The first kindergarten was opened by Frael in the year 1840 in the village of Blankenburg in the 'Thuringian Forest. Until his death in 1852. Fruhel gave himself up to the work of establishing other of these institutions, and of interesting and enlisting the friends of educa tion in the cause. After his death the Baroness Marenholtz-Biilow, Frhbel's ardent disciple, de voted herself to carrying on the work, and the movement has steadily grown until kindergar tens form a component part of the public-school system in most Continental countries, in most cities of the United States, and in some South American and Asiatic countries. Tn France and French Switzerland their establishment is com pulsory, and they are supported and organized like any other part of the public-sehool system. In Germany and England their support is yet local or philanthropic.
The pioneer movement for the establishment of kindergartens in the United States was led by Miss Elizabeth Peabody, of Boston, who on becoming interested in Friibel's writings went to Germany in 1367 to study his system. She returned the next year and devoted the remainder of her life to the popularizing of the FracBan principle of education. ably seconded by Mrs. Horace Mann and Dr. henry Barnard. During the decade of the sixties several kindergartens were established in Boston, Mass., Hoboken, X.
and Louisville, Icy. A similar movement was led independently in New York by Miss Ilenrietta Haines and Miss Boelie, the latter a pupil of Fr(ibers widow. During the seventies philan thropic associations were established in numer ous cities for the support of kindergartens as charitable institutions. These were begun in Florence. Mass., in 1874, and in Boston in 1878; this movement prospered especially in San Fran cisco, Brooklyn, New York, Chicago, Pittsburg.
Cincinnati, and Louisville, and was supported in various other places. The first public kinder garten was opened in Boston in 1870, hut shortly abandoned. The first permanently successful at tempt to make the kindergarten a part of the public-school system was begun in Saint Louis in 1873, under the leadership of _Miss Susan Blow and Dr. W. T. Harris. Boston, Philadel phia, Chicago, Milwaukee, and in lime most of the large cities and many of the smaller ones, have followed Saint Louis in this respect, usual ly through the absorption of free kindergartens previously established by private benevolent asso ciations. In 1898-99 there were reported to the United States Commissioner of Education 2884 kindergartens, having 5764 teachers and 143,720 pupils. These statistics are far below the actual numbers, for the reports made are purely volun tary. Statistics privately collected show the number of kindergartens to have increased as follows: in 187:3, 43; in 1882, 348; in 1892, 1311; in IS9S, 4363. The kindergarten movement was furthered by a magazine The Kindergarten Jlcs first published in 1873 by Miss Peabody. At the present time there are very many similar publications. The Anirican •rocbel Union, es tablished in 1867, also by Miss Peabody, was the forerunner of many such associations. The /mon became the kindergarten department of the National Educational Association in 1885. ..Many schools for the training of kindergartners have been established either as independent en terprises or in connection with other educational institutions, chiefly normal schools. The best known of these, now connected with normal schools, are the Chicago Kindergarten College, and those in connection with the Teachers Col lege, Columbia University, and with Pratt Insti tute, Brooklyn.