INTRODUCTORY.


The year 1882 was the centenary of Froebel's birth, and in the present
"plentiful lack" of faithful translations of Froebel's own words we
proposed to the Froebel Society to issue a translation of the "Education
of Man," which we would undertake to make at our own cost, that the
occasion might be marked in a manner worthy of the English branch of the
Kindergarten movement. But various reasons prevented the Society from
accepting our offer, and the lamentable deficiency still continues. We
have therefore endeavoured to make a beginning by the present work,
consisting of Froebel's own words done into English as faithfully as we
know how to render them, and accompanied with any brief explanation of
our own that may be essential to the clear understanding of the passages
given. We have not attempted to rewrite our author, the better to suit
the practical, clear-headed, common-sense English character, but have
preferred simply to present him in an English dress with his national
and personal peculiarities untouched.

In so doing we are quite aware that we have sacrificed interest, for in
many passages, if not in most, a careful paraphrase of Froebel would be
much more intelligible and pithy to English readers than a true
rendering, since he probably possesses every fault of style except
over-conciseness; but we feel that it is better to let Froebel speak for
himself.

For the faithfulness of translation we hope our respective nationalities