The Placer herald., 1862-02-22
Important to Parents and Teachers.

When child comes in fresh from his
play, with the blood bounding through his
veins, his brain is full of life and vigor, his
ideas are all clear, and he can learn more in
fifteen minutes than lie can in two hours af
ter his brain is faigued and bis whole sys
tenn has become Ianguid by confinement at
his desk. From pretty extensive inquiry we
are satisfied that the present murderous sys'
TEN of long confinement in school is contin
ued hy want of fraukness between parents
and teachers Nearly all parents are op osed
to the practice, but it is kept ny Ivy the teach
ers under the mistaken idea that they will
give dissatisfaction by reducing the hours Of
their own labor. Not only should the gross
amount of study be greatly dimi shed, but
recesses should be more frequent Thirty
minutes is quite long enough for any young
child to s,ulv, and one hnur + child of
any AGE. The human brain is not Ike
steam engine that tie longer you run it, the
more YOU oct oct Of it. What the brain can
do depends wholly upon its condition. Any
person can accomplish more mental labor
in one hour when the brain IS in a healthy
and active state, than he can perform in
mcnth when the brain is tired and exhausted.
Among the parliamentary papers recently
issued in England are two small volumes
containing some information collected by
Mr.. Edwin Chadwick during the recent ed
ucation inquiry. Mr.. Chadwick shows in
these papers that the present practice Of long
hours of teaching is wide cause of ener
vaton and pre,lispositon to disease, and in
duces also habits of listlessness and dawdling.
The half time system is found to give near
ly, if not quite, as good education us the
whole time; and common sense tells US that
a bov who has acquired the same amount of
knowledge in half the time of another
boy, must ave obtained proportionately
superior habit Of mental activity. 1t is this
aertness, combined with the bodily aptitudes
created By drill, that gives the comparatively
stunted boys Of the town preference over
strong, robust lads from the coast. Good
scboo omasters say that about three hours a
day are as long AS bright, voluntary att
tenton on the part of children can be Sc
cured, and that in that period they may real
" be taught as much as they can receive;
all beyond the profitable limits is waste.
Hence it is urged that part of the present
long school hours be devoted to gymnaslic
exercises or drill, as part of the system of
education or that the half time system be
more adopted 1t is a frequent complaint
of runaway apprentices and vagrant children,
that the work to which they were first put
was really very painful to them; but chill,
dren while at school might be gradually I'M
troduced and accustomed to labor and exer-
ton. Early physical training would remove
or diminish congenital defects or bodily
weakness. 1t is estimated that an addition
of at least fifth might be made to the
efficiency and value boy as laborer in
after life-an addition equivalent, in the
mass, to the produce of the one'ifth more
of population, without the expense of ad
ditional food, clothes or shelter, to maintain
them. Scientific American.