year, as first agreed, they remained in the school
for four years. As a result of the article in
the Transcript there were many visitors to the
kindergarten each day, both residents of Bos-
ton and strangers. A gentleman from Chicago,
an educator, after a visit to the school, pro-
nounced it education in its highest sense, and
said that he would like to take some of the
material as a means of rendering instruction
to his young ladies in .some of the higher
branches.
And thus the interest grew, and the class increased in numbers, until a larger room was taken in their house. Here a Mothers' Class was started; and, as Miss Rust considered her- self too much of a novice to assume the respon- sibility of this class, at her request Miss Pea- body took the charge. She was a great in- spiration to the work, and this Mothers' Class and also this home was blessed by her presence, as she often remained after the hour of the class, and thus the family pas.sed many happy hours with her socially.
One of the patrons of this school now removed to Brookline, and, desiring her children to remain under Miss Rust's instruction, made arrangements for an afternoon kintlergarten to be established in her home, the location of which was unusually adapted to such a pur- pose, the house, with pine woods near, being surrounded by nature in all its beauty. This kindergarten was carried on until the city classes had gro^^l to such a size that they re- quired Mi.ss Rust's full attention, time, and strength. Not long after this the health of Mrs. Rust failed, her strength not being equal to hav- ing the school (which with its advanced classes it had now become) in the house; therefore it was removed from the home. These advanced classes were beyond the kindergarten age, but none were allowed to enter them who had not had previous preparation either in this kinder- garten or in another, equally genuine, thus making the school a strong, connected whole, without disturbance or confusion for the pupils' minds, one class, as it were, evolving from an- other. Children were received from three or four years of age, as the child's health allowed, until the age of twelve. All the instruction was given upon Froebelian principles. Usu- ally chiUlren at six years were startetl in the so-called primary work, which, with their pre- vious jjreparation, was easily grasped, the chil- tlren being just as eager about their arithmetic, for example, as they had been about the attrac- tive kindergarten gifts and occupations. The originality of each child had been preserved, and now was most beautifully manifested along the Hues of art, music, games, and so forth. Music was taught on kindergarten principles, and in this way it is a possession to the pupil not easily forgotten. Pupils returning to the school in the fall went right on with their music as if there had been no vacation. The folding oc- cupation, previously taught, prepared the flex- ible little hand for music, making the fingers deft and securing the right position of the hand, thus saving two or more terms of instruction. In fact, the analytical and synthetical method of the child's previous instruction made all its after work and study a pleasure, and proved that it was fully grasped, being its own posses- sion.
Miss Rust had desired to have the extreme pleasure of proving the benefit of the system by taking the children on in these advanced classes after the kindergarten stage, and it is now a great source of delight to her to look back upon this experience, and also to receive voluntary testimonials like this from pupils who have passeil (jn through other schools to the Boston Institute of Technology: "We did not know what was being done for us. Miss Rust, when we were little fellows in your kin- dergarten, but now we realize what it meant for us all along the line and here in our instruc- tion." In order to have justice done to this system, the child must have it as a whole. Thus much time and waste of nervous energy are saved in the higher grades.
In the meantime the school had grown to such a size that a hou.se was taken, and Miss Rust associated henself with a kindergarten-trained mother, they together undertaking the estab- lishment of a Kindergarten Normal Class for young ladies. Mi.ss Rust modestly felt that this mother, being older and more experienced in life, was better fitted than herself to under- take the responsibility of training young la- dies, although urged to do it. She, however,
