Woman of the Century/Emily M. Coe

COB, Miss Emily M., educator, born near Norwalk, Ohio. She was graduated from Mt. Holyoke Seminary, in 1853, with the honors of her class. For a time she turned her attention to oil-painting and other art-work, for which she has a talent. She then taught with success in seminaries and colleges in New England and Pennsylvania, and afterward in the Spingler Institute, in New York City. Realizing more and more the futility of building upon the imperfect foundations of character usually laid in early childhood, she saw clearly that the hope of the world is in the right training of the little children. That led to the establishment of the American kindergarten, the first school of the kind in New York City. The American kindergarten system is the result of more than twenty years of practical work in the school-room. She erected a kindergarten building at her own expense, in the Centennial Exposition of 1876, where material, much of her own invention was exhibited and examined by educators from all parts ofl the world. In 1872 Miss Cue went to Europe for the purpose of studying educational methods. Her life is an exceedingly busv one. She has given courses of lectures and conducted training classes in Normal institutes in all parts of the country, besides single lectures in many places. At home she conducts the American Kindergarten and Normal Training School in New York City and East Orange, N. J. Miss Coe is editor and proprietor of the "American Kindergarten Magazine," established ten years. She is president of the American Kindergarten Society. She is a member of the Association for the Advancement of Science and a life member of the National Teachers' Association. She is a very earnest Christian.