_The Helpfulness of the Montessori Child._
_Montessori and the Child’s Imagination._
Patient Waiting for the Earth to Bloom Develops a Little Child Spiritually _Frontispiece_
Back-yard Apparatus for the Physical Development of Children Is Valuable 28
An Important Physical Exercise of Montessori 30
Hand and Eye Work in Connection in Exercises of Practical Life 32
Walking upon a Line Gives Poise and Muscular Control 34
The Kind of Toy Dr. Montessori Recommends for Physical Development 36
Replacing the Solid Insets by the Sense of Touch Alone 70
Building the Tower and the Broad Stair 70
A Fineness of Perception Is Developed by Discriminating Different Textiles Blindfolded 74
Perfecting the Sense of Touch with the Geometric Insets 76
To Match the Colors Two by Two Is the First Exercise 84
Grading Each Standard Color and Its Related Colors in Chromatic Order 88
The Loving Care of a Dumb Animal Results in Child Sympathy 114
To Feel that Something Is Dependent upon Him for Care and Food Helps a Child to Reverence Life 116
Building Words with the Movable Alphabet 122
Learning the Form of Letters by the Sense of Touch 126
Filling in Outlines with Color to Gain the Muscular Control Necessary for Writing 126
A holiday in Rome, the Eternally Old, the Eternally Young. A long, sun-dried street that flanks the Tiber is gay with fruit venders who push along their carts of gold oranges, strings of dates, and amber lemons. Italians of the wealthy class mingle in friendly fashion with the native-costumed peasants. Someone starts a snatch of song; a dozen passersby take up the strain. Where the chariots of the Cæsars rattled by in yesterday’s centuries, there rises a stately row of stucco apartment mansions with terraced gardens where pink roses and purple heliotrope run riot over the hedges and silver-toned fountains sing, all day long, their tinkling tunes.
Leaving the gay, bright street, you ring the electric bell at number 5 Principessa Clotilde.
“Is the Dottoressa at home, or is she keeping holiday, too?” you ask of the porter. He laughs, motioning you to an almost human elevator that lifts itself and will stop at whichever floor you ask it.
“Yes, La Dottoressa Montessori is in—in fact, she is nearly always in because of the many people, mainly Americans, who come to see her. And the children come daily to see her as well.” The porter shrugs his shoulders, uncomprehendingly, as you enter the elevator and stop at the fourth floor. The popularity of this tenant of his is a matter of wonder to the porter.