to day until it became a part of the regular program.

But I must leave many of the cuddle-down, Raggylug stories unchronicled, for, though Bunny is an important and valuable pet, he is not the only one and may not have more than his allotted share of our attention. I have spoken only of his value in the kindergarten, but another kindergartner states that she could write a paper upon the value of "Bunny in the Home" as well.

The gray squirrel comes next on our roll of rodents. As a rule this little fellow is a visitor only for a while. He seldom becomes as friendly as the rabbit, but, be his stay long or short, he teaches many a valuable lesHis thriftiness is predominant even in captivity.

son.

One squirrel who had an ideal home in a large cage was very particular about his bed. Each morning he brought the cotton out, teazed it, and when satisfied that it was thoroughly aired, he remade his bed. The children loved to fill his food-box with nuts, for it was one of their greatest pleasures to see him scamper off with them and hide them under the sawdust of his cage or in his bed, emptying the box with surprising rapidity. One cleaning day almost two quarts of nuts were found hidden under the bed, and, in spite of our efforts to remove them, under that bed he insisted upon keeping them. At a certain period each day the children had physical exercises, and that was the time when Jack found his way to the wheel in his little inner cage and took his exercise with them.

Jack and his brother Tricky were such delightful pets! Occasionally allowed the freedom of the schoolroom, they ran mad races across the floor, their little feet pattering and scratching as they foraged for nuts and scampered merrily away to bury them in every possible hiding place.

Each little child felt responsible for their care and food, and at Christmas a large basket of nuts was presented to these pets. The children. learned that the squirrels had a very good time, but were neither boisterous nor noisy. They watched their careful attention to their food, their dainty, tidy eating, and their perseverance and inquisitiveness were a source of great delight.

Though these lively little chaps were pets of several years ago, the boys and girls who shared their kindergarten with them and cared for them, often return to talk over their cunning tricks and interesting habits, or relate many an anecdote of them. After such companionship and experience, only good influences and a spirit of gentleness toward animals could develop.

Where children are older and begin to classify, or for purposes of comparison, I would suggest as substitutes for the rabbit or squirrel, the Guinea pig and white rat. These little animals are very responsive, appreciate good care and soon become very tame. An amusing incident is told of how occasionally one may acquire a reputation for the care of animal pets, and may have them thrust upon her without regard to pedigree, complexion, or previous

manner of existence. Such a kindergartner was summoned from her circle one morning to an audience with the ash man of the neighborhood. After a few introductory remarks as to the condition of business and the weather, he produced a white rat from his pocket and presented it with this remark: "Please, mum, I found this fellow in an ash barrel up the street, and he seemed so nice he ought to have good care. I knew you took care of all kinds of things here, so I brought him to you." And so a little white rat was added to that menagerie, though he was permitted to remain but a short time, as it is possible to overdo in this matter of animal pets. It is much wiser to have one pet at a time and to give it the entire attention and constant care than to divide the interests among

many.

With the right conditions we may introduce a family dog or cat. How ever, as these are household pets, I believe it a wiser plan to bring them in as occasional visitors, rather than to give them a place in the kindergarten or care for them for any length of time.

Our list of kindergarten pets need not end with with these four-footed friends. Indeed it would not be complete without "good Mother Hen" and her chicks, and the doves or pigeons that fly away and return again to their home in the schoolroom window. One of the greatest opportunities for gaining knowledge through observation is given by Mother Hen training her brood: teaching the babies to scratch for

themselves, her different calls and how the babies understand and obey these calls, the peeping and clucking over every new morsel-their play as they climb and tumble and roll over the mother's back, until, tired out, they cuddle under her warm wings. I know some little children who learned more from a three days' visit of a hen and her chicks than the young ladies of a certain training class had known in all their experience. This special Mother Hen became so popular that she monopolized the attention and affection of students and teachers from the kindergartner to the principal.

In considering doves or pigeons as pets the question arises: How shall we bring the dove cote near enough the kindergarten for observation and care? One ingenious kindergartner has had a pigeon house so constructed that it fastens outside the schoolroom window, and here the birds go forth and return, telling their experiences in their own soft, crooning way, and seeming to enjoy the companionship and attentions of the children as they feed them at the window, and often coax them to pay a visit in the kindergarten room. In another kindergarten a pair of ringdoves found a home and built their nest in a corner of their house, where, just at Easter time, they presented the kindergarten with a pair of baby doves. Here the children had the privilege of watching the parent doves as they nursed their little ones. The care they exercised in feeding their ever hungry offspring; the shared responsibilities; how they were kept warm and finally

urged to leave the nest, only to continue their painstaking and training until they were independent and able to help themselves.

In pleading for the pets in the kindergarten I have laid emphasis upon the value of association and observation, but I feel that I should say a word in regard to moralizing. We often see the naughty little chick or the disobedient one, as we see the naughty little child occasionally, and there is danger of too great moralizing in these instances as well as in regard to the very natural actions of either Mother Hen or pigeons. I know of one kindergartner who was very thankful that she had not called special attention to the devotion of the doves to each other. In this case one brood of young doves had been driven from the nest to make room for the second addition to the family. For a time peace reigned in the dove house until a certain day when the parent doves were called from the nest and invited to a special treat of hard boiled eggs. While father and mother were feasting, a young pigeon, who evidently resented the intrusion of the newcomers, flew to the nest, and, catching the baby dove by the neck, threatened to give him the coup de grâce. He succeeded in giving his victim a good shaking before the father dove flew wildly back to the scene of this unequal battle, and, using his wing as a slipper, he furiously slapped his insubordinate son and brought him to an inglorious defeat. Peace and harmony do not always dwell together even in the

dove house.

It is only under the most favorable conditions that I would advocate maintaining any of these pets for any length of time, but it is always possible to entertain one or another of them as visitors during the course of the year. But, no matter what the conditions, there is always one pet that every kindergarten may havethe unobtrusive little box turtle, who stays where you put him without a murmur of remonstrance, eats so very little, is so very quiet, and gives so little trouble. Yet it is wonderful how tame and interesting he will become. It is possible in planning for the entertainment of these pets to make a single house serve many. large cage covered with wire netting and lined with zinc or tin in the bottom is a home always ready. Bunny, who soon learns the run of the schoolroom, will make it his house at the close of the session, and it will prove equally satisfactory for the squirrel and doves. And while it may not be furnished with all modern conveniences, it is always ready for our little visitors, who use it only as a place where they may sleep and eat and run about.

A

Our object in bringing these pets into the kindergarten is not that we may teach their length, or breadth, or thickness. Neither is it of any value to know the form that they resemble. They may be ovoid, conic, or spheroid, but the children will pay no regard to this form of knowledge. The life side of nature teaches our little people to love what is alive, to enjoy its companionship, to grow in sympathy with it, to unselfishly care for it, and,

through this ministry, to learn to observe carefully, exactly, truthfully. And no matter what the conditions, there is always some way of bringing this living association to our children. The aquarium and terrarium are possible under most limited conditions.

Is this knowledge that comes through association with pets passing or permanent? A little boy who had been out of the kindergarten for two years returned one afternoon from a primary class and said, "What do you think Miss —— wrote on the blackboard for us to answer? She wrote, Is the Bunny fierce? Would n't you think she would have known better?" That factor in education which makes all things possible is a close and accurate observation, yet how few possess it. Not long ago, in one of our large stores, I watched a woman who was ordering a chinchilla cape, and agreeing to pay an enormous price for additional skins which were necessary to make the garment sufficiently long, and I overheard the following conversation: "What is this chinchilla, anyway?" "Oh, madam," -he was a very obliging salesman,—

"it is an animal." "Yes, I know it is an animal, but how large?" "About the size of a lion, madam," and the clerk without a conscience continued to sell the woman without observation a dozen or more of the tiny skins that were hanging all about the place where she stood.

We may smile at the simplehearted woman who paid a visit to Central Park particularly to see the hippopotamus, and who, when the creature drew himself from the water, gave expression to her surprise. in the words, "My, but he is plain." We may smile but we must give her credit for a quick, correct and exact observation, and a truthful statement of it.

As I have presented no theory, I cannot conclude with any argument, neither will my subject permit of any eloquence. I have given you the plain statement of plain facts. I know the value of our kindergarten pets, and should you ask me whether we can have a kindergarten and leave our pets out, I would shake my head and answer with the good old Scotch woman, "I hae ma doots."

"Ask

beauty of it all. "I wish we could have this privilege," said one. for it," I replied. "Oh, do you think we could have the ground and a man to do the first digging for us?" "I am sure of it," I answered. Then came others, "Could we have gardens for these same children next year? They will know better how to go ahead and do the work themselves by that time." As these requests came to our principal he willingly gave permission, but feared adding an