of what they had understood and felt for weeks. No comments were made on it in any way, for it had been part of their lives for many, many days.

As the thought goes on in further development, the following plays (with triangular tablets), with their corresponding Occupations may serve as suggestions. In both of these add leaf or flower as the fruit, which tells that one vine is the Virginia creeper, the other the morning glory.

DIRECTIONS FOR FOLDING.

Fold two opposite corners together. Open out and fold two adjacent edges along

"Manual work, whether in paper, in clay, or in wood, if duly accompanied with measurement training to a sense of propor

angle and fold to middle of line just formed. The picture will be the best guide in completing this fold to make (b). To make (c) take a two inch square and fold the sameas in (a).

To make (e) take two inch purple square. Fold together two opposite corners. Open and fold two adjacent edges along the diagonal crease. Follow the picture for last fold to complete (e).

The thought in these lessons will be more fully developed in the October and November issues.

Louisville, Ky.

PATTY S. HILL.

tion and beauty, would become a most valuable educational instrument."-Dr. J. G. Fitch.

This department of our magazine is established with an earnest desire to help mothers of young children to train them in a wholesome manner, physically, mentally and morally. It is especially for those whose children are too young for the Kindergarten. We also wish to help young mothers keep themselves at their best for their children's sake, to "live for their children" in the highest sense. It is not living for your child to make a slave of yourself for him. It is not living with your child to give him your individual thought and attention day and night, overpowering him with your solicitations for his welfare.

We wish to help you to make use of your God-given powers, that life will seem worth the living for both yourselves and for the sake of the little ones placed in your sacred

care.

You, dear mothers, are Kinder-gartners! Every mother is a "gartner" to her little "kinder." Are you desirous to be a good "gartner," trying to find the best means of developing your child into a well-balanced, strong, capable human being? Then come to us; let us think over these things together. If we do not seem to meet your particular needs, let us know, and we will endeavor to supply them. We wish you to ask questions and also give experiences that will be helpful to other mothers. A little child should be healthy and happy-should never be the cause of anxiety. It should be free to live, and live naturally, as the bird or the butterfly, and it is for you to know how to let him have this free, happy, joyous life.

Auntie knowing two year old Herbert's fondness for bananas, took a bag containing four to him one day. The bag was opened by him and two luscious bananas devoured by the time Mamma and Auntie

had said "How do you do?" Mamma thought it plenty, so she said to Herbert: "No more, dear; save the rest until by and by." "No! No!" came in a tone which indicated willfulness and determination to have every one or raise the roof. The cool, but warm-hearted Mamma, saw the necessity of immediate action, so she knelt down in front of her boy, with bag in hand, Herbert was ready to tear the peeling from another. But she said, with a gentle but positive tone of voice, "poor Nano, all alone; let us put yours with it, and let them sleep in the cupboard till Papa comes, then Herbert may have them for his supper." The little fellow hesitates, thinks moment, and the thought of Papa conquers. He puts the banana in the bag, looks up into Mamma's face, saying: "Papa come, Nano supper?" making the sweetest est picture showing the acknowledgment of a higher, a more loving will than his own.

He seemed to realize his happiness in having such a staff to lean upon and was comforted to learn that Mamma knew best. O, wise mother, who knows when the time comes for positive, gentle action!

Another time, when the little fellow wishes to have his own way at the expense of his good, he will yield more readily.

AN EXTRACT FROM A GREAT-AUNT'S LETTER.

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"Little chicks," I heard Grace ask, raising her finger playfully, "who tore up all that paper under my library window?" 'spect I did," answered Gerty, the youngest, a mere baby three years old. "Well, then, lady-bird, trot off and pick it all up."

Just then company, the inevitable company, was ushered in, and I could but smile to see baby Gertrude's quickness to take advantage of this fact. She thought Mamma would forget the paper; I did,

too. But we were both mistaken. The littered paper was a small matter to stay in the mother's occupied mind, but her child's obedience was the all important consideration.

Not hearing the little footsteps going in the direction of obedience, my niece arose with a brief, graceful apology, and left the parlor. Her eyes were stern now, though her voice was gentle and low. A look, a tone, quickly admonished the little delinquent, and the mother stood gravely by till the last scrap had been picked up. I think Gerty will go at the first bidding next time. But, oh, a mother needs every day and hour to rule with diligence!

SUGGESTIONS FOR AMUSEMENT AND OCCU

PATION FOR THE LITTLE ONES.

September is yet too early to have the babies amused in the house, if there is any place outside for them. They should be out of doors as much as possible during their waking hours and they require but little guiding, for Nature is so rich in her marvelous productions at this time of year, that she alone often proves a very capable teacher.

Dress your little ones in straw hats and dark ginghams, turn them out with a small shovel and a hoe, and they will find plenty of work.

Watch them occasionally; if they seem aimless in their play, it will be well to guide them a little. Red is usually the most common color used in the playthings for the babies, from the time they have their first red balls until they played with red wagons; now let us change, and help them to love the beautiful yellow.

Have them make a play flower bed, fill it with golden rod or yellow daisies, another day find sunflowers with long stems; stand them up in the bed and play they are a whole family of sunflowers--the papa

and mamma, and all the little "suns." After they have ceased to enjoy the exercise of their own imagination, leave your sewing or reading, go to them and make use of your own well-cultivated imagination. Tell them all the good wholesome things you can that a papa and mamma sunflower with their little "suns" would do. Another day, after they have had this joyous play by themselves, tell them about the big sun in the sky and how much he does for the little boys and girls of the world. How he gives us light that we may see all the beautiful things about us-the flowers, the birds, the dear little lambkin, the kittie-cat, Mamma and Papa, and all the people we love. How he sends his warm sunbeam fairies right into the homes of little children, warms their fingers and toes, then creeps into their hearts and makes them feel so warm and happy, and says, "Little one, I love you," and they nestle so close and warm, just as the kittie-cat does, till they seem to love everybody.

One day play the sunflowers are the fairies, and have them go on errands of love; when your imagination begins to play in this wholesome, useful manner, you will be surprised how many things you can think of to inspire a healthful imagination in your children.

To be sure you have not taught color in this play-lesson, but if you have led the children to recognize the color in other things than the flowers you have accomplished something; but more than all, you have led them to love the dear golden rod, daisies, and sunflowers, and the glorious. sun which is the light of the world. Through the love of these things, are your children not gaining a greater love for Nature? Through Nature a love for humanity? And then it is but a step to lead them to an understanding of the Creator of all.

C. L. S.

BOSTON LETter.

The truth of any system, method or principle of education, is proved by its universality, and when we pause in the rush of every-day life, to think how universal the Kindergarten is becoming, we need go no farther to decide that at last the right method for the early training of the little ones has been arrived at. Not only is the Kindergarten spreading to all nations, and found equally good with rich and poor alike, but it is beginning to be found especially adapted to the defective classes,the feeble minded, the deaf and dumb and the blind. Kindergarten methods have been found so especially useful to this latter class, that in almost all the large schools for the blind in this country, some portion of the day has been set apart for the use of the Kindergarten Gifts and Occupations, and sometimes for the games.

The Kindergarten for the Blind, at Jamaica Plaines, Mass., has, however, the honor to be the first building in the world set apart for the Kindergarten training of little, blind children. Here the effort is being made to have, not only the hours in the school-room, but the whole day, permeated with the Kindergarten atmosphere; for, the distances at which the children live, necessitate their coming as boarders, and not simply day pupils. Another special effort made, is to have the children, as far as practicable, use exactly the same materials and do the same work as seeing children. It is a great joy to the sightless little ones to find this out; it makes them feel at home with the little friends from the other Boston Kindergartens who often come to visit them; and surely, too, this early overcoming of obstacles will give them confidence in later life to rise above those mountains of difficulty, which present themselves so con

stantly in the independent career of a blind. person. Then, too, this reacts on the visitors. Little children are often overcome with delight and astonishment to find the blind children working from directions with the self-same Gifts that they use, weaving as intricate a pattern on their mats, and modelling in clay as perfectly as if their fingers did not serve the double purpose of fingers and eyes. Parents and teachers ask permission to bring their children to visit the Kindergarten, finding the watching of the patient fingers and the happy little faces a salutary lesson for them.

The day at the Kindergarten then, contains the usual programme of the morning talk, with the singing of songs, Finger Plays, etc., an object lesson or story, a period for the use of a Gift, marching, games, a few minutes for regular gymnastic exercises and the Occupation hour. Besides this, there is, for the older children, an advanced class, combining Kindergarten with primary work, and also lessons on the piano; while all have half an hour each day devoted to vocal music.

Of the Kindergarten Gifts and Occupations, all, with the exception of drawing, are now used; and all are found, as with other children, to take their part in the threefold development of the child. A short account of the adaptation of some of these Gifts, etc., to the use of the blind children may be interesting.

For the use mainly of the building Gifts, the Kindergarten tables are grooved in inch squares, instead of being merely marked by lines; thus the children can count their squares and place their blocks at regular distances. But for the tablets, sticks, rings, and small beads (which are used to represent the point), framed pads, the size of the tables, and placed upon them, are used.

These pads, or cushions, have lines stitched upon them to form inch squares, and the tablets, etc., having holes drilled in them, can be pinned in place, so that the form, when made, can be examined by the fingers without any fear of destroying it.

The question is often asked if blind children are as inventive in their Kindergarten work as seeing children? To this my experience would lead me to answer, no! for the reason that forms made by seeing children in drawing and stick-laying (when told they can make what they like) are often new combinations of designs they have seen on wall papers, carpets, oilcloths, church windows, etc. The blind children have no such experiences to fall back upon, and therefore a great deal of directed work must be done before they can really become inventive. Then, drawing being impossible to them, stick-laying, until lately, has been, their only means of designing a pretty pattern to sew on a card. It has been thought for some time that they might do much in this direction by means of pricking, if only something could be devised to take the place for the fingers, which the squared paper fills for the eyes. Such an arrangement has now been invented, and has been laughingly named "The Punctograph." This is a square wooden frame with a cloth back, like the regular pricking pad. The frame is made so as to exactly hold a card 4% inches square, but the oblong cards, 42x3%, can also be used in it.

Fastened to the frame on one side by hinges, is a metal plate with little squares cut in it; this is to perform the part of the squared paper, the frame being merely to keep the card in place. After putting the card in the frame, the plate or cover is shut down on it, and the child pricks in the corners of the squares exactly as he would, if he could see, on the crossings of the lines on the squared paper. He misses one corner or more as the distance between the pricks is desired to be greater or less; those

39

nearest together, being one-third of an inch apart. With this device the children can often prick their own cards, and make designs in pricking from direction; and they are also given another means of cultivating their inventive faculties.

The Kindergarten games become as great a delight to these little ones as they are to children in general. I use the word "become" advisedly; for too often the children, when first brought to the Kindergarten, are afraid not only to run, but to walk alone. The games are especially useful in awakening the natural childish activity which here is so painfully latent. In personating a horse, a cat, a mouse, a bird, they forget their fears and their lassitude, and soon become natural, active children. The games, also, do for the sense of hearing what the Gifts and Occupations do for the sense of touch, viz.: train it to take the place of sight. For example, the child who wishes to choose a particular partner in the dancing game, must listen for his or her voice in singing, and so be guided to the desired person.

As so much of the Kindergarten work with the blind children is done in exactly the same way as it is with those who have all their perfect senses, I have only touched on the points where the most special adaptation has been required. Could our friends see the oftentimes blankness in the faces of the children when first they enter the Kindergarten and the bright intelligence that beams from those same faces six months after, they would feel, as do all those especially interested in the work, that here the names of two men must always be thought of with gratefulness and fond affection; the name of Friedrich Froebel, so dear to all Kindergarten children, and that of Mr. M. Anagnos, the founder of this special Kindergarten, and the true friend and father of all the little ones under its roof.

FANNY L. JOHNSON.

Jamaica Plains, Mass.