"The industrial aim is not the most important, although it has many advantages for children, who can thus already earn something. It is desired above all to develop in children the sentiment of the beautiful, that their spiritual aspirations may be satisfied; and to give some practicality, in order that they may be able to represent and realize their ideas, and become truly producers; giving, in one word, freedom to their natural powers.

"This is not attained in making children perform merely useful things; it is abusing their powers to occupy them only mechanically. The principle of Froebel is always to unite intellectual and manual exercises, and to organize labor in such a manner that its results may develop the sentiment of the beautiful and the true."

Drawing exercises are commenced very early. Slates furrowed in squares are used; the pencil, falling into the furrows, forces the children to make straight strokes, and gives great firmness to the hand. Afterward paper is used, ruled in the same way, but in pale blue lines, not to injure the effect of the drawing. The children are taught to invent freely before copying.

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Froebel calls his method "drawing in the net," and affirms that it is in strict accordance with the nature of man, or the law of his inward life. "The head and breast line," says he, are practically our measures and standards as we conceive forms. As we perceive the representations of external forms in a right angle, drawing in a square space is a natural operation."

It is impossible to explain the whole method so clearly that it can be practised without patterns and a certain amount of training.

Children almost universally delight in color. In the Kindergarten, the balls, colored papers, &c. somewhat educate the eye, but more specific lessons are given when they are allowed to use colors. They begin by painting "in the net," with the pure primary colors. They are carefully taught the harmony of colors, and their relations to each other, by learning to compound them. The earliest lessons are in painting leaves of trees, and they learn to imitate the various shades and forms very accurately, and then proceed to flowers, wings of insects, birds, and other natural objects.

Modelling is one of the most important occupations in the Kindergarten, and affords such an extensive ground of operation, that children of all ages can exercise themselves with advantage. This becomes very absorbing to them. It opens so varied a field of employment, with a material so pliant, that in some sort they can realize their crude ideas. Some of the children attain to great success.

"In making the tour of the tables, we remark some works modelled in clay. A little girl of six years old is working at a charming basket filled with fruit; a temple surrounded with elegant columns, a horse at full gallop, are the works of a child of seven years; the truth of form and boldness of execution are remarkable. We are told that this child was for a long time the despair of his parents, on account of his ungovernable and obstinate temper. He broke all he could lay hands on, abused the servants, and gave way to extraordinary fits of passion. Endowed with great intelligence and energy, he did not know how to control his undirected and unemployed powers.

"His character changed immediately after his entrance into the Kindergarten, and he shows already a decided talent for sculpture. This gifted boy used his powers for evil, because he had not been taught how to make them useful in developing his talent for construction."

The Kindergarten, with its innumerable exercises, presents varied and attractive employment to all tastes and tendencies. "The supervision and discipline prevent the abuse of liberty, and inspire a principle of order in the hours of recreation, which regulates the conduct of the children, whether in the presence of their teachers or by themselves, either in or out of the garden. This principle of order, far from constraining them, pleases them, because they have a natural love of harmony." Whilst losing nothing of the natural buoyancy and spontaneousness of childhood,—in fact, retaining unusually its freshness and sweetness, free from the fretting of idleness and unused life, the of the little ones progress is remarkable. The first years of life are always spent in making acquaintance with this outward world. Froebel does not burden the mind of children; he helps them in their allotted work by meeting the wants of that nature to whose study he devoted his lifetime, and which he so tenderly respected, so clearly understood.

His methods of initiating the study of geography and history were peculiar to himself. Froebel sought to teach mathematics as the foundation of all knowledge; but living mathematics of some sort, the actual preceding the dry formula which follows as the expression of the universal law.

"This idea should be studied thus in Froebel's Menschenerziehung. It will be seen from these simple indications, that he gives in this manner a logical basis to the young intelligence, founded on the analogy of the laws of human thought with mathematics, the absolute ignorance of which too often produces disorder in ideas, or the adoption of false

ones.

"Froebel has provided for children, from the first, a series of gymnastic exercises or little plays which amuse and instruct them, exercising the different muscles, loosening the fingers, and giving the hands an astonishing dexterity. They are indicated in his Talks and Songs of Mothers.'

"To render these exercises truly beneficial, the conditions of their healthful action must be taken into account; they must not be entered into at improper times, as immediately before or after a meal, nor continued so as to produce weariness, nor in the closely-confined rooms, or in an impure atmosphere. Having these conditions in view, the movement-plays of the Kindergarten have been arranged. To prevent deformities of the spine, no child is allowed to remain too long in one position.

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'To secure the co-operation of mental, nervous, and muscular action, all movements are accompanied by songs, which enlist the sympathies, excite the imagination, and cause the children to suit the action to the word.'

"These plays are plays of union and order. Every motion is according to rhythm; and there is not a muscle in the body nor an organ of the mind, requiring exercise, that does not receive its necessary stimulus through them. The plays are adapted to very young children. Many of them have been invented by children, and collected and set to music, with appropriate words, by practical educators, who have acquired the power to teach by observation."

These songs are of various character; some of them of a tender and affectionate tone, cultivating the family affections, love, consideration for others, and gentle and courteous demeanor to playmates. They are introduced often by some little story, when the children are playing with the gifts of

Froebel, into which they are incorporated. These are called "Songs of Harmony," such as "The Song of Greeting," "The Pleasant Sight," "The Happy Family."

Another series of songs refer to various artificial and natural movements, the motions of birds, fishes, animals, windmills, water-wheels, pendulums, &c. being imitated in the accompanying plays.

"A favorite game is called the Pigeon-House.

Three fourths of the children join hands and form a closed circle, representing a pigeonhouse; the remainder stand close together inside the circle, to represent the pigeons in the house.

"When the song begins, 'We open the pigeon-house,' those forming the circle raise their hands and arms, and make the circle as large as possible. Those inside, the pigeons,' run out, moving their little hands and arms like the wings of a bird; they continue to run about, until they hear, 'And when they return,' when they make their way home quickly as possible.

"This song may be repeated as often as is wanted, the inner and outer circle changing places, if desired.

"The game is intended to extend the arms and exercise the wrists in particular, and all the muscles employed in the action of the pigeons.' This exercise of the wrist is an excellent preparation for employments requiring dexterity and lightness of touch. The faculty of time is also excited, and feelings of sympathy with the subjects of the game unconsciously aroused."

The children are familiarized with the motions of the planets, whilst gaining health and dexterity, by another ingenious game, called "The Solar System." The tallest child stands in the centre of the room, holding in his hand as many ribbons as there are planets, each longer than the other. The smallest child represents Mercury, and, taking hold of the shortest ribbon, moves round "the Sun," to represent his annual motion, and turning round upon his heels during this circuit, extend

ing the hand that holds the ribbon over his head, to imitate the diurnal motion. Meanwhile all sing:

"O how steadily, O how orderly,

Mercury moves round the orb of day!
Never drearily, never wearily,

Never tired of his active play,

Always wandering round the brilliant sun,

Never wearying as he journeys on.

O how orderly the planets wander,

Yet cling to their centre, the bright orb of day!"

The games and songs in "imitation of human labor" awaken a love for usefulness, and have a great attraction for children, who, indeed, are always drawn to anything which simulates a use. They are full of practical instruction.

The song of "The Peasant," sowing, reaping, thrashing, sifting his wheat, resting and playing when his work is done, "The Cooper," "The Sawyer," &c., are admirable exercises. for mind and body.

Froebel's advice to mothers, in his Menschenerziehung, in the religious development of their children, is worthy most serious thought: "All education must be unfruitful which is not based on the Christian religion." He wished that the whole life and education of the child "should be related to the religious idea," and sought for him a complete development in harmony with this. He relied on sacred music to quicken the religious sentiment, feeling the divine truths of the Gospel must reach the intellect through the heart. Believing prayer to be innate in children, he yet felt the need of some transition from play to devotion. The children are led to note some phenomenon of nature, the setting sun, the organization of plants, the music of birds, &c., - and their thoughts are guided by earnest words, which touch their tender hearts with love and reverence and confidence in God. Or some incident in the life of the infant Jesus is recalled to them; for all the principal events of sacred history have been taught them, in a simple manner, in the Kindergarten.

"To attain a high moral and religious development in the child, it is necessary at first to sanctify the senses by a superior physical de