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REPRESENTATIVE WOMEN OF NEW ENGLAND


assisted this mother. After a while the health of the mother failed, and the class was con- tinued for one year, being finished by the assistance of one of its older pupils.

At this tinie it was deemed advisable to "estab- lish a school in a new location out of the city, with larger grounds and surrounded by the beauties of nature. A location quite near Bos- ton was decided upon as being the most desirable and delightful one for a class of this kind. A kindergarten was soon started by Miss Rust, and after three years' time here again were the different classes above the kinder- garten department. It was impossible to se- cure suitable rooms for the size of the school, and for this reason for a time the school was limited to nearly one-half, consequently the patrons decided to build a model build- ing, with the understanding that Miss Rust should hire the building and carry on her school, as before, in a much improved way, and more in harmony with her ideas of a model Froebelian school, as all the work was based upon the Froebelian principles of educa- tion.

During the summer Miss Rust was often con- sulted as to the best arrangement of the build- ing, and helped in its plans, .she coming for this purpose several times from the seashore at Magnolia, where she usually passed her sum- mers, having nature-study classes, thus collect- ing specimens of sea flora, minerals, and so forth, for the fall classes of the new school. This building was soon accomplished, the promoters using the name of Miss Rust in sell- ing shares. Sixty shares at one hundred dol- lars each were soon sold, mostly to patrons of the school, with the understantling that the money was to be used for her school. Unfort- unately, one who had financial rather than edu- cational interests at heart, and who had with a view to this purpose bought up a number of shares of the stock, decided that other ar- rangements should be made, and that, while Miss Rust should occupy the building, she should be allowed to do so on a salary, and they would own the school. This Mi.ss Rust in a dignified manner positively refused to do, say- ing she had built a school and they had built a building, and she preferred to have nothing to do with it, unless she could carry on the school in the building as first agreed. With their plans her hands would be completely tied, as it was upon a financial basis rather than an educational, and her reputation as a teacher of these principles was far more to her than the salary offered.

At this decision of hers, generous offers were made by parents to retain her, saying they would make up the deficiency in salary if she would but remain; but Miss Rust, while grate- ful to these patrons for their sympathy and kind offers, said she saw no reason for accept- ing presents, it being with her a matter of principle ; as, under the proposed conditions, she would be unable to make it the model school she desired, or add to it her Kindergarten Normal Classes.

About this time an urgent appeal came to Miss Rust from a Western city to accept the position of head instructor in a Kindergarten Normal Class, which had been started by the Free Kindergarten Association, and also as instructor in one of the free kindergartens, numbering one hundred children, started that autumn, both of which she accepted. It is a great pleasure to her to refer to this large work with the less fortunate little ones. She was also very successful with the Normal Class. But the climate of that city, with its strong lake winds, was too severe for Miss Rust, and she was suddenly stricken down by pneumonia, for several days her life hanging upon a thread. Upon her recovery she was unable to resume her work there, and felt the need of returning to Boston, which she did. After a short rest she was advised to go to an inland . city, and having an opportunity to purchase in Worcester a private school, of chil- dren from three to twelve years of age, she accepted, naming it the Froebel School, at the same time starting a Kindergarten Normal Class, being urgetl to do this by a member of the State Board of Education, as there was no such Training School in Worcester. Her work there also was very successful, graduating large classes, employing some of our best pecial lecturers for the instruction of the classes as well as for the graduation exercises. Miss Rust, in addition to her school work in Worces-