Froebel from Educational Handcraft T.W. Berry 1912

The following is from T.W. Berry, Educational Handcraft, 1912, on the relationship between Froebel's Kindergarten and the use of manual training movement in general education.

In Freobel's words, "the purpose of teaching is to bring ever more out of man rather than to put more and more into him." If it is good--and it is never now contested--to consider child-nature in the Infant Schools; to aim at an all-round development of the physical, mental, and moral nature of the child; to train the sense by active participation in examination and experiment; to provide a variety of well graded and carefully considered educational exercises in clay modeling, colour work, stick-laying, drawing, and other exercises of like nature; to train the imagination and develop the powers of language by imitative plays; by geographical scenes; by nature study on Froebellian lines--surely it is not too much to ask that this interesting, instructive, educative, natural plan shall not be completely taken from the child simply because he or she as attained the age of six or seven years, and has consequently been transferred to the upper department.

This afternoon, I will be at the White Street Art Walk, displaying my work to hundreds of visitors and residents of Eureka Springs. I hope to sell a few things, too.