The Potters Herald

Home Education
"The Child's First School is the Family"--Froebel

Issued by the National Kindergarten Association, 8 West 40th Street, New York City. These articles are appearing weekly in our columns.

An Unexpected Open Forum
HILDA RICHMOND

Seven mothers were busily sewing in the living-room, while outside under the open windows their children played noisily. There had been a call for children's garments for a large family whose home had been destroyed by fire. The sewing machines raced and needles flashed. Presently the children exhausted from a wild game sat down on the grass to rest, and their shrill young voices carried into the living-room at a time when the sewing machines happened to be silent.

"My mother never, never would do such a thing!" were the first words that were heard. "If I had been bad like Jimmy, she would have called me home, and if I'd had to be punished nobody would have seen it."

"Mine, too," agreed three more young critics.

"I'm glad my mother doesn't do things like that," spoke up a very earnest young voice. "And another thing she never does is to make me sit still when there's company."

"No," interrupted another, "if I come in with my hands and face washed clean and shake hands, then my mother tells me I may be excused to go and play."

"That's the way my mother does. Ruth's mother makes her sit still the whole time and it's awful hard."

"Ruth would be as careful as anybody, when there is company, not to get noisy if her mother would—"

"Yes, my goodness! It's hard to sit still for an hour and have nothing to play with, and that's what Ruth's mother wants her to do, I heard her scolding about it."

"Well, I'm glad my mother is not like Bob's. Bob never gets a chance to choose about anything. His mother decides where he shall go and what he shall do, whether it's important or not."

"My mother let's me have my say about most things."

"So does mine." This last was in chorus.

Long before this, all conversation in the living-room had ceased, and the mothers were listening breathlessly.

"I'm afraid they will begin on our faults if they continue this open forum," said one mother.

"Let them," said another. "It is doing us good to be praised, and the hearing of our faults will not hurt us."

"Bless their little hearts," said a third. "I never dreamed they were such keen observers. And aren't they loyal to us!"

"And they are right," said the hostess. "I think it is a shame the way Mrs. Lottey comes out with a switch in her hand to hunt her children. She won't injure their bodies with that little stick, but I'm afraid she may injure her opportunity to gain their confidence, with her cast-iron methods of government."

"I'll tell you what let's do," said another mother suddenly, wishing to prevent further criticism of their neighbor. "Let's give our darling instructors a little treat. I have some ice cream in the refrigerator, and it will only take a minute to bring it over."

"Good! I baked fresh cookies this morning, and they will go nicely with the ice cream," said another.

The children were astonished at the feast suddenly spread before them as they sat on the grass, but they were not too astonished to do their part with their hearty young appetites.

"Such a surprise!"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"May we call to Bob and his sister to come over?"

"I'll say this is swell!"

Chattering and eating, and drinking quantities of pink lemonade, the children continued their picnic until the last drop and crumb were consumed, while the mothers, sewing silently, thanked God in their hearts that their little children saw and appreciated their loving efforts at fair government, and they humbly asked for more light, more patience and more skill.

Make the past the pinnacle from which to peer further into the future.