of the children1 who1 it will  
be found1 will oftener call for hymns of
 praise than for any other songs4  ,the 
hymns of the kindergarten repertory     

should be entirely free from all that is
 didactic and denominationally          
doctrinal4 ,their object is not to teach
 any science1 whether intellectual1     
moral1 or theological2 but to express   
childish joy in existence1 or quicken   
the original childish faith1 which in   
all ages and nations has expressed      
itself in music and the dance4 ,nor     
should the singing of hymns in          
kindergarten be ever perfunctory or a   
thing of course4 ,a good kindergartner  
begins the day with bringing all the    
children into company for preliminary   
conversation1 and asking each in turn   
what is in his mind2 or the class as a  
whole may be asked some general         
question1 perhaps about the weather1    
which always has something beneficial   
that can be brought to the attention2   
then they could be asked1 ,could you    
have made this weather8 ,who made it8   
and would you not like to thank the     
,heavenly ,father for it8 ,something    
similar to this should precede all the  

hymns to rouse their sense of free      
activity1 and prevent routine1 and then 
they will sing with the heart and       
understanding also4 ,i remember going   
one day into a kindergarten with ,mr4   
,alcott when such a preliminary         
conversation was going on1 which was    
followed by this song of the weather1   
the children making the illustrative    
gesticulations with their arms4 ,they   
began with the weather of the day1 and  
continued with several varieties1 for it
 is not often the whole song is sung at 
one time4 ,the intense delight of the   
children when themselves personifying   
the weather1 poured itself out in the   
chorus1 which they had first learned to 
sing with a will1--                     
,wonderful1 ,lord1 are all thy works1   
,wheresoever falling4            ,all1  
their various voices raise2             
,speaking forth their ,maker's praise   
,wheresoever falling4  7,see ,appendix1 
,note ,f47  ,mr4 ,alcott1 with his eyes 
full of tears1 turned to me1 and said1  

,this must have an immense influence    
upon character4 ,in religious           
conversation children have the advantage
 of us in their as yet uneclipsed       
original vision of ,,god1 and we have an
 advantage of them in knowledge of      
outside things and the adaptation of    
means to ends4 ,by this knowledge of    
ours we can generally guide them to     
accomplish their purposes when they are 
such as will really give them pleasure  
and do no harm to any one else4 ,they   
get our knowledge by confidingly doing  
as we direct1 and a confidence in the   
method which brings about the results   
they have instinctively foreseen4 ,we   
save their minds from getting lost or   
bewildered in the chaos of particulars  
by winning their attention to the       
orderly connections of things1 and      
leading them to realize how they connect
 little things in order to make larger  
things1 and how opposites are connected 
in the world around about them4 ,to     
recognize their own little plans and    

open their eyes to ,,god's methods and  
plans2 and because they cause new       
effects1 they realize that all effects  
have causes1 and in the last analysis   
realize one personal cause4 ,they must  
believe in themselves as a preliminary  
to believing in ,,god4 ,let them with   
things create order2 and you will have  
influence with them in proportion to    
their feeling that you respect their    
free will1 and divine in a genial way   
what they want2 and this you can do if  
you inform yourself of what is universal
 in human desire1 keeping your eyes open
 to what modifications their            
individuality suggests2 and it is your  
cognizance of these individualities     
which makes your part of the enjoyment4 
,if there are no two leaves alike1 much 
more are there no two human individuals 
precisely alike1 and human intercourse  
is made refreshing by these various     
individualities playing over the surface
 of the universal race-consciousness4   
,if you respect the individuality of a  

child1 and let it have fair play1 you   
gain its confidence4 ,nothing is so     
delightful as to feel oneself           
understood4 ,it is much more delightful 
than to be admired4 ,but to give a      
child's individuality fair play in a    
company of children1 you must open      
children's eyes to one another's        
individualities1 and you will find that 
if you suggest their respecting each    
other's rights in the plays1 there is   
something within them that will justify 
you4 ,the consciousness of individuality
 is the correlated opposite to the      
conscience of universality4 ,justice is 
an intuition4 ,the opposite poles of a  
human being are self-assertion or       
personal consciousness on the one side1 
and generosity or race consciousness on 
the other4  ,we have seen that the      
maternal instinct1 which the            
kindergartner is to make her own by     
cultivating it1 cherishes the           
indispensable innocent self-assertion   
7which is only changed into selfishness 

by lack of that social cherishing which 
keeps generosity wide awake to balance  
self-assertion74 ,we must sympathize    
with the play instincts of the child1 so
 that it may get knowledge of its body  
in its parts and its powers of          
locomotion1 manipulation and speech1    
giving self-respect to the consciousness
 of power1 while the simultaneous       
knowledge of limitation is prevented    
from becoming fear by experience of the 
motherly providence1 which is the first 
comprehensible form of that love which  
in due time calls forth ideal worship of
 the ,infinite ,,god1 if ,,god has been 
adequately named in natural sympathetic 
conversation with an earnest            
self-persuasion but without             
sanctimonious affectation4 ,unless you  
have unaffected spontaneity of faith    
yourselves1 you should not dare to talk 
about ,,god to the child4  ,the         
religious nurture which ,froebel        
proposes therefore consists simply in so
 living with children as to preserve    

their primeval joy by tenderly and      
reverently respecting it1 as that human 
instinct prompts which is in the highest
 power in the mother4 ,sympathetic      
tenderness is the first of all means for
 moral culture4 ,the child's faith in   
,,god must be cherished into            
self-reliance4 ,there is a self-distrust
 that is really a distrust of ,,god1 and
 no harm we can do a child is so great  
as to lead it to doubt its own          
spontaneity4 ,the common religious      
teacher--even a conscientious           
mother--sometimes does this1 and so far 
from nurturing the child's conscious    
union with ,,god1 starts a morbid       
self-consciousness1 the opposite of     
religious peace4 ,in order not to make  
this mistake1 let the mother and        
kindergartner read and ponder ,froebel's
 ,mother ,love and ,cossetting          
,songs4#ab  ,if you ask me what aid the 
moral culture derives from the religious
 nurture1 ,i reply1 the name ,heavenly  
,father1 given to the inmost            

consciousness1 keeps the heart happy and
 the will self-respecting1 by preventing
 those indefinite fears1 incident to a  
sense of helplessness1 which engenders  
selfishness4 ,hope and ,faith are       
correlatives1 and conscious or necessary
 means of goodness 7which is enacted    
thereby71 not agonies of will in the    
absence of this support4 ,in the        
majority of cases moral discouragement  
is the secret of children's naughtiness2
 and1 as ,dr4 ,channing used to say1    
there is nothing fatal to child or man  
but discouragement1 which often exists  
close beside manifestations of pride and
 self-will4  ,when ,i kept school1 in my
 earlier life1 ,i became the confidante 
of many cases of wrong-doing and        
conscious wrong feeling4 ,sometimes the 
confidentialness was altogether         
spontaneous on the part of the children1
 and in other cases ,i took the         
initiative1 drawing out the confidence1 
by intervening on occasion to console   
and help1 especially when ,i saw that   

the sensibility had been wounded1 or    
there was moral puzzle4 ,and my         
experience and observation in this line 
justified the faith in which ,i began to
 keep school2 viz41 that children are   
all but perfectly good1 in all cases1   
and are never so grateful for anything  
else1 when they find themselves naughty1
 as for spiritual and moral help1 given 
as ,god gives1 upbraiding not4  ,when   
they are not grateful for moral help1 it
 is the fault or mistake of the grown-up
 counsellor4 ,even in the worst cases ,i
 always took it for granted that        
nevertheless they loved goodness better 
than the naughty self which for the hour
 had got the victory over the better    
self4 ,spiritual being1 whether finite  
or infinite1 is only to be discerned by 
aspiring faith4 ,yet ,i do not think it 
right or wise to suggest to little      
children that their wrong-doings1 which 
are more weaknesses than presumptions1  
are sins against ,god4 ,children can    
comprehend their relations to each      

other1 and the violation of each other's
 rights to happiness1 and can be easily 
led to sympathize with the pain or      
inconvenience of those they make suffer1
 which touches their sense of justice   
and generosity2 they can appreciate     
wrong and its consequences to their     
equals and to themselves in the present 
life4 ,but ,,god is too great to be     
injured by them2 and to bring ,,god to  
their imagination as personally angry   
with them1 overwhelms thought1 and      
annihilates all sense of responsibility1
 with all self-respect4 ,children can   
comprehend perfectly that wrong-doing1  
in particular cases1 is an injury to    
themselves1 as well as a harm to their  
neighbor2 also that they forfeit1 for   
the time being1 their privilege of      
being1 as it were1 in partnership with  
,,god in making others happy1 as well as
 being companions with ,him in making   
things grow2 and an occasional hint of  
this1 when they are very happy and      
successful1 is well4 ,but to suggest    

that they are forfeiting this privilege 
of divine companionship and partnership1
 is quite painful enough1 be this       
forfeiture ever so partial4 ,old sinners
 are to be disciplined1 perhaps1 by that
 love of ,,god which speaks in the      
thunder1 the earthquake1 and fire1      
breaking through the crust of selfish   
habit to awaken attention to the still1 
small voice of conscience1 in which     
alone the ,lord is in person4 ,but the  
naughty child1 at his worst1 needs only 
to think of ,god as sorry for him1 and  
waiting to be gracious1 like the father 
of the prodigal son4  ,i can illustrate 
this by anecdotes of a child to whose   
moral life ,i was obliged to call in the
 aid of the religious sentiment1 and    
even of the specific ,christian         
revelation of pardon for all past wrong 
repented4 ,it was the case of a very    
sensitive child of nine years of age1   
whose mother was gifted with the finest 
imagination and moral instincts1 but was
 married to a cold1 ,dombey-like        

husband1 whom she unfortunately thought 
superior to herself1 whom she idealized1
 and endeavored to make her children    
satisfactory to his worldly ideal4 ,the 
result in their characters was more or  
less disastrous to each1 ending with the
 suicide of one4 ,this child's          
conscience of the duty of satisfying    
both parents ,i soon found to be        
abnormal2 and her sense of her father's 
contempt for her intellect1 and her     
mother's painstaking that she should    
satisfy him1 so worked on her           
sensibility that it suspended her       
reasoning powers2 and no matter what it 
was she failed in1 whether in missing an
 answer to a question in arithmetic1 or 
in failure of good temper when          
tormented1 she fell into despair4 ,i    
endeavored to show her that a mistake in
 any school exercise was no crime1 but  
only made an occasion for her learning  
more thoroughly the thing in hand1 and  
to show her that1 unless she had        
fortitude to bear failures1 and courage 

and hope to overcome them1 ,i could not 
help her out of them2 and ,i never      
rebuked any naughty manifestation of a  
moral character of any one in her       
presence1 but she would burst into      
tears1 and tell me how much naughtier   
she was4 ,one ,monday morning ,i asked  
my children1 as ,i was wont to do1 if   
there was anything interesting that they
 had heard at church or ,sunday-school  
the day before1 when1 almost with a     
shriek1 she cried out1 ,oh1 don't ask me
 that4 ,i said gently1 ,come with me    
into my chamber1 which she did1 crying  
all the while4 ,mr4 ,greenwood preached 
about the prayers1 and he said we should
 not look about the church1 or think of 
anything else1 while the service was    
being read2 and ,i always do1 and ,i    
can't help it1 because ,i am so bad4 ,i 
took her into my arms1 and said1 ,it is 
a sure proof that you are not bad1 that 
you are so distressed at the thought of 
doing wrong4 ,bad people do not care1   
and so they grow worse and worse2 but   

your conscience seems to forget the     
,heavenly ,father1 who did not give it  
to you to discourage you1 but to help   
you to see what way you must not go1 and
 to remind you that ,he is close by to  
help your good resolution1 which is the 
prayer of your will4  ,but ,i read in a 
hymn that ,,god sets down everything we 
do wrong in a book2 and at the judgment 
day ,he will read it all out to the     
assembled universe4 ,i told a lie once4 
,did you8 said ,i1 tenderly4 ,tell me   
all about how you came to4 ,i cannot1   
said she1 because then ,i should have to
 tell something bad about somebody else1
 which ,i must not4 ,how long ago was   
it8 ,it was when we were living at ----4
 ,i saw by this that it was several     
years before4  ,she had a little        
brother1 of whom she was very fond4 ,i  
took hold of a locket that she wore     
about her neck1 that contained the hair 
of the lady for whom she was named1 and 
the memory of whose great virtues had   
been impressed on her imagination1 and  

said3--  ,what if ,edward should take   
this locket and break it1 and take out  
the hair and throw it in the fire8 ,with
 a great deal of energy she said3--  ,he
 never would do such a naughty thing4   
,he might do it without being naughty2  
he would not know that you never could  
get any more of ,miss ----'s hair2 and  
he would do it from innocent            
curiosity--and what if he should do it1 
what would you do8  ,why1 ,i should tell
 him he was a very naughty boy1 meddling
 with other people's things1 and that he
 had done something that he could never 
make up1 for there was no more of that  
hair4  ,well1 said ,i1 and ,i suppose   
you would say that1 very likely crying1 
and if he seeing that he had given you  
such pain1 should begin to cry1 and     
should cry all the rest of the day1 and 
cry himself to sleep1 and when he waked 
in the morning should begin to cry      
again1 and should cry all day for       
weeks--what would you do8  ,why1 ,i     
should tell him ,i was sorry to lose my 

locket1 but ,i could bear it1 and he    
must forget about it1 for he did not    
know what a mischief he was doing1 and  
,i should take him out to walk1 and     
amuse him1 and do everything to make him
 forget it4  ,why should you do all     
this8  ,because ,i love him1 she said4  
,do you believe you love him better than
 ,,god loves you8  ,with a look of      
surprise1 she said1 ,does ,,god love us 
the same way we love8  ,there is but one
 kind of love1 ,i said1 and ,i really   
think ,he would like to have you forget 
that lie you told so long ago1 without  
thinking how wrong it was1 because you  
were thinking of something else1 just as
 ,edward was only thinking he wanted to 
see what was under the glass of the     
locket4  ,she looked at me wistfully4   
,did you ever read about ,jesus ,christ 
in the ,new ,testament8 said ,i4  ,yes1 
and ,i hate to4  ,why8  ,because you    
know everybody says we must be like     
,him1 and ,he never did anything wrong1 
and ,i cannot be like ,him1 for ,i do   

wrong of all kinds--beside that lie1 and
 you know how cross ,i am4  ,o1 said ,i1
 ,i do not wonder you feel discouraged  
if you think that you must be as good as
 ,jesus ,christ right away1 to begin    
with2 but ,jesus ,christ came into the  
world to say a word that is the most    
important word in the ,new ,testament1  
and if ,he had not said it1 ,he would   
have done us more harm than good with   
,his perfect example1 discouraging us   
entirely4  ,what was that word8 she     
asked1 with the most eager interest4    
,pardon1 said ,i1 for all past          
wrong-doing that you are sorry for4     
,oh1 ,miss ,peabody1 ,i never thought of
 the meaning of that word before4  ,yes1
 darling1 said ,i1 and that is the      
reason of all your trouble4 ,now think  
of it always2 and thank ,,god that ,he  
sent ,jesus to say it4 ,that lie of     
yours ,,god has pardoned long ago1 just 
as you would have pardoned little       
,edward4 ,we all do wrong things when we
 are children1 and learn by doing them  

not to do them again4 ,now from to-day  
begin all your life over again4 ,when   
you miss in your lessons1 instead of    
crying1 just let it go1 and ask me to   
help you try again4 ,so in making other 
mistakes1 and when you feel cross1 which
 comes in your case because you are so  
easily discouraged1--for that makes you 
have dyspepsia1--just forget it as soon 
as possible and go and do something     
pleasant1 and think that ,,god loves    
you1 and only lets you do wrong to show 
you that you need to be getting wisdom  
all the time1 and you will grow stronger
 continually1 and the older you grow1   
the better you will understand4  ,i     
never knew a moral crisis in any child's
 life so marked as this was4 ,she had a 
very hard path in life to walk and      
suffered much1 but she never again lost 
the hope by which we live1 and at       
length1 full of years1 joined the ,choir
 ,invisible1 from which commanding      
standpoint she doubtless sees the end   
from the beginning1 and how ,,god's     

redeeming ,providence completes ,his    
creation of a free agent4 ,what ,i      
insist upon is1 that a child should     
never be left to doubt1 but should      
always be helped to feel sure that ,,god
 is loving him better than he loves     
himself2 is sorry far more than angry   
with him when he has done wrong1 and    
therefore it is that ,he will not let   
him succeed in doing wrong1 but has so  
arranged things that the wrong always   
gets checked2 that ,,god is especially  
good precisely because ,he makes the    
ways of the transgressor hard4 ,never   
let the ,infinite ,power appear to the  
naughty child's imagination as          
punishing1 but only as encouraging1     
inspiring1 helping6 ,it is recorded as  
characteristic of the highest           
manifestation of ,,god and ,educator of 
man1 who appeared to ,his most spiritual
 disciple as the ,eternal ,word made    
flesh1 that ,he did not quench the      
smoking flax or bruise the broken reed1 
but distilled upon humanity--especially 

in its flowering stage--the gentle dews 
of blessing1--taking little children in 
,his arms to bless them4  ,you may ask1 
,but what if a child proves in some     
instances incorrigible to the method of 
love8 ,what shall we do then8 ,i think  
it will be sufficient to ask any        
,christian1 ,what did ,jesus do when the
 ,jews proved insensible and            
incorrigible to his long-suffering1     
brotherly love1 making it the occasion  
of their own capital crime8 ,did he     
abandon the method of love when they    
nailed him to the cross1 or even doubt  
it8 ,let us dwell on this a little4 ,was
 it not the special trial of ,jesus     
,christ's human life1 the last          
temptation through which he was         
constrained by his apparent failure of  
accomplishing the work of redeeming     
,israel1 by leading them of their own   
selves to judge and do what is right to 
cry out1 ,my ,god6 my ,god6 why hast    
thou forsaken me8 ,for instead of their 
coming to him to get the waters of life 

he offered1 they had made it the very   
act of their religion to murder him as a
 blasphemer4 ,i ask1 ,did he1 even then1
 exchange his method of forbearing love 
for cursing8 ,did he not1 even then1    
hold fast to the principle of           
brotherliness by commending his spirit  
7which was his work7 into the hands of  
the ,father1 with the words3 ,forgive   
them1 for they know not what they do2   
showing that he felt that this ignorance
 was infinitely more pitiable than his  
own apparently forgotten bodily agonies8
 ,and1 in this great humane act of      
forbearance1 and divine act of faith did
 he not reveal in its fulness the loving
 character of ,god1 whom he had always  
called ,father1 and with whom he proved 
himself one by this very token1 which   
converted the ,jewish thief and the     
,roman centurion on the spot2 and which1
 step by step1 is slowly but surely 7by 
inspiring his disciples with the same   
spirit and method of dealing with their 
fellow-beings7 converting the world8    

,the moment of despair of an immediate  
spiritual good we are trying to do1 is  
often the moment of our doing a higher  
and greater good4  ,as ,jesus resigned  
his own finite will1 as the son of      
,david1 which was fixed on bringing the 
,jewish nation to fulfil its national   
mission of blessing all the families of 
the earth1 which he understood to be the
 motive inspiration of ,abraham's       
emigration from ,babylonian civilization
 into the wilderness2 and as he accepted
 the will of his ,father1 which seemed  
to be that the privilege to do this     
patriotic duty was not granted to him as
 he had grown up thinking1 the will was 
lifted1 and he found himself doing      
more--becoming the ,saviour1 not of the 
nation of the ,jews merely1 but of all  
men1 and so sat down on the right hand  
of ,,god4 ,for he proved himself to the 
heart of all humanity1 ,,god's ,son1    
loving1 not for the sake of men's       
reciprocation and appreciation of       
himself1 but for the sake of the        

salvation of humanity4 ,therefore       
,christ's method is the one for every   
man and woman on all planes of activity1
 however humble4 ,i have heard more than
 one mother say1 that when they had     
tried every method they knew of to      
influence their child to give up some   
wrong object on which the irrefragable  
free will was bent1 and all tender and  
violent measures had failed1 the        
irrepressible tears of their despairing 
love had most unexpectedly melted the   
hardness of self-will at once1 and      
effected the cure4 ,,love1 when it is   
understood1 is irresistible4 ,our sacred
 oracles teach us that the origin of    
evil is in a doubt of ,,god's love4 ,in 
,eden it was a suspicion that ,he had   
some selfish ends in forbidding even one
 thing in a world of free gifts4  ,the  
conquest of evil1 on the other hand1    
they represent1 was in ,jesus ,christ's 
trusting ,god's love1 in a lost world1  
amidst the physical agonies of his      
cross1 and the moral anguish of a       

disappointment of the grandest aim that 
ever one born of woman had set to       
himself for his life-work4 ,in          
faithfully trying to do the lesser good 
just at hand1 he developed the power to 
save all men from their sins2 not merely
 his own people4  ,to the training class
 of kindergartners ,i would say1 your   
special work is rather to prevent1 than 
to conquer sin1 in the objects of your  
care2 therefore you should1 in your own 
imagination1 associate yourself with    
,god creating1 first leading children to
 realize that all ,he has made is very  
good and must be kept so1 which is      
giving the religious nurture4  ,that    
great word of ,froebel1 man is a        
creative being1 has said in the world of
 education1 whether religious1 moral1 or
 intellectual1 ,let there be light1 and 
is never to be forgotten in its         
uttermost meaning4  ,in this truth you  
will find an infinite resource of hope  
and successful energy4 ,you may think   
that you apprehend and accept the scope 

of this pregnant word1 because you do   
not reject it as a proposition2 but     
partial knowledge is often deluding1 and
 not doubting is far from efficient     
conviction1 which a comprehensive and   
penetrating understanding of a principle
 gives4 ,let me illustrate this illusion
 of thinking we comprehend when we do   
not1 by some of ,froebel's gifts4       
,think of the four last gifts of        
,froebel in their wholeness of form1 as 
cubes4 ,when these cubes are uncovered  
and you recognize them as eight1 or     
twenty-seven1 or thirty-six wooden1     
solid1 six-sided1 eight-cornered1       
twelve-edged units1 and see the         
relations of their properties in nature1
 it may seem to you as if you           
exhaustively knew the cube2 but you do  
not if you have omitted to notice one   
property inherent in it1 more important 
because pregnant with more consequences 
than any other property1--,i mean its   
divisibility by means of which its      
possible transformations are            

innumerable1 every transformation       
presenting the symmetry of the original 
in a new variety of beauty1 so that if  
you will give to a child one of these   
divisible cubes and suggest to him the  
clue of the law of connecting contrasts1
 which is the law of all production1 he 
will never tire 7except physically7 of  
making the new combinations1 and seeking
 through each and all1 that sense of a  
whole which was the first impression4   
,it is by reason of its divisibility1   
that the cube can be transformed        
infinitely4 ,now you may conceive the   
nature of man as a whole1 and observe a 
great many of his attributes1 and yet   
not see the greatest1--his creativeness1
 whose consequences are infinite4       
,educational science has1 in fact1      
generally omitted to do this in the     
past1 and treated a child according to  
the attributes it recognized2 but1      
because before ,froebel's day man had   
not been recognized by the reflective   
mind as a creative being1 it had not    

been realized that he can be            
transformed1 or transform himself as    
well as his surroundings1 infinitely1   
ever producing something new1 and hence 
that there may be1 in the lapse of ages1
 as much variety in human production as 
there is in ,god's workings in the      
,universe4  ,it is1 in short1 because   
education has not hitherto conceived of 
man as creative1 that there has been so 
much dead uniformity and lifeless       
repetition on the plane of humanity2 and
 that a general characteristic of       
educational systems hitherto has been a 
mechanical running of the human being   
into certain fixed moulds1 not only     
irrespective of individual tendencies1  
but antagonistic to the universal       
creative impulse1 which is the          
profoundest characteristic of man1 and  
which1 not being understood1 has1 in a  
great measure1 proved only a source of  
disorder1 and given a bad name with     
people of genius to educational art     
7although it is the highest of all the  

high arts71 its material1 if you will   
forgive the verbal ambiguity1 being     
living spirit4  ,richard ,wagner has    
said that were it not for education1 all
 men would be geniuses1 for they are    
endowed at birth with the passionate    
pursuit of the new1 needing only liberty
 and opportunity for self-direction4    
,liberty and opportunity6 ,there could  
not be a better description of          
,froebel's principle and method of      
education4  ,to give liberty and        
opportunity to the creative principle of
 the child is just the work you have to 
do2 but observe1 this is not to leave   
him to the caprices of an uneducated    
will4 ,there is neither liberty nor     
opportunity in that6  ,eternal vigilance
 is the price of liberty1 moral as well 
as political2 and before the child is   
old enough to appreciate this1 and be   
vigilant for himself1 the educator must 
do so for him1 genially1 but firmly     
intervening to secure to his mind that  
pause before action on the moral1 the   

artistic1 and intellectual plane1 that  
the ,friends recognize to be necessary  
before acting on the spiritual plane4   
,the ways of caprice are                
multitudinous1--the way of life is one  
for each individual1 and is pointed out 
to the pausing attentive mind by the    
,father1 who speaks to us1 within1      
forever2 but whose voice can only be    
heard when listened to by intention2    
even on the intellectual plane1 we do   
not let the will go storming on1 without
 the guidance of law1 which is the voice
 of the very present ,creator heard in  
the silence of reflection on perceived  
facts and truths4  ,there is a right and
 a wrong way of doing                   
everything1--always4 ,the right way will
 always produce a thing of use or of    
beauty1 whose reaction on the mind of   
the producer cultivates his mind1 or    
grows the human understanding2 but this 
right way is only to be discovered in   
that pause between impulse and action   
which is the characteristic             

discrimination of man from all other    
animals1 and must be secured for the    
child by the care of his educators--even
 when he is only playing1 or the play   
will tire instead of exhilarate4  ,hence
 it is not enough1 though it is         
indispensable1 to guide children's      
activity while it is still irreflective 
to spontaneously make forms of beauty   
and use with its playthings and         
materials of occupation2 but after they 
have made something1 you are to make    
them stop and look back 7not every time1
 but often71 and go over in thought1 and
 put into words1 what they have done1   
and lead them to observe all the        
properties and relations of the thing   
that are obvious to the childish sense2 
and when you have thus secured an       
impression of the means by which order  
is attained1 you have given an          
experimental knowledge of there being a 
spiritual order2 that is1 a world of    
individual laws and a law-giver         
independent of human will and meant to  

lift it into the divine4 ,those of you  
who are ,friends will agree with me that
 human beings can manifest no spiritual 
beauty or moral power1 except so far as 
they listen to the ,shepherd of souls in
 the holy pause of the hours of worship1
 a voice always suggesting loving       
activity4 ,and cannot you see1 that no  
artistic production1 no intellectual    
work1 is possible without listening1 in 
the pause of reflection for the word of 
the law of beauty or use1 that the      
,creator of the intellect gives8 and    
which makes art and science the worship 
of ,,god with the mind8  ,the most      
important1 the crowning work of the     
kindergartner1 is to secure to the child
 this moment of reflection in the midst 
of his play and work on all planes of   
life2 and you do so by sympathetically  
playing with him and gently guiding his 
unthinking1 impulsive activity1 and     
asking him what he has done and is going
 to do1 and not letting him do anything 
till he seeks to do the symmetrical or1 

at least1 the useful thing4 ,it is not  
every movement that will produce the    
satisfactory result4 ,it is thus that   
the child learns that there is a greater
 mind than his own1 or even than his    
teacher's mind1 present with him guiding
 the intellect1 for artistic principles 
flow into the mind from an ,eternal     
source1 no less than do moral and       
spiritual principles4 ,in short1 the    
true method of the intellect is the     
perpetual gift of a very present ,,god1 
as much as the true method of the heart 
and soul4  ,man1 then1 in the last      
analysis1 is a creative being2 and the  
,froebel education has for its final    
object1 to give him the dominion over   
everything in the earth2 put all the    
cosmic forces into his hands1--as well  
as to bring him into the communion of   
love with his fellows2 thus lifting his 
whole nature to the height of sitting   
down with our ,elder brother on the     
throne1 with the ,universal ,father4    
,you should keep this great idea before 

you1 and it will enable you to use the  
technique that you have been learning1  
with a certain freedom as well as       
fidelity1 guiding these playful         
exercises in such an order as you may   
find agreeable and salutary for them2   
and to check caprice1 you must insist   
that1 in these appointed times1 they do 
the appointed things1 ,,or ,,do         
,,nothing1 for they will generally      
conclude to do the thing in hand1 rather
 than ,,do ,,nothing while all their    
companions are doing their work2 and    
when they are doing nothing1 they will  
have time for reflection1 and to hear   
the inward voice of law1 with the       
opportunity voluntarily to accept it4   
,thus does ,,god give to all his        
children to have life in themselves1 and
 to bring out their whole likeness to   
,himself1 which proves that they are not
 his bond slaves1--like the lower       
animals1--but ,,sons4 ,if there are not 
in the universe two leaves that are     
alike1 still less are there two souls   

that are alike4 ,but leaves and souls1  
after all1 are alike in more than they  
are different4 ,you can provide action  
for all the instincts that children have
 in common1 and create a common         
consciousness to a certain extent1 which
 is the common sense2 but what is       
peculiar to each1 and makes the         
independent individual1 is his own      
secret1 and you can only help ,,that to 
flower and fruitage by giving him the   
conditions of free1 independent action1 
opening the inward eye and sharpening   
the inward ear for communication with   
,him who alone can adequately guide the 
will to the satisfaction of all the     
sensibilities of the heart1 and the     
powers of intellect1 and all the        
creative energies3 but the religious and
 moral principles ,i shall endeavor to  
define are general1 not peculiar to1 but
 inclusive of1 the kindergarten plan of 
education4 ,to have these principles    
clear and disengaged from the accidental
 associations of the various            

denominations of the church1 all of     
which 7and also with many of those      
outside of any visible church7 unite in 
that faith in ,god1 and that            
disinterested love of humanity1 which   
was historically enacted on earth by    
,jesus ,christ1 and into which every    
child born on the earth should be       
brought before he is old enough to      
appreciate those intellectual           
distinctions which make different       
creeds2 because then the kindergartner  
will be able to meet children on the    
high plane of life where their angels   
7does not that mean their spiritual     
instincts or ideals87 behold the face of
 the ,father1 and only then will the    
kindergartner practically enter into    
,froebel's method of living with the    
children1 and communing with their      
innocence4  ,i see a great deal of this 
practical application in the            
kindergartens kept by the well-trained  
kindergartners2 and especially when they
 are mothers1 who unquestionably make   

the best kindergartners 7other things   
being equal71 because it is easier for  
mothers to divine the consciousness of  
their children4 ,in the opening hour of 
the kindergarten1 when the kindergartner
 interchanges the songs and hymns which 
the children choose1 or at least agree  
to1 with real free conversation1 in     
which each child has a chance to tell   
what is uppermost in his little mind1   
the very most important work of the     
kindergartner is done4 ,it has been my  
privilege to listen to much of this in  
the kindergartens kept severally by the 
mothers1 who make the children feel that
 they are interested in whatever they   
say1 however apparently trivial is the  
subject1 and who answer genially1       
connecting it with something else1 and  
so organizing the reflective powers of  
the children1 that everything they think
 is seen to be a part of the process of 
moral1 religious1 and even intellectual 
growth4  ,the possibility of doing this 
will prove to any one who has any heart 

and imagination that it is no mere      
poetic phrase1 but a profound spiritual 
truth1 that ,heaven lies about us in our
 infancy1 that children do come from    
,,god who is their home1 trailing clouds
 of glory1 and for a time               
are still attended           ,by the    
vision splendid1  although too often    
,the man beholds it die away1           
,and fade into the light of common day4 
,of course all the opening conversation 
need not be on the moral and religious  
planes1 but some of it should lead into 
explanations of nature and of the common
 life of this work-day world1 improving 
dexterity and common sense2 but one can 
hardly talk with children about         
anything1 in a genuine way1 that does   
not bring out of them some religious or 
moral expression4 ,i think it is in     
connection with these conversations to  
which the children furnish by their     
spontaneous confidences the vital       
points1 round which the thoughts of the 
whole little company shall revolve1 that

 the teacher can connect her own        
story-telling4  ,for such genuine       
conversation the necessary prerequisite 
on the part of the teacher is a real    
faith in children's being the breath of 
,god in their ,essence4  ,then she will 
not have any will-work of her own1 but  
listen to hear what the child is        
attending to1 be it nothing but a bit of
 string1 which1 of course1 must have a  
certain length that can be measured1 and
 with which other things may be         
measured1 and which is made of material 
that has passed perhaps through the     
hands of many manufacturers1 and which  
in its elements at least was a growth of
 nature1 all whose works bear witness to
 the being of ,,god2 for ,,god's throne 
may be reached from the ground of       
childish play as certainly and readily  
as from many a pulpit and cathedral1 if 
not more so4  ,a child whose affection  
for his companions and for the          
personages of a story told by the       
kindergartner1 and who sees the         

connection of some little playful or    
other experience that he tells as his   
story for the morning1 is engaged in a  
service of ,god1 more vitally bearing on
 his growth in grace than any mere      
repetition of prayers4 ,a play bringing 
out little kindnesses1 sweet courtesies1
 gentle self-adjustments to his         
companions1 the asking and giving of    
forgiveness for little discourtesies or 
grave wrong-doings1 brings the child    
nearer ,,god than any spoken words of   
worship can1 the joy attending such     
innocent sweetness being the proof of   
the vital union of his soul with a very 
present ,,god4  ,so the work of the good
 ,samaritan1 though he was doubtless    
thinking only of the individual he was  
comforting1 and not at all of ,god1 was 
recognized by ,christ as a real act of  
worship2 for it was the fulfilment of   
the second commandment like unto the    
first4  ,the time will come1 ,i         
confidently believe1 when all           
religionists of whatever denomination   

will recognize that the favorite        
doctrines and formalities which         
distinguish them from each other are a  
mere superficial crust of that true     
spiritual life which is to be lived when
 the grown-up shall all become as little
 children1 who feel that1            ,in
 their work and in their play1          
,god is with them all the day4  ,in     
speaking of the ceremonies of the       
,temple worship1 which ,moses made      
symbolical of all the virtues of life1  
moral and religious1 but which in       
,paul's day had fallen into such a mere 
ritual that this great ,apostle said    
that the ,holy ,ghost was not bodily    
exercise1 but a hopeful1 faithful       
charity of thought1 feeling1 and deed2  
and this is what children can be guided 
into from the beginning1 provided the   
kindergartner knows how to converse and 
play with them instead of talking to    
them and coercing them ever so kindly   
into acting out her will4 ,the play of  
childhood is the most genuine and       

intense life that is lived1 body1 heart1
 and will conspiring entirely2 and it is
 by respecting the child's will and     
heart that you really help instead of   
hindering this unification of his       
threefold nature1 which corresponds to  
the ,trinity of the ,supreme ,being and 
prevents that from becoming a           
bewildering tritheism in his conception4
  ,a child cannot be just unless he is  
loving1 nor attain the freedom of moral 
dignity unless he asserts himself2 and  
there is no way to nurture this         
self-respect except to express respect  
to him1 by being as courteous to him as 
you are to any adult1 always asking him 
to explain himself and his own motives1 
when he seems to be in the wrong1 before
 you condemn him4  ,i think ,i have     
gained some of the deepest insights ,i  
have ever had into ,divine ,truth1 by   
discovering what was the motive thought 
of some child1 who did what seemed      
inexplicable1 till he told me1 or ,i had
 divined1 his secret reason4  ,it is not

 mothers alone who can charm out of     
children their secret1 as those know who
 have seen some maiden kindergartners   
talk with their pupils in the opening   
exercises2 but those who are not mothers
 will always do well to observe         
carefully those who are4 ,on the other  
hand1 mothers have to guard themselves  
against exaggerating their own          
children's natures comparatively4 ,i    
have known some of the best mothers in  
the world do that1 so as to be          
practically of bad influence over       
children not their own4  ,mothers who   
would be and can be the best            
kindergartners should therefore none the
 less study ,froebel's science carefully
 and humbly4  ,all children are alike in
 having the threefold nature4 ,i wish ,i
 had time to tell of a hundred          
kindergarten experiences that have come 
under my observation1 in which the      
respectful1 genial kindergartner has    
assisted in some moral development1     
whose occasion was very trivial to the  

superficial observer4  ,herein lies the 
importance of prefacing the school with 
the kindergarten1 that in it all the    
virtues and ,christian graces can be    
unconsciously practised on the plane of 
play1 which is the moral gymnasium of   
mankind4  ,this is the meaning of       
,solomon's wise saying1 ,train up a     
child in the way he should go1 and when 
he is old he will not depart from it4   
,but the nature1 which is the image of  
the ,divine ,nature1 cannot be          
mechanically1 but must be morally and   
spiritually1 trained2 that is1 addressed
 and treated as free agency4  ,the      
salutation of the ,brahmin to his       
youthful son1 no less than to his equal 
in age1 is to the divinity which is in  
you ,i do homage4 ,this is one of the   
gleams of light from the lost ,paradise 
in which man was created1 and to which  
we hope the kindergarten is to more than
 restore the race1 when it shall have   
become the universally applied principle
 of culture for human beings4 7,see     

,appendix1 ,note ,f47  ,,footnotes3  #aa
 ,see ,george ,macdonald's ,vicar's     
,daughter4  #ab ,this unique book was   
the text-book ,froebel used in his      
training-school4 ,its profound meaning1 
and how it points to the divine         
philosophy of the instinctive play1 that
 is the first phenomenon of human life  
with mother and child1 some of you have 
heard ,miss ,blow and ,miss ,fisher     
luminously explain in a course of       
lectures much longer than mine1 and     
which ,i hope they may be persuaded to  
publish in book form4     ,,glimpses    
,,of ,,psychology4   ,,spirituality4    
,,we speak of the necessity of studying 
childhood2 we call children living books
 of nature1 and say that we cannot      
succeed in educating them 7which is     
putting them into a harmonious activity 
of all their powers71 without knowledge1
 such as a musical performer has of his 
instrument1 of these harps of a thousand
 strings4  ,this fundamental knowledge  
of children is not chiefly a            

discrimination of their individualities2
 though observation of these will be    
made by a consummate kindergartner2 it  
is a knowledge of what is universal in  
children1 essential to the constitution 
of human beings4  ,froebel never wrote  
out1 in systematic form1 the psychology 
which underlies and gives the rational  
ground to all the details of his method4
 ,but there are pregnant sentences in   
all his writings1 and in his sayings    
handed down by tradition1 which give    
such insights1 that it can be divined   
with some completeness4  ,we propose to 
give such glimpses as occur to us from  
time to time--not always in our own     
words1 but as often as we can in        
,froebel's1 and also in the words of    
other thinkers1 whose guesses at this   
kind of truth light up their writings on
 many subjects4  ,we must1 in the first 
place1 attend to one important fact2    
there is1 in the experience of          
childhood1 somewhat pre-existent to all 
impressions made by the universe1 and   

consequently to all operations of the   
understanding--perceiving1 comparing1   
judging--for these are intentional acts 
of the pre-existent soul breathed into  
his body and bidden to have             
dominion4--,genesis #a4  ,what is this  
pre-existent soul1 this mysterious depth
 of personality8  ,washington ,allston1 
in his posthumous lectures on ,art1 has 
finely said3 ,man does not live by      
science2 he feels1 acts1 and judges     
right in a thousand things1 without the 
consciousness of any rule by which he so
 feels1 acts1 and judges4 ,happily for  
him1 he has a surer guide than human    
science in that unknown power within    
him1 without which he had been without  
any knowledge4 ,again1 he speaks of     
those intuitive powers1 which are above 
and beyond both the understanding and   
the senses2 which1 nevertheless1 are so 
far from precluding knowledge1 as1 on   
the contrary1 to require--as their      
effective condition--the widest intimacy
 with things external1 without which    

their very existence must remain        
unknown4  ,he does not1 however1 merely 
assert this pre-existence of the soul to
 the understanding1 but speaks of the   
evidence of it that we all can          
appreciate4 ,suppose1 he says1 we       
analyze a certain combination of sounds 
and colors1 so as to ascertain the exact
 relative qualities of the one1 and the 
collocation of the other1 and then      
compare them1 what possible resemblance 
can the understanding perceive between  
these sounds and colors8 ,and yet a     
something within us responds to both--a 
similar emotion4 ,and so it is with a   
thousand things1 nay1 with myriads of   
objects1 that have no other affinity but
 with that mysterious harmony1 which    
began with our being1 which slept with  
our infancy1 and which their presence   
only seems to have awakened4 ,if we     
cannot go back to our own childhood1 we 
may see its illustration in those about 
us who are now in that unsophisticated  
state4 ,look at them in the fields1     

among the birds and flowers2 their happy
 faces speak the harmony within them2   
the divine instrument which these       
objects have touched1 gives them a joy1 
which perhaps only childhood1 in its    
first fresh consciousness1 can know1 yet
 what do children understand of the     
theory of colors1 or musical quantities8
  ,that this mysterious power1 this     
feeling soul1 is the human              
characteristic1 is suggested in another 
paragraph of these lectures4 ,what1 for 
instance1 can we suppose to be the      
effect of the purple haze of a summer   
sunset on the cows or sheep1 or even on 
the more delicate inhabitants of the    
air8 ,from what we know of their habits1
 we cannot suppose more than the mere   
physical enjoyment of its genial        
temperature8 ,but how is it with the    
man1 whom we shall suppose an object in 
the same scene1 stretched on the same   
bank with the ruminating cattle1 and    
basking in the same light that flickers 
from the skimming birds8 ,does he feel  

nothing more than the genial            
warmth8--,vol4 ,i4 p4 #hd4  ,this       
feeling of beauty1 this power which     
appreciates harmony1 this creative      
unity1 in fine1 this sthetic soul1      
distinct from and above the             
understanding 7which certain            
philosophers seem to think is all of    
man1 over and above his body71 is not   
all of the soul1--but the moral and even
 merely social sentiment has the same   
pre-existence4 ,allston bears witness to
 this also4 ,he says3 ,with respect to  
,truth and ,goodness1 whose pre-existent
 ideas1 being living constituents of an 
immortal spirit1 need but the slightest 
breath of some outward condition of the 
true and good--a simple problem or a    
kind act--to awaken them1 as it were1   
from their unconscious sleep4444 ,we may
 venture to assert that no philosopher1 
however ingenious1 could communicate to 
a child the abstract idea of ,right1 had
 the child nothing beyond or above the  
understanding4 ,he might1 indeed1 be    

taught1 like inferior animals1--a dog1  
for instance1--that if he took certain  
forbidden things1 he would be punished1 
and thus do right through fear4 ,still  
he would desire the forbidden thing     
belonging to another1 nor could he      
conceive why he should not appropriate  
to himself--and thus allay his          
appetite--what was another's1 could he  
do so undetected2 nor attain to any     
higher notion of ,right than that of the
 strongest4 ,but the child has something
 higher than the mere power of          
apprehending consequences 7external874  
,the simplest exposition1 whether of    
right or wrong1 is instantly responded  
to by something within him1 which1 thus 
awakened1 becomes to him a living voice1
 and the good and the true must         
thenceforth answer its call4 ,we do not 
say that these ideas of ,beauty1 ,truth1
 and ,goodness will1 strictly speaking1 
always act4 ,though indestructible1 they
 may be banished for a time by the      
perverted ,will1 and mockeries of the   

brain1 like the fume-born phantoms from 
the witches' cauldron in ,macbeth1 may  
take their places and assume their      
functions4 ,we have examples of this in 
every age1 and perhaps in none more     
startling than the present4 ,but we mean
 only that they cannot be 7absolutely87 
forgotten2 nay1 they are but too often  
recalled with unwelcome distinctness4444
  ,from the dim present1 then1 we would 
appeal to that fresher time1 ere the    
young spirit had shrunk from the        
overbearing pride of the 7vitiated87    
understanding1 and confidently ask1 if  
the emotions we then felt from the      
,beautiful1 the ,true1 and the ,good1   
did not seem1 in some way1 to refer to a
 common origin8 ,and we would also ask1 
if it was frequent that the influence   
from one was singly felt8 if it did not 
rather bring with it1 however remotely1 
a sense of something--though widely     
differing1--yet still akin to it8 when  
we have basked in the beauty of a summer
 sunset1 was there nothing in the sky1  

that spoke to the soul of ,truth and    
,goodness8 ,and when the opening        
intellect first received the truth of   
the great law of gravitation1 and felt  
itself mounting through the profound of 
space1 to travel with the planets in    
their unerring rounds1--did never then  
the kindred ideas of ,goodness and      
,beauty chime in1 as it were1 with the  
fabled music 7not fabled to the soul71  
which led you on as one entranced8 ,and 
again1 when1 in the passive quiet of    
your moral nature1 so predisposed1 in   
youth1 to all things genial1 you have   
looked around on this marvellous1       
ever-teeming earth1 ever teeming alike  
for mind and body1 and have felt upon   
you the flow1 as from ten thousand      
streams of innocent enjoyment1 did you  
not then almost hear them shout in      
confluence1 and almost see them gushing 
upwards1 as if they would prove their   
unity in one harmonious fountain8  ,it  
is of the last consequence that the     
kindergartner should take into her mind 

that this sthetic soul exists in        
children as a primary fact2 for1 unless 
she believes in it1 she will not respect
 it1 and take advantage of it in what   
she does for them4 ,it is to be         
respected and brought out into the      
understanding of children1 by means of  
the beautiful things which she leads    
them to do and make1 and with which she 
surrounds them2 for1 as ,allston says1  
this consciousness requires as its      
effective condition1 the widest intimacy
 with things external4 ,when children   
are continually in squalid surroundings1
 these seem at length to strike in and  
paralyze the spontaneous action of the  
sthetic being1 who is pre-existent to   
consciousness of the power which        
compares and judges and makes up a      
theory of colors4 ,and1 as has been     
shown1 this feeling of beauty1 this     
power of appreciating harmony and unity1
 this sthetic nature1 distinct from and 
above the understanding1 which some     
people idly think to be all of man      

beside his body1 is not all of the soul1
 for the moral sentiment has the same   
pre-existence4  ,we have brought        
together these paragraphs taken from    
,allston's lectures on ,art1 for the    
consideration of practical              
kindergartners1 all the more            
confidently1 because they were not      
written as theory of education1 but were
 parts of a practical inquiry after the 
standard of judgment for pictorial and  
plastic artists and the spectator of    
their works4 ,he sought to deliver them 
from the benumbing effect of inadequate 
science1--for science must always be    
inadequate1 as ,newton so forcibly      
expressed1 when he defined it gathering 
a few pebbles on the shores of the      
infinite ocean of truth4 ,the object of 
the lecturer was what the               
kindergartner's first object should     
be1--to awaken the self-respect of the  
eternal soul within us all1 making the  
life of our individuality--our          
personality--which1 in its mysterious   

depth and independent pre-existence to  
the finite understanding1 is the image  
of the ,divine ,personality1 whose      
spoken word is the material universe1   
but clothed in flesh becomes ,,man4 ,it 
is no part of the kindergartner's duty  
to give--she can only awaken--the       
feelings of harmony1 beauty1 unity1 and 
conscience4 ,she is to present the right
 order of proceeding1 in all that the   
child shall do1 thereby assisting him to
 form his own understanding so that his 
bodily organization may be properly     
developed2 to let in upon his soul      
nature in its beauteous forms and order1
 and his fellow-creatures1 in their     
legitimate claims upon him4 ,then he    
shall come forth from the sleep of      
unconscious infancy1 into a progressive 
consciousness of all his relations1 with
 the blessings and duties that belong to
 them4 ,this forming of the             
understanding1 this marrying of finite  
thought to infinite love1 is ,froebel's 
,education2 and cannot be accomplished1 

unless the kindergartner clearly sees   
what ,god has done for the child        
absolutely1 and what for an ineffable   
purpose1--most gracious to the human    
race1--,he has left to be done by human 
providence1 whether of the mother or    
kindergartner1 or some other            
fellow-creature4  ,it makes a           
heaven-wide difference whether the soul 
of a child is regarded as a piece of    
blank paper to be written upon1 or as a 
living power1 to be quickened by        
sympathy1 to be educated by truth4      
,,understanding4  ,,we have spoken of   
the evidences of the sthetic being found
 in the mysterious depths of human      
personality1 pre-existent to the        
individual understanding 7which is a    
growth in time72 and that1 without there
 were this sthetic being1 underlying all
 individual consciousness1 there would  
be no standard of human virtue or art4  
,this sthetic person has also 7previous 
to the development of the understanding1
 which makes the synthesis of himself   

and nature7 an impulsive force1 instinct
 with the desire to change his          
conditions4 ,man does not appear in the 
world merely as sensibility to enjoyment
 and suffering2 but as veritable force1 
as well1 whose action must produce an   
effect either orderly or disorderly4    
,the material universe is composed of   
forces1 limiting in a measure personal  
force4 ,all material forces are uniform 
and necessary and correlative in their  
action1 which is impressed upon them    
from without themselves4 ,man alone is  
self-active1 and may clash with the     
other forces to his own pain1 and he    
will often do so1 until by knowledge of 
them he can harmonize with them1 and    
make them his own instrumentality to    
satisfy his sthetic nature4 ,we call    
this self-activity of man1 which is in  
such vital union with his sensibility1  
the human will1 and it makes the        
personal life of every one to learn this
 self-activity of his1 in its           
differences from and relations to all   

other forces1 as he can only do         
perfectly by keeping in intellectual and
 sympathetic social relation with other 
sthetic persons4 ,in every individual   
case1 he finds himself in these         
relations with fellow-beings who have   
more or less of the knowledge he has    
not2 and some of them have all the      
responsibility of his actions until he  
has begun to know himself in            
discrimination from the material        
universe and its fixed relations and    
laws1 which serve as a fulcrum for his  
own effective action among them4 ,the   
one central unity whose sthetic being   
and will are inclusive of himself and   
fellow-beings as subject1 on the one    
hand1 and of the material universe as   
object1 on the other1 is ,god4  ,the    
absoluteness of man as a force1 is no   
less certain because he is finite and   
not omnipotent4 ,god is the omnipotent  
maker of the material universe1 but man 
is not absolutely made2 he is a cause1  
that is1 created to make1 if we may     

credit the ancient prophet1 whose hymn  
of creation is the most wonderful       
expression of human genius1 unless it be
 surpassed by the proem of ,st4 ,john's 
,gospel1 which is a correspondent poem1 
with ,god for its theme instead of man  
and nature4  ,it was not till the embryo
 man had become1 in one instance at     
least1 the fully developed man1 that    
this hymn of the ,creator was possible4 
,god's word 7revelation of himself7 was 
in the world1 embodied in the things    
made from the beginning2 but until it   
was embodied in a man1 free to will1 it 
was truth in the form of law only       
7regulative71 not yet in the completer  
form of love 7creative74 ,in short1     
before ,st4 ,john could sing that divine
 song1 he must have seen ,god in a man1 
full of grace and truth1 dwelling among 
men as a fellow-man1 and overflowing    
with a power at once sympathetic and    
causal4  ,god created man1 male and     
female 7that is1 giving and receiving   
equally71 to be keepers of each other1  

and to educate each other4 ,they may    
tempt and fail each other by presumption
 as ,eve1 and want of self-respect as   
,adam1 are represented to have done1 at 
the beginning2 or may save and redeem   
one another1 as the cherished son of    
,mary historically did in a measure1 and
 is doing forevermore1 by inspiring all 
who know him1 to educate and redeem each
 other4  ,in coming into relation with  
infant man1 to educate him1 it is       
indispensable to appreciate his freedom 
of willing1 which is a primeval fact1 as
 much as his susceptibility of suffering
 and enjoyment4 ,the educator ought to  
embody ,god in a measure1 and treat the 
will of the child that is to be         
educated1 on the same grand system of   
respecting individual freedom1 as must  
needs flow from ,infinite love4 ,let him
 clothe law in love1 and instead of     
rousing fear of opposition1 awaken the  
hope of becoming a beauty-creating and  
man-blessing power4  ,this is the       
rationale of ,froebel's method of       

government4 ,he assumes that the child  
is--not to be made by education a       
sensibility1 but--an infinite           
sensibility already1 and to be vivified 
into individual consciousness thereof1  
by the knowledge of nature to which you 
are to give him the clue2--not to be    
made by your government of him1 a power 
of creating effects1 but already an     
immeasurable power of creating effects  
7that is1 causal7--which you are to make
 him feel responsible for1 by helping   
him to get experimental knowledge of the
 laws that obtain in ,god's creation4   
,for it is knowledge of laws that is the
 first thing attainable--not knowledge  
of objects4 ,a child's senses are the   
avenues of the knowledge of objects2 his
 self-activity is the avenue of the     
knowledge of laws4 ,he must have        
experimental knowledge of laws before he
 can begin to have knowledge of objects1
 because his impulsive activity is the  
means of developing his organs of sense1
 by which he becomes capable of         

receiving impressions from objects of   
nature2 and his own effective action    
produces the objects outside of his     
organs which first command his          
interested attention1 and rouse his     
powers of analysis1 or by which his     
powers of analysis are roused through   
your educating intervention4  ,it is the
 maternal nursing of body and mind which
 educates the free force within to      
produce transient effects1 and finally  
objects1 agreeable to the sensibility4  
,even before the will is educated to    
causality1 it exerts itself1 because    
exertion is agreeable to human          
sensibility2 but when left uneducated1  
the will brings about effects that prove
 disagreeable ultimately1 if not        
immediately1 to the sthetic being1      
paralyzing it more or less1 if the      
organization be feeble2 and perverting  
it when it is strong2 in either case1   
whether crushing or exasperating it1    
producing selfishness1 the germ of all  
evil4  ,thus evil begins in the social  

sphere1 in the disorderly action or in  
the neglect of those who have in charge 
the sthetic free force of the child1    
compelling it to revolve on its own axis
 in a vain endeavor to obtain the       
satisfaction of its sthetic nature1     
which it ought to obtain through the    
generous cherishing action of others'   
love1 carrying it round the central sun 
in human companionship4 ,the soul       
instinctively expects love1 and to do   
so1 and to act out love intentionally1  
is its salvation1 its eternal life4     
,there is no signature of immortality so
 sure as the immeasurable craving for   
love on the one hand1 and the           
immeasurable impulse to love on the     
other hand1 which characterizes man2 for
 the satisfaction of the craving is no  
greater joy than the satisfaction of    
loving4  ,it is because death seems the 
cessation of relation with our kind1    
that it is the king of terrors4 ,when   
the disease or decay of the body        
curtails relations and makes us         

solitary1 or incapable of enjoying      
relations1 death is not dreaded1 but    
craved as relief4 ,to whomever it seems 
the beginning of wider relations1 it is 
hailed as the revealing angel of ,god4  
,isolation is the horror of horrors4 ,it
 was one of the primal intuitions that  
it is not good for man to be alone4 ,the
 nurse should remember this1 and not    
leave the baby to feel lonely4 ,every   
mother and real nurse knows that when   
the baby begins to be uneasy and gives a
 cry of dissatisfaction1--to come near  
with a smile1 to make one's presence    
felt by a caressing tone1 or to take the
 infant in their arms1 will comfort it1 
bringing back the joyful sense of       
life--a word which signifies active     
relation2--and1 in its highest sense1   
spiritual relation4 ,life1 love1 and    
liberty are identical words in their    
radical elements4 ,there is no love     
without liberty1 nor fulness of life    
without love4  ,the liberty of man1 or  
his freedom to will1 though it gives him

 the power to dash himself against      
antagonizing law1 is the proof of       
infinite love to man in the ,creator1--a
 love which must needs outmeasure all   
the evil he can do himself or others2   
for evil provokes others' love for our  
victims1 and is self-limited1 by reason 
of the pain it brings1 sooner or later1 
on him who does it1 and the desire for  
infinite love which it defines and      
stimulates4  ,man and nature are the    
contrasts which ,god connects and       
harmonizes4 ,he presents nature to the  
mind as immutable law1 but before the   
understanding is formed to apprehend    
law1 ,he emparadises the child in the   
love of the mother4 ,in short1 the human
 race embodies love to the soul1 before 
the universe 7which embodies law7 is yet
 apprehended4 ,the heart that apprehends
 love1 is older than the mind which     
apprehends law2 and it is because it is 
so1 that man feels free4 ,when man      
becomes mere law to man1 instead of     
love1 he feels he is enslaved4  ,these  

are the most practical truths for the   
kindergartner4 ,if these propositions   
are truths 7and their evidence is the   
explanation they give of the mysteries  
of sin and redemption1 both of which are
 unquestionable facts of human history1 
according to the testimony of all       
nations71 then let her see to it1 that  
in her relation with the children of her
 charge1 she never so presents the law1 
as to obscure the love1 which it is the 
primal duty of men to embody and        
manifest to each other4  ,but1 on the   
other hand1 do not keep back the law2   
for the law1 too1 is one expression of  
the ,creator's being4 ,what is law8 ,it 
is the order of the beauteous forms of  
things1 which1 when appreciated as      
,god's order1 becomes a stepping stone  
to his throne4 ,for ,god proposes to    
share his throne with us1 if we may     
trust another primeval intuition of the 
human mind1 viz41 that ,god commands    
man1 male and female1 that is1 men in   
equal social relation1 to have dominion 

over all creation1 below man4  ,the     
human being not only craves liberty and 
love instinctively1 but law also2 he    
feels the weight of chance desires1 and 
longs for a repose that ever is the     
same4 ,this is the rationale of         
,froebel's method in the occupations2 he
 suggests the child's action1 sometimes 
by interrogation merely1 instead of     
directing it peremptorily4 ,he asks the 
child1 when he has done one thing1 what 
is the opposite8 which itself suggests  
the combination of opposites1 that      
immediately produces a symmetrical      
effect4 ,the child enjoys the symmetry  
all the more1 if he feels as if he      
personally produced it4 ,this is the    
secret of his love of repetition4 ,he   
wants to see if by the same means he can
 again produce the same effect4 ,he does
 the thing again and again1 till he     
feels that he does it all of himself4   
,he does not want you to help him even  
with your words 7and you never should   
help him except with words74 ,if a child

 acts from a suggestion1 he feels       
free1--but if he produces the same      
effect1 or a similar effect1 without    
your suggestion1 he has a still more    
self-respecting sense of power2 and his 
will becomes more consciously free the  
more he chooses to put on the harness of
 order4  ,the kindergartner will        
sometimes have a child put under her    
care whose will has been exasperated by 
arbitrary and capricious treatment1 or  
who has been made to act against his    
inclination till he has reacted1 out of 
pure contrariness1 as we say4 ,this     
contrariness proves that he has been    
outraged2 perhaps in some instances the 
effect has been produced by not feeding 
his mind with knowledge of law4 ,the    
very violence of the evil may show that 
he is an exceptionally fine child1 with 
an enormous sense of power that he does 
not know what to do with because the    
proper educational influence has failed 
him4 ,in other cases obstinacy may be a 
reaction against the vicious will of    

another1 who1 instead of offering him   
the bread of law1 has presented to him  
the stone of his own stumbling4 ,it is  
indispensable to give the child law1 as 
well as love2 but when you are doubtful 
whether you can genially suggest the    
law1--at all events express the love2   
and never substitute for the law your   
own will4 ,the law which produces a good
 or beautiful effect1 is ,god's will2   
your will is not creative of the child's
 will like ,god's2 its best effect is to
 stimulate the antagonism of the        
child's1 when the latter is feeble1     
which it sometimes is by reason of      
physical mal-organization1 or by having 
been crushed by overbearing management1 
or vitiated by selfish caprice4  ,i may 
be told that if ,froebel's education is 
wholly of a genial1 coaxing character1  
it fails of being an image of the       
,divine ,providence1 which is an        
alternation of attractions and          
antagonisms1 speaking now in the music  
of nature1 and now in thunders and      

lightnings1 not only cherishing the     
heart with love1 but stimulating the    
will with law2 and be warned not to     
enervate the character1 by producing an 
sthetic luxury of sentiment1 by which   
the personal being shall stagnate in the
 worst kind of selfishness--the passive 
kind4 ,this objection might be          
pertinent1 if the kindergarten were to  
be protracted beyond the era to which   
,froebel limits it4 ,certainly the time 
comes1 when the finite will should be   
antagonized1 if need be1 by the law of  
universal humanity4 ,the purest1 most   
loving1 most disinterested will known to
 human history1 recognized that there   
might be a wiser will1 not to be doubted
 as still more loving2 and said1 ,not my
 will1 but ,thine be done1--,into ,thy  
hands ,i commend my spirit 7my free     
causal power74 ,but let the             
kindergartner remember she is not       
infinitely wise and good1 and beware of 
enacting the sovereign judge4 ,there is 
no doubt that an exclusively cherishing 

tenderness should be the law of the     
nursery1 with no antagonism whatever1   
because at that age it is a wise        
self-assertion which we wish to develop4
 ,we therefore act for the infant1      
having secured his acting with us by our
 genial encouragement4 ,but this is no  
argument for continuing to act for him1 
when he can act with consciousness of an
 individual life4 ,we must not prolong  
babyhood into the kindergarten2 or1 at  
least1 we must begin to engraft personal
 consciousness upon it1 by playing      
little antagonisms merely4 ,and so1 it  
is no argument against the play of      
kindergarten that it does mature men4   
,let the children play with complete    
earnestness1 but1 as ,plato says1       
according to laws1 and they will all the
 more likely seek laws when they come   
into wider relations4  ,the development 
of the consciousness of man is serial4  
,in the nursery we coax the child to    
exercise the various muscles by         
playfully duplicating their action2 we  

make him make believe walk1 impressing  
his senses1 as it were1 with the whole  
operation as an object4 ,the child first
 experiences the pleasure of movement1  
then desires to move for the sake of    
renewing this pleasure2 then enjoys your
 helping him to do what he has not yet  
the bodily strength and skill to        
accomplish2 and finally wills to take up
 his body and make his first independent
 step4 ,this is the first crisis in the 
history of his individuality1 and every 
mother knows it is the cheer of her     
magnetizing faith that enables him to   
pass through it4 ,he then repeats the   
action intentionally1 simply because he 
can2 enjoying the exertion he makes all 
the more if1 by your care1 he has not   
begun to walk too soon and experienced  
the pain of numerous falls1 from want of
 guardian arms and supporting hands4    
,such pains disturb and haunt his fancy1
 and dishearten him4 ,courage and serene
 joy give strength and enterprise to    
activity4  ,the nursery and kindergarten

 education are the preliminary processes
 which foreshadow all the processes of  
the ,divine ,providence4 ,therefore1    
even in the nursery we play antagonizing
 processes4 ,we heighten the child's    
enjoyment by making him conscious of    
isolation a moment1 to restore1 as it   
were1 with a shout1 the delightful sense
 of relation2 for the baby likes to have
 a handkerchief thrown over his head    
unexpectedly1 and suddenly withdrawn    
again and again4 ,so we sometimes       
pretend to let him fall1 and just when  
he is about to cry with alarm1 catch him
 again and kiss him4  ,froebel in his   
nursery plays has several of this       
nature2 and as children grow older they 
play antagonisms spontaneously1 which   
are beneficial just so far as they      
elicit the consciousness of individual  
power2 but are harmful if1 proceeding   
too far1 they show its limitations      
painfully1 and make the child feel      
himself a victim4  ,in the kindergarten 
season various sensibilities are        

manifest that have not shown themselves 
in the nursery1 and which are           
premonitions of the destined dominion   
over material nature1 which at first so 
much dominates the child1 and would     
destroy his body if you did not         
intervene with your loving care4 ,these 
are to be mothered in the               
kindergartner's heart till they become  
conscious desires1 informing and        
directing his will1 which is encouraged 
and strengthened--if it is never        
superseded by your will--until he shall 
begin to realize his personal           
responsibility4 ,then1 as he took his   
body into his own keeping when he began 
to run alone1 so now he will take his   
character into his own hands to educate1
 and he will do it all the more         
certainly and energetically1 if he feels
 you to be an all-helping1              
all-cherishing1 all-inspiring friend1   
which you must needs be if you are open 
to feel and wise to know ,god's love to 
you1 in making you ,his vicegerent to   

give glimpses1 at least1 of the         
immeasurable love of ,god1 in giving the
 inexorable laws of nature1 for the     
fulcrum of the power that ,he pours into
 ,his children in the form of will2 and 
which obeys ,him just in proportion as  
it keeps its freedom to alter and alter 
and alter1 till there is no longer any  
evil to be conscious of1 and men shall  
have got the dominion over nature1 which
 consists in using it for all generous  
purposes1 in a universal mutual         
understanding with one another4 ,to be  
in the progressive attainment of this   
high destiny1 is the growing happiness  
of man2 a happiness which must ever have
 in it that element of victory1 which   
distinguishes the eternal life of       
,christ from the nirwana of ,buddha4    
,,moral ,,sentiment4  ,,we have been    
asked by one of the students of         
,froebel's art and science1 what books  
we should recommend to help her to a    
fuller knowledge of the subjects on     
which we gave a few hints in our first  

and second paper of ,glimpses4  ,in     
reply1 we would first say1 that it is a 
needed preparation for any study of     
books on intellectual and moral         
philosophy1 to look back on our own     
moral history and mental experience1 and
 ask ourselves what was the process of  
our moral growth1 and the circumstances 
of the formation of our opinions2 that  
is1 what action of our relatives1       
guardians1 and companions1 had the      
best--and what the worst--practical     
effects upon our characters2 what aided 
and what hindered us8 ,every fault in   
our characters has its history1 having  
generally originated in the action of   
others upon us2 sometimes their         
intentional action1 which may have been 
merely mistaken1 or may have been       
wilfully selfish and malignant2 and     
sometimes an influence unconsciously    
exerted4 ,on the other hand1 much of our
 life that has blest ourselves and      
others1 can be referred to spontaneous  
manifestations of others1 having no     

special reference to ourselves2 generous
 sentiments uttered in felicitous words1
 generous acts recorded in history1 or  
done in the privacy of domestic life2   
great truths bodied forth in imaginative
 poetry1 over which our young hearts    
mused till the fire burned4  ,this      
empirical knowledge of the great nature 
which we share1 is a living nucleus that
 will give vital meaning to any true    
words with which scientific treatises on
 the mind are written2 and a power to   
judge whether the writer is talking     
about facts of life1 or mere            
abstractions1 out of which have died all
 spiritual substance1 leaving only a    
heap of empty boxes4 ,in no department  
of study are we more liable to take     
words for things than in this4          
,abstraction is the source of all the   
false philosophy and theology which has 
distracted the world4 ,generalizations  
are of no aid--but a delusion and a     
snare--unless the mental and moral      
phenomena1 from which they are derived1 

have been the writer's experiences1     
personal or sympathetic4 ,such          
experiences are as substantial as       
material things1 to say the least2 and  
even they do not do justice to the whole
 truth1 which is--if we may so express  
it--the vital experience of ,god4 ,hence
 is the ,living ,word to which human    
abstractions can never do justice2      
being1 indeed1 but the refuse of        
thought1 a weight to be laid aside and  
forgotten1 like a work done1 as we      
stretch forward to the prize of truth1  
which is our high calling4  ,in ,book   
,,ii4 chapter vii4 of ,campbell's       
,philosophy of ,rhetoric1 there is a    
section headed1 ,why is it that nonsense
 so often escapes being detected1 both  
by the writer and reader8 ,it explains  
with great perspicuity the uses and     
abuses of our faculty of abstraction1   
which is not a spiritual1 but merely an 
intellectual faculty4 ,i would commend  
this essay 7and indeed1 for several     
reasons1 the whole book7 to a student of

 intellectual philosophy4 ,a great deal 
may be learned upon this subject1 also1 
from an ,essay on ,language1 printed a  
second time with some other papers1 by  
,phillips  ,sampson1 ,boston1 in #aheg1 
and probably still to be found in old   
bookstores1 if it be not reprinted by   
its author1 ,r4 ,l4 ,hazard4  ,on the   
subject of my second paper of ,glimpses 
the same author has written two books1  
one published by ,d4 ,appleton1 in ,new 
,york1 in #ahfd1 ,the ,freedom of the   
,mind in ,willing2 or1 ,every ,being    
that wills1 a ,creative ,first ,cause2  
and in #ahfi1 ,lee  ,shepard1 ,boston1  
published1 as supplement1 ,two ,letters 
on ,causation and ,freedom in ,willing1 
addressed to ,john ,stuart ,mill1 with  
an ,appendix on the ,existence of       
,matter1 and our ,notions of ,infinite  
,space4#ac   ,,individual ,,freedom ,,to
 ,,will4  ,,if the spontaneous will of  
man1 and its heart with its latent love1
 hope1 and sense of beauty and justice1 
are without date1                       

,an eye among the blind1           ,that
 deaf and silent reads the eternal deep1
           ,haunted forever by the      
eternal mind1  yet there is no doubt    
that the human understanding1 as well as
 the body1 begins in time1 and gradually
 identifies the individual for          
communication with other individuals of 
its kind4 ,the beginning of the human   
understanding is in the impressions of  
an environing universe1 against which   
the sensibility reacts1 and by this     
activity develops the organs of sense1  
which are the connection of those two   
great contrasts1 the soul and the       
outward universe4 ,for perceptions of   
sense are the instrumentality by which  
the will vivifies the heart1 so         
disposing the particulars of the        
surrounding universe as to give the     
definite form of thoughts to            
consciousness4 ,the human being has no  
absolute knowledge like the lower       
animals1 who are passive instrumentality
 of ,god to certain finite ends below   

the plane of spirituality4 ,created for 
the infinite ends of intelligence1 and  
free communion with one another and     
,god1 men need to become conscious of   
the whole process of their own being1   
and do so by a gradual conversation with
 ,god1 who is forever saying1 by the    
universe1 which is his speech1 ,i ,,am4 
,and here education begins its offices1 
by helping man to reply ,,thou ,,art1   
which he does by his legitimate art4    
,but no one man can utter the thou art  
of humanity adequately4 ,it takes all   
humanity forever and ever to do so2 and 
it does not do so but just so far as the
 men who compose it are in mutual       
understanding and communion with each   
other4 ,therefore each child must be    
taken by the hand by those already      
conscious1 and led to realize his own   
consciousness by learning that of his   
fellows4  ,in the action and reaction of
 the individual with his special        
environment1 he comes to distinguish    
himself from that which gives him       

pleasure and pain1 and he will be       
attracted to the former1 and repelled   
from the latter2 and thus come to       
discriminate outward things from each   
other4 ,the observation and             
discrimination of the particulars of    
nature is thinking4 ,sensuous           
impressions are the raw material of     
thoughts1 but discrimination and        
classification of things according to   
their similarities1 is the operation of 
thought4  ,education has an office in   
both the accumulation of sensuous       
impressions and the operation of        
thinking4 ,the mother and nurse of each 
child must so order the objects about   
him1 that his organs shall be properly  
impressed1 and not overtaxed1 because   
only so can they grow to be a good      
instrumentality for receiving even more 
delicate impressions4 ,a tender sympathy
 for the unconscious little one1 who is 
gradually coming to identify himself1   
and love1--such as only a mother can    
have in the greatest perfection1--are   

the special qualifications of the       
educator at this stage4 ,such a         
knowledge of nature's laws and order1 as
 may enable the educator to lead the    
child's activity according to law and   
order1 can alone help the child to      
reproduce1 on his finite plane1 an image
 of ,god's creative action4 ,the        
educator who should succeed the nurse is
 the kindergartner1 who1 without lacking
 the sympathetic affection of the nurse1
 must add a knowledge of nature both    
material and spiritual1 so that she may 
bring these opposites into their right  
connection with each other4  ,she will  
therefore lead the child to produce     
something that shall serve as a ground  
for the operation of thinking4 ,instead 
of letting the blind will spend its     
energy in wild and aimless motion1 she  
will present a desirable aim to attain1 
which will produce an effect that shall 
satisfy the heart1 and produce an object
 that shall engage the attention1 and   
stimulate to a reproduction of it1 until

 it is thoroughly known1 not only in its
 natural properties1 but in the law of  
its being1 which was the child's own    
method of producing the thing4  ,the    
genesis of the understanding1 then1 is1 
first1 sensuous impression1 which1      
reproducing itself intentionally1       
becomes1 secondly1 perception2 and1     
thirdly1 an adapting of means to ends1  
and thereby rising into judgment and    
knowledge4 ,to get understanding        
precedes getting knowledge1 which is the
 special work of the understanding when 
it is developed4  ,there is another     
faculty of the individual1 besides      
understanding1 and which is to be       
discriminated from it--fancy4 ,vivid and
 clear sensuous impressions are the     
foundation of fancy1 as well as of      
understanding4 ,but the will1 acting    
among these impressions in a wild and   
sovereign way1 is fancy2 while the will 
arranging impressions according to the  
order of nature1 is understanding4      
,froebel has provided for the           

development of the understanding the    
occupations1 as he calls the regular    
production of forms1 transient and      
permanent4 ,nothing can be produced     
which satisfies the sthetic sense1      
except by following the laws of         
creation4 ,to analyze these productions 
will give experimental understanding of 
those laws4 ,in superintending the      
occupations1 the kindergartner must1    
therefore1 see that the child does      
things in the right order1 and gives an 
account of what he does in the right    
words2 for words1 the first works of    
human art1 have a great deal to do with 
the development of the understanding1   
lifting man into a sphere above that of 
the mere animal4 ,after a thing is made1
 or an effect produced and named1 it    
must be made a subject for analysis2 and
 it can easily be made so1 because      
children's attention is easily          
conciliated to what they themselves have
 done or produced4 ,putting their own   
action into a thing1 makes it           

interesting to them2 and they can make  
an exhaustive analysis of it1 because1  
in addition to its appearances1 they    
know the law of its being1 which was    
their own method1 and the cause of its  
being1 which was their own motive4 ,from
 analyzing their own works1 children    
can1 in due time1 be led to analyze     
works of nature4 ,and here the          
kindergartner has great room for the    
exercise of judgment1 in the selection  
of suitable objects4  ,froebel advised  
that objects for lessons should be taken
 from the vegetable creation2 and that  
children should be interested in        
planting seeds and watching growth1     
becoming acquainted with its general    
conditions1 observing which are within  
the scope of their own powers to        
provide1 and which are beyond human     
power2 thus leading the understanding   
through nature1 outward and inward1 to  
,god4  ,if we see that the work done is 
artistic1 and that the objects of nature
 analyzed are beautiful1 this culture of

 the understanding may refine and       
elevate the taste1 and beautify the     
fancy4  ,for the fancy is to be         
carefully cherished by the              
kindergartner4 ,it is not amenable to   
direct influence perhaps1 but not beyond
 an indirect influence4 ,the soundness  
of the understanding is conducive to a  
beautiful play of fancy1 which is a     
peculiarly human faculty2 for we have   
not a particle of evidence that any     
animal below man has this kind of       
thinking1 which delights in transcending
 the facts of nature in its creations1  
and sometimes sets the laws of nature at
 defiance4 ,but we must defer to another
 paper the many things we have to say in
 regard to the imagination and its      
culture4   ,,conscience4  ,,we have     
given a few hints by way of answering   
the questions on psychology1 which must 
come up1 to be considered by a          
kindergartner who is intent on          
understanding the harp of a thousand    
strings1 from which it is her duty to   

bring out the music4  ,we have found    
that the human being comes into the     
world with an sthetic nature1 which is  
to be vivified by the presentation of   
the beauties of nature and art1 in such 
a way as to insure reaction of the will 
in creations of fancy2 for only so can  
sensibility to beauty be prevented from 
degenerating into sensuality4 ,if the   
fancy remains wholly subjective1 it     
loses its childish health and leads     
astray4 ,it should have objective       
embodiment in song1 dance1 and artistic 
manipulation of some sort4 ,now1        
artistic manipulation of any kind       
necessitates the examination of natural 
elements and the discovery of the laws  
of production1 which are1 of course1    
identical with the organic laws of      
nature that bear witness to an          
intelligent ,creator4  ,to excite the   
human understanding to appreciate names1
 and classify things for use and giving 
pleasure1 it is necessary to present    
things to children gradually1 first     

singly1 and then in simple rhythmical   
combinations1 so that they may have time
 to find themselves personally1 and not 
be overwhelmed with a multitude of      
impressions4 ,a real lover of children  
will quickly find out that they like to 
take time playing with things1 as they  
call it2 and that there is a special    
pleasure in discovering differences in  
things2 that a new distinct perception  
of any relation of things delights the  
child1 as the discovery of a principle  
delights the adult mind4 ,the fanciful  
plays of the kindergarten1 whether      
sedentary or moving1 cultivate the      
imagination1 the understanding1 and the 
physical powers in harmony1 and more    
than this1 they cultivate the heart and 
conscience1 because the moving plays    
have for their indispensable condition  
numbers of their equals1 and everything 
they make is intended for others4 ,the  
presentation of persons1 as having the  
same needs and desires of enjoyment as  
themselves1 proves sufficient to call   

into consciousness the heart and        
conscience1 just as immediately and     
inevitably as the presentation of nature
 and art calls into activity the        
understanding and imagination4  ,because
 nature and human kind are so vast that1
 as a whole they daunt the young mind1  
even to the point of checking its       
growth1 it is necessary that some one1  
who has had time to analyze it in some  
degree1 should call attention to points2
 and it is the consummate art of        
education to know what points to touch1 
so that the mind shall make out the     
octave2 for1 unless it does so1 it will 
not act to purpose4 ,as exercise of the 
limbs is necessary to physical          
development1 and the act of perceiving1 
understanding1 and fancying1 with actual
 manipulation of nature1 is necessary to
 intellectual development2 so is        
kindness and justice acted out1 to the  
development of the social and moral     
nature or conscience4  ,but there is    
something else in man than relations to 

external nature and fellow-man4 ,this   
self-determining being1 who moves1      
perceives1 understands1 fancies1 loves1 
and feels moral responsibility to the   
race in which he finds himself a living 
member1 is only consciously happy when  
he is magnanimous1 which he can only be1
 if he feels himself a free power in the
 bosom of infinite love2 in short1 a son
 of the ,father of all men6 ,we are the 
offspring of ,god is the inspiration    
alike of heathen poet and ,christian    
apostle4  ,as the psychological         
condition of the human love which is    
man's social happiness1 is that sense of
 individual want and imperfection which 
stimulates the will to seek the mother  
and brother2 so the psychological       
condition of the piety which makes man's
 beatitude1 is the sense of social      
imperfection1 in respect both to moral  
purity and happiness1 stimulating the   
will to seek a ,father of all spirits4  
,the more we love1 the more we feel the 
need of ,god4 ,but is ,god nothing but  

an infinite sigh at the bottom of the   
heart1 as ,feuerbach1 the holiest of    
infidels1 sadly says8 or1 as in         
thinking1 we discover the entity we name
 ,i2 so in loving1 do we not discover   
,god1 or rather does not ,god reveal    
,himself to us1 as ,essential           
,substance8 ,wordsworth declares that   
,serene will be our days and bright1    
,and happy will our nature be1          
,when love is an unerring light1        
,and joy its own security2              
,and blest are they1 who in the main1   
,this faith even now do entertain1      
,live in the spirit of this creed1      
,yet find another strength according to 
their need4  ,that other strength is to 
be found1 as he had already sung in that
 same great song1 in ,duty--daughter of 
the voice of ,god1                      
,victory and ,law           ,when empty 
terrors overawe2           ,from vain   
temptations doth set free1              
,and calms the weary strife of frail    
humanity6  ,conscience1 then1 is the    

soul's witness1 first of the relation of
 the individual to the human race2 and  
ultimately1 of the relation of the human
 race to ,god2 and it must be inspired  
with knowledge of the sonship of the    
human race to the ,universal ,father1 or
 human life is bottomless despair4 ,but 
with that knowledge which ,god must give
 7since man cannot reach it with his own
 understanding7 he shall be able1 even  
on the cross1 to love the most ignorant 
brother infinitely2 and infinitely to   
trust that the ,father of all will      
justify his spirit in acting            
accordingly4  ,,footnotes3  #ac ,in the 
first of these last two books1 ,mr4     
,hazard has made an examination of      
,edwards on the ,will1 and the only     
satisfactory reply to his argument for  
,necessity ever made4 ,very early in    
life1 the task of answering ,edwards was
 given him1 by the late ,william ,e4    
,channing1 ,d4,d41 who read his first   
edition of ,language1 and was so much   
struck with the metaphysical genius     

displayed in it1 that he sought out the 
anonymous author on purpose to make this
 suggestion4 ,he found him a clerk in   
his father's great manufactory1 to whose
 business he afterwards succeeded1 and  
he was engaged in it until he was an old
 man4 ,all his books are a proof that   
business may be as good a disciplinarian
 of the higher intellect as scholastic  
education1 to say the least4            
,,appendix4   ,,note ,a1 ,,to ,,lecture 
,i4  ,,in #ahgb the first training      
school for kindergartners was founded in
 ,england by the ,manchester            
,kindergarten ,assoc4  ,to the          
prospectus is subjoined the following   
statement3--  ,the aim of the           
kindergarten system of training1        
intended for young children up to the   
age of seven1 when school-teaching      
proper should begin1 is to prepare for  
all subsequent education4 ,a short      
examination of the system will show that
 it is in idea far superior to any other
 method of early training1 while        

experience proves that its pupils acquit
 themselves well even under plans most  
dissimilar4 ,the theory of the          
kindergarten is that every exertion of  
the faculties1 whether of body or mind1 
will be healthful and pleasurable1 so   
long as such exertion takes place       
without compulsion1 without appeal to   
selfish motives1 with no more than      
necessary restraint4 ,the experience of 
parents and teachers may be appealed to 
as proving that children enjoy their    
employments most1 and learn best1 when  
associated in numbers4  ,the            
kindergarten1 therefore1 gathers        
children together in numbers1 which vary
 with class and other circumstances1 and
 proceeds to exercise1 on a plan most   
carefully reasoned out1 all limbs and   
muscles of the body by marching1        
gymnastics1 and regulated games2 to     
practise all the senses1 and tastes that
 depend directly upon the senses1 by    
drawing1 singing1 modelling in clay1 and
 many most beautiful occupations1 which 

in addition arouse invention--one of the
 highest human faculties4 ,the          
intellectual powers1 being in a         
rudimentary condition1 are less directly
 called into action2 but the faculties  
of number and form1 along with skill of 
hand1 are so developed that the learning
 of the three ,r's becomes incredibly   
easy4 ,above all1 good feeling is       
exercised and evil feeling checked1 by  
happy social life1 in which the tender  
plants of the kindergarten see that each
 one's happiness depends upon all1 and  
that of all on each4  ,sedulous         
attention is paid to the effect of each 
employment upon children of different   
temperaments4 ,sanitary conditions are  
most carefully observed1 and unflagging 
interest is secured by frequent changes 
of occupation4  ,wherever the           
kindergarten has been fairly tried1 its 
results have been lively enjoyment by   
the little pupils of their school hours1
 and readiness to receive not as        
drudgery1 but with delight1 all         

opportunities of acquiring knowledge4   
,this readiness1 it is believed1 would  
less often change into a hatred of      
lessons1 if the subsequent              
school-teaching did not too commonly    
despise those indications of natural    
taste and fitness which ,froebel1 in his
 system1 has carefully interpreted and  
obeyed4 ,the kindergartens for the poor1
 already established at ,queen ,street1 
,salford1 and in the ,workpeople's      
,hall1 ,pendleton1--where visitors are  
at all times most heartily              
welcomed1--will convince any one that   
this system is able to give a truly     
humanizing and religious training to    
children of the least favored class1    
gathered in large numbers even out of   
very neglected homes4 ,by inspecting    
these schools also1 intelligent persons 
will form an idea of the ingenuity and  
beauty of the processes by which this   
natural and simple training is effected4
 ,thus too will be understood1 that the 
kindergarten system1 which in relation  

to its pupils is the simplest and       
easiest possible because it travels     
along1 not athwart1 their natural       
tastes1 is1 as respects its professors1 
very far removed indeed from every-day  
facility and rule of thumb4 ,it demands 
in those who aspire to teach1 a sincere 
love of children and an earnest devotion
 to duties which bring much pleasure    
when well performed1 and it demands     
besides that they be willing to give up 
sufficient time and labor to become     
thoroughly instructed in the principles1
 and sufficiently practised in the use1 
of a machinery which1 while beautifully 
simple in idea1 is complicated in       
detail4 ,a great and increasing demand  
for teachers thoroughly trained in this 
system exists1 as well for families as  
for kindergarten schools proper1 and for
 infant schools commonly so called4 ,to 
supply this demand is the purpose of the
 training school4   ,,note ,b1 ,,to     
,,page #ha4  ,letter from ,michelet to  
the ,baroness ,marenholtz von ,blow4    

,,march #bg1 #ahei4  ,by a stroke of    
genius ,froebel has found what the wise 
men of all times have sought in         
vain1--the solution of the problem of   
human education4 ,and again3 ,your first
 explanation made it clear to me that   
,froebel has laid the necessary basis   
for a new education for the present and 
future4 ,froebel looks at human beings  
in a new light1 and finds the means to  
develop them according to natural laws1 
as heretofore has never been done4 ,i am
 your most faithful advocate1 and speak 
constantly with friends and             
acquaintances about this great work that
 you have undertaken4 ,several          
journalists and writers will mention it 
in their papers4 ,dispose of all my     
power to aid you4 ,the ambassador of    
,hayti1 ,monsieur ,ardoin1 minister of  
instruction1 is ready to return to ,port
 au ,prince1 and wishes to make your    
acquaintance4 ,he will come to see you  
to-morrow4 ,for the inhabitants of that 
island1 in process of reorganization1   

,froebel's method may do a great deal4  
,i have asked several persons to aid in 
this work4 ,niffner and ,dolfus are     
writing1 at present1 a great work on    
education1 and will be happy to give a  
place to your cause4 ,i send you a      
letter for ,isodore ,cohen2 you must see
 him4 ,you1 personally1 can do more than
 all speeches1 recommendations1 and     
writings together4 ,i shall come to you 
shortly to hear more about ,froebel4 ,i 
would like to have a comparison drawn   
between him and ,pestalozzi4 ,your      
written communications interest me      
highly4 ,let me have some ,german works 
about ,froebel4 ,i read ,german and know
 how to guess at incomprehensible       
things4 ,i would like to know about the 
continuation of his method for more     
advanced years1 especially for girls1   
and await impatiently the appearance of 
your manual4 ,the more ,i investigate   
the heads of children of different ages1
 the more important ,froebel's method   
appears to me1 as it begins in early    

childhood1 when the most important      
changes in the brain take place4 ,all my
 sympathies are with your work4         
,letter from the ,abbe ,miraud1 author  
of voluminous works1 one of them being  
,la ,democratic et la ,catholicisme4    
,,july1 #aheh4  ,we have to fulfil a    
great mission in common4 ,i shall be    
most happy to procure for ,froebel's    
theory1 which ,i accept fully1 a        
hearing4 ,to appreciate this theory in  
all its grandeur1 richness1 and utility1
 the shade of pantheism it seems to     
contain is no hindrance to me2 it seems 
inseparable from the ,german mind4 ,i   
accept the obligation to work for the   
ideas of ,froebel according to my       
ability1 of course within the limits of 
orthodox ,catholicism1 to which ,i am   
devoted from faith and reason4 ,you must
 certainly go with me to ,rome1 that we 
may work together there4 ,if you resolve
 to do so1 ,i will meet you at ,orleans4
 ,you would find in ,rome a good        
opportunity for propaganda4 ,my friends 

there would aid us1 but without your    
presence nothing can be done4 ,italy    
needs a regeneration by education4 ,let 
us work where the most rapid diffusion  
is certain4   ,mons4 ,a4 ,guyard1 a     
,parisian author writes3                
,,june #ad1 #aheg4  ,the more ,i hear   
you about ,froebel's method1 the more my
 interest increases1 and the deeper my  
conviction becomes that by this means a 
basis is laid for a new education for   
the salvation of humanity4 ,accept my   
warmest and most sincere wishes for the 
propagation of ,froebel's method4 ,he is
 great1 perhaps the greatest philosopher
 of our time1 and has found in you what 
all philosophers need1 that is1 a woman 
who understands him1 who clothes him    
with flesh and blood1 and makes him     
alive4 ,i think1 ,i believe1 indeed1    
that an idea in order to bear fruit1    
must have a father and a mother4        
,hitherto1 all ideas have had only      
fathers4 ,as ,froebel's ideas are so    
likely to find mothers1 they will have  

an immense success4 ,when the ideas of  
the future have become alive in devoted 
women1 the face of the world will be    
changed4             ,lamarche of       
,paris1 philanthropist and writer on    
social and religious subjects1 after    
listening to           the lectures upon
 ,froebel given by ,madam               
,marenholtz in ,paris1 wrote  on3--     
,,paris1 ,march #d1 #ahef4  ,your last  
lecture has unmistakably shown that     
,froebel's method1 in a religious point 
of view1 surpasses everything that has  
hitherto been done in education4 ,and   
this is the main point from which a     
method of education is to be judged for 
its aim is to awaken love to ,god and   
man--the foundation upon which          
,christianity rests4 ,education has     
hitherto done little to awaken this love
 of man in the young soul1 from which   
all piety flows4 ,this is the reason we 
find so much skepticism and indifference
 in human society1 and which is the     
source of most of the existing misery1  

and of the want of order and lawfulness4
 ,these sad results are the             
condemnations of those methods of       
education that suppress the human       
faculties1 or force them into wrong     
channels1 or arbitrarily superimpose    
something instead of aiding free        
development4 ,it is the sad mistake of  
our moralists who1 without faith in a   
,heavenly ,father1 do not understand    
human nature1 and replace revealed      
religion with human tenets4444 ,froebel 
has found the missing truth1 in first   
awakening the child's senses and        
capacities by the simplest means1 and   
making him feel in nature the loving    
,creator1 before he taxes his intellect 
with religious dogmas1 which are beyond 
the intellect of childhood1 and only    
confuse it4 ,to lead it through the love
 of ,god1 the ,heavenly ,father of us   
all1 to the love of the neighbor1 by    
acting and doing1 is the natural and    
simple way which ,froebel has pointed   
out1 and we shall owe it to him1 if     

before our children are four or five    
years old1 before they can read books1  
they learn the great law of humanity1   
,love to ,god and the neighbor4  ,again3
 ,froebel's discovery1 or invention1    
furnishes the means to follow the       
natural order of all development for    
human beings1 by which alone they will  
come to the knowledge of1 and at last to
 union with1 their ,heavenly ,father4   
,this is the way which ,christianity    
prescribed eighteen hundred years ago1  
but into which education has not        
understood how to lead us1 because it   
has put statutes instead of actual      
experience1 and has not let the study of
 nature1 as the work of ,god1 precede   
statutes4 ,froebel leads education again
 into the path intended by ,,god1 which1
 in the course of universal development1
 will lead to the happiness of the      
individual1 as well as of the whole of  
society4 ,in the human being itself are 
the rich mines1 the development of which
 our false modes of education have      

hitherto made impossible4 ,may mothers  
have faith in ,,god1 the ,heavenly      
,father of their children1 and that he  
has given them the capacity for good1   
which will crush the head of the        
serpent1 and bring the kingdom of ,god  
upon earth4   ,,note ,c1 ,,to ,,page    
#hd4  ,in the second part of my ,guide  
to ,kindergarten and ,moral ,training of
 ,infancy1 published by ,e4 ,steiger1   
#be ,park ,place1 ,new ,york1 is an     
account of how ,i actually first began  
to teach to read on this method1 that   
may be of practical aid to one teaching 
,after ,kindergarten--what8 ,the first  
kindergartner who tried the method1 in  
the course of the first half-hour led   
her children to write on their slates   
7in imitation of what she wrote on the  
blackboard1 letter by letter1 giving the
 power1 not the name1 of each as she    
wrote7 words enough to involve the whole
 alphabet2 namely1 cars1 go1 bells1     
sing1 dizzy1 old1 hen1 fixes1 vest1     
jelly1 jars1 puss1 kitty4 ,the words    

were in a column1 and after they were   
written1 the children recognized each   
word1 pronouncing it right when she     
pointed to it on the blackboard4 ,but   
she was surprised the next day to find  
they remembered every one1 and they had 
so clear an idea of the correspondence  
of the letters and sounds1 that1 long   
before they had finished writing at her 
dictation the words of the first        
vocabulary1 they read at sight any word 
of it1 no matter how many syllables it  
had4 ,in fact1 at the end of the first  
week she wrote and asked me for the     
groups of exceptions1 and1 beginning    
with the smallest group1 which is most  
exceptional1 in a few weeks they could  
all read4  ,but ,i would not advise this
 rapid acquisition of the whole language
 in so short a time4 ,it is better to   
pause on the meaning of the words1--not 
asking them to define them by other     
words1 but asking them to make sentences
 in which they put the word1 which will 
show whether or not they understand its 

meaning4 ,a great deal more than mere   
pronunciation may be taught children    
while learning to read4   ,,note ,d1    
,,to ,,page #ajb4  ,history of          
,printing1 an unfinished manuscript of  
which he found in the ,antiquarian      
,library of ,worcester4   ,,note ,e1    
,,to ,,page #aaj4  ,the story1 as ,i    
paraphrased it1 was this4 ,the drop of  
water speaks1 ,once ,i lived with       
hundreds1 and hundreds1 and hundreds of 
brothers and sisters1 in the great      
ocean4 ,there we all took hold of hands1
 and played with each other2 and the    
winds played with us1 and took us up on 
their backs1 making us into little waves
 and great waves4 ,but sometimes1 when  
the winds were not there1 we would      
spread ourselves out smooth like a      
looking-glass1 and look up into the sky2
 and the moon and the stars would look  
down upon us1 and the ocean would look  
just like the sky4  ,and we wanted to go
 up into the sky2 and so1 when the sun  
sent down his sunbeams1 and the moon    

sent down her moonbeams1 and the stars  
sent down their starbeams1 some of us   
would jump up on their backs1 and ride  
up into the sky4 ,but soon they would be
 tired of us1 and shake us off2 and down
 we fell1 and then we would catch hold  
of hands1 and make ourselves into       
clouds2 and when the clouds got to be so
 heavy that the air could not hold them 
up1 we would let go of hands1 and fall  
down in drops of rain4 ,but sometimes   
the clouds would stay up1 and sail      
round2 and one day the cloud that ,i was
 in1 bumped up against a mountain1 and  
we all fell out1 down into the little   
holes of the mountain1 and ,i soon found
 ,i was alone in the dark2 but ,i saw a 
light a little ways off1 and so ,i ran  
along and came to the light1 which was  
outside the mountain4 ,and as ,i stood  
there1 ,i saw a great many of my sisters
 and brothers standing at just such     
holes as ,i was looking out of2 and when
 we saw each other1 we burst out        
laughing1 and ran to each other1 and    

took hold of hands1 and made a little   
brook that ran down the sides of the    
mountain into a meadow full of flowers2 
and we ran about the meadow1 watering   
the roots of all the flowers to make    
them grow1 for we wanted to do as much  
good as we could2 and then we thought we
 would run on1 and see if we could not  
find our old home in the ocean1 where we
 left hundreds of brothers and sisters2 
but as ,i got rather tired1 ,i thought  
,i would stop and rest awhile on this   
flower-leaf4 ,but now ,i am rested4 ,so 
good by2 ,i will jump off1 and run home 
as fast as ,i can with the rest4  ,this 
story ,i had to tell over and over again
 at the time1 which ,i did in the same  
words2 and now1 when ,i again repeated  
it in the same words1 he liked to hear  
it over and over again1 looking at the  
picture in the book while ,i told it4   
,,note ,f1 ,,to ,,page #afg4  ,i here   
insert the version of the ,lord's       
,prayer and the ,song of the ,weather1  
which have been found so effective in   

the religious nurture1 and which1 if    
used in the simple1 unsanctimonious     
manner ,i have so earnestly suggested1  
will preclude the necessity of talking  
to the children in prose4 ,these songs  
explain themselves to the child's heart 
and imagination4            ,,our       
,,father1 who in ,heaven art1           
,thy name we dearly love2               
,we'd do thy will with all our heart1   
,as done in heaven above4               
,give us this day our daily bread1      
,forgive the wrong we do1           ,and
 we'll not mind when treated ill1       
,that we may be like you4               
,help us avoid temptation's snare2      
,deliver us from evil ways2             
,for thine's the kingdom and the power1 
,all glory and all praise4   ,,song ,,of
 ,,the ,,weather4            ,,this is  
the way the snow comes down1            
,softly1 softly falling4           ,god1
 he giveth his snow like wool1          
,fair1 and white1 and beautiful4        
,this is the way the snow comes down1   

,softly1 softly falling4                
,chorus4            ,wonderful1 ,lord1  
are all thy works1                      
,wheresoever falling2           ,all    
their various voices raise1             
,speaking forth their ,maker's praise4  
,wonderful1 ,lord1 are all thy works1   
,wheresoever falling4            ,this  
is the way the rain comes down1         
,swiftly1 swiftly falling2           ,so
 he sendeth his welcome rain4           
,on the field1 and hill1 and plain1     
,this is the way the rain comes down1   
,swiftly1 swiftly falling4              
7,repeat the chorus47            ,this  
is the way the frost comes down1        
,widely1 widely falling2           ,so  
it spreadeth all through the night1     
,shining1 cold1 and pure1 and bright1   
,this is the way the frost comes down1  
,widely1 widely falling4                
7,chorus47            ,this is the way  
the hail comes down1                    
,loudly1 loudly falling2           ,so  
it flieth beneath the cloud1            

,swift1 and strong1 and wild1 and loud1 
,this is the way the hail comes down1   
,loudly1 loudly falling4                
7,chorus47            ,this is the way  
the cloud comes down1                   
,darkly1 darkly falling2           ,so  
it covers the shining blue1             
,till no ray can glisten through1       
,this is the way the cloud comes down1  
,darkly1 darkly falling4                
7,chorus47            ,this is the way  
sunshine comes down1                    
,sweetly1 sweetly falling2           ,so
 it chaseth the cloud away1             
,so it waketh the lovely day1           
,this is the way sunshine comes down1   
,sweetly1 sweetly falling4              
7,chorus47            ,this is the way  
rainbow comes round1                    
,brightly1 brightly falling2            
,so it smileth across the sky1          
,making fair the heavens on high1       
,this is the way rainbow comes down1    
,brightly1 brightly falling4            
,chorus4            ,wonderful1 ,lord1  

are all thy works1                      
,wheresoever falling2           ,all    
their various voices raise1             
,speaking forth their ,maker's praise4  
,wonderful1 ,lord1 are all thy works1   
,wheresoever falling4  7,the appropriate
 gesture is spreading the arms1 and1    
when it is the rain or the hail1 the    
children enjoy making the patter on the 
table1--gently for the rain1 and louder 
for the hail47     ,butler  ,tanner1    
,the ,selwood ,printing ,works1 ,frome1 
and ,london4     ,,the ,,committee ,,of 
,,the  ,manchester ,kindergarten        
,association  ,beg to ,announce that the
  ,,training ,,classes ,,for ,,teachers 
,meet in the ,,afternoon at  ,thorney   
,abbey1 ,alexandra ,park1 ,manchester1  
,for ,,theoretical instruction in the   
following subjects3--    ,drawing       
,j4 ,,clegg1 ,esq4   ,music             
,,miss ,,wichern4   ,theory and         
,application of the ,kindergarten       
,system                                 
,,miss ,,snell4   ,physiology and ,laws 

of ,health               ,,miss         
,,cleghorn4   ,science of ,education    
,w4 ,h4 ,,herford1 ,esq41 ,b4,a4        
,natural ,history and ,physiography     
,f4 ,j4 ,,webb1 ,esq4   ,elements of    
,geometry                        ,,miss 
,,snell4   ,botany                      
,,miss ,,herford4  ,practical           
,instruction is afforded at the ,model  
,kindergarten in the ,forenoon4  ,,fees 
,,for ,,the ,,above4      ,,the ,,whole 
,,course 7per ,term of ,ten ,weeks7 #e  
,,guineas4     ,,separate ,,classes 7per
 term of ,ten ,hours7 #b ,,guineas4     
,students are expected to take the whole
 ,course of ,two ,years2 when withdrawal
 before the end of the course is        
necessary a ,term's notice is required4 
,a ,,limited ,,number ,,of ,,students   
,,can ,,be ,,received ,,as ,,boarders   
,,by ,,the ,,head ,,mistress4           
,,charge ,,for ,,board ,,and ,,lodging  
#dd ,,guineas ,,per ,,annum4            
,,weekly ,,boarders              #cc    
,satisfactory ,references ,required4    

,froebel ,society1  #ag1 ,,buckingham   
,,street1 ,,strand4   ,president3       
,,miss ,,shirreff4   ,vice-,presidents3 
,,oscar ,,browning1 ,esq41 ,m4,a4       
,rev4 ,canon ,,daniel1 ,m4,a4     ,j4   
,g4 ,,fitch1 ,esq41 ,h4,m4 ,inspector of
 ,training ,colleges4     ,prof4 ,g4    
,,carey ,,foster1 ,b4,a4     ,dr4 ,j4   
,h4 ,,gladstone1 ,f4,r4,s4     ,lady    
,,goldsmid4     ,mrs4 ,w4 ,,grey4       
,frulein ,,heerwart4     ,prof4         
,,meiklejohn1 ,m4,a4     ,rev4 ,r4 ,h4  
,,quick1 ,m4,a4     ,a4 ,,sonnenschein1 
,esq4   ,council3            ,miss ,m4  
,e4 ,,bailey4           ,miss ,,baker4  
,miss ,,belcher4           ,rev4 ,a4    
,,bourne4           ,hon4 ,mrs4         
,,buxton4           ,e4 ,,cooke1 ,esq4  
,miss ,s4 ,,crombie4           ,mrs4    
,,fielden4           ,miss ,,franks4    
,mrs4 ,,green4           ,mrs4 ,,law4   
,miss ,e4 ,,lord4           ,miss       
,,lyschinska4           ,miss ,e4 ,a4   
,,manning4           ,mme4 ,,michaelis4 
,h4 ,k4 ,,moore1 ,esq41 ,b4,mus41 ,b4,a4

           ,j4 ,s4 ,,phillpotts1 ,esq4  
,miss ,,kate ,,phillips4           ,mrs4
 ,,romanes4           ,rev4 ,t4 ,w4     
,,sharpe1 ,h4,m4,i4,s4           ,miss  
,,sim4           ,f4 ,,storr1 ,esq41    
,b4,a4           ,miss ,,kate           
,,thornbury4           ,miss ,,ward4    
,hon4 ,treasurer3            ,a4 ,r4    
,,price1 ,esq4   ,hon4 ,secretary3      
,c4 ,g4 ,,montefiore1 ,esq4             
,secretary3            ,miss ,,bayley4  
,the ,froebel ,society   ,,was formed in
 #ahgd for the purpose of promoting     
co-operation among those engaged in     
,kindergarten work1 of spreading the    
knowledge and practice of the system1   
and of maintaining a high standard of   
efficiency among ,kindergarten          
,teachers4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,,an ,,examination ,,of    
,,students  ,will be held in ,london in 
the month of ,july1 for the ,higher and 
7this year only7 for the ,elementary    
,certificate4 ,in ,december next there  
will be an ,examination for the         

,elementary ,certificate only4  ,under  
certain conditions the ,council are     
prepared to hold the ,examinations at   
local centres4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,a ,registry for  
,kindergarten ,teachers  ,has been      
opened at the ,office of the ,society4  
,a small fee is charged to those who    
apply4         99       99       99     
99       99  ,arrangements have been    
made by the ,council for the            
,,inspection ,,and ,,registration ,,of  
,,kindergartens upon certain conditions4
         99       99       99       99  
99  ,the ,calendar of the ,froebel      
,society1 price #a_/-1  ,contains the   
,syllabus for the ,examinations1 and the
 ,examination ,papers of #ahhf4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,further information can be obtained    
from the ,secretary1 at the ,office of  
the ,society1            #ag1           
,,buckingham ,,street1 ,,strand4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,the ,office is open daily from #aa a4m4

 to #d p4m41 except on ,thursdays4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,transcriber's ,notes3  ,in the         
introduction and last two pages which   
use an ornamental font in the original1 
,froebel is presented without the       
oe-ligature4 ,this was retained4  ,book 
uses both ,mtterspiele und ,kse-,lieder 
and ,die ,mutter ,spiele und ,kose      
,lieder for ,froebel's work3 ,mutter-   
und ,kose-,lieder4 ,also referenced as  
,mother ,love and ,cossetting ,songs4   
,mrs4 ,kraus-,boelte is spelled without 
an oe-ligature except in a single       
footnote where a ligature was used4     
,obvious punctuation errors repaired4   
,page #cb1 ,bulow changed to ,blow      
7,marenholtz-,blow has happily remarked7
  ,page #db1 word it removed from text4 
,original read3 7forth by addressing it 
the7  ,page #dd1 her's changed to hers  
7for hers they realize7  ,page #ej1     
combinanations changed to combinations  
7color and its combinations7  ,page #ej1
 develope changed to develop 7office1 to

 develop7  ,page #bji1 beuause changed  
to because 7of it1 because1 in addition7
  ,page #bbc-bbd1 the word ,chorus      
sometimes appeared in parentheses and   
sometimes did not4 ,this was retained4