Emily Maynard, Rachel Jamison, Pymela White, Hannah Cnlkins, Mary Ross and Henrietta Christie. In 1837 Samuel Lewis— the same Lewis who helped to obtain free public school legislation for Ohio, was made state superintendent of the “Common Schools,” for this was still their official name. The annual report of the direc- tors of the common schools of Columbus showed in 1841 that eight female teachers were then employed, each receiving $50.00 per quarter. So no advance had been made, even in the Capital of the state, in the matter of paying women teachers, at this time. Columbus did, however, score first in another and highly important phase of education. It seems to be an inescapable fact, notwithstanding the claim of highly educated Boston to the same distinction, that the first kindergarten in the United States was opened and conducted at Columbus, Ohio, in 1858 by CAROLINE LOUISA FRANKENBERO, a pupil and disciple of the great Froebel himself. This was 10 years before a kindergarten was started in Boston by Eliza- beth Peabody. So the honor of introducing Froebel ’s principles to America belongs, it seems, to the cultured little woman Avho emigrated from Eddinge- hausen, Germany, to make Ohio her adopted home. Fraulein Frankenberg had, in fact, made an effort to sew the seed for her children’s garden in this country as early as 1836, when she made her first trip to Columbus. It is now established, according to Elizabeth N. Samuel, in “We, Too, Built Columbus,” that Froebel had a friend, Ernst Frankenberg, living at the Capitol of Ohio and that to this friend the founder of the kindergarten sent plans for establishing an institution for the ‘‘care of the active instincts of childhood and youth” to the Ohio city in 1838, these plans being soon followed by the first effort of Caroline Frankenberg to start the movement. This, however, proved impractical, so Fraulein Frankenberg returned to Germany and returned to Columbus 20 years later. After her return to Germany, Caroline taught six years at Keilhau under Froebel ’ s immediate direction. Then she taught at Dresden and then at Bautzen. Even the German parents of these cities had little idea of what this new idea was all about. It was fine to keep the little ones busy and happy and out from under the busy mother’s feet, they doubtless conceded. But to call this teaching — In her little home on Rich St. , Columbus, as soon as she was established there, in 1858, the devoted educator set up her kindergarten, the first in the United States. She did her best to interest others in her cause. She even advertised in Die Westbote, German newspaper of the city. She charged a modest tuition fee — seventy-five cents per pupil was the maximum. But she could not speak English and how, with this handicap, could the underlying
