The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1864-11-10
eeslr Graded Schools.

In all the large towns, and in tie cities
in this State where the graded school sys-
TEN has been introduced. the trustees and
directors have been compelled to adopt
very stringent rules and regulations III
regard to attendance. Experience has
convinced every practical teacher and ed
vocational man, that pupils, who are allowed
to absent themselves from the school room
half days and whole days as suits their
pleasure, derive very little benefit from
The school, while their negligence is posi-
!tpely hur!jul to those pupils who are so
unfortunate as to be clas<cd with them
Nothing more completely breaks up the
interest of a school, than to nave every
other day full attendance of pupils, and
the rest OF the time only one half of them
present. The order of study, and the ar
ranScmcnt CT the classes are disturbed
and studious, industrious pupils are hinder
ed and retarded by their negligent class
mates. 1t IS asourcc Of constant vexa.;on
and annoyance to both teachers and pupils.
and the practice ought not to be tolerated
in any school, in free school cast of all
In al the high schools and academies in
the country. absence during scIod loar2.
without good and Sufficient excuse, IS
always considered violation Of school
rules, which, if repeated two or three
times during term subjects the offending
pupil TO the penalty OF suspension or OK
pulsion THIS stringent, and apparently
rather harsh rule. has been found b7 long
experience to produce only coed results.
Both pupils and parents understand from
the start what is required Of them, and
they take Their measures accofdrrly. In
fact as general thing parents are more
in fault in tbs matter than their children
Bat they ought to understand that they
nave really no right to keep their children
1t home, unless some urgent necessity, such
4
it. The .frst duty Of parent to child
! is to give that child as good an education
as Is in the means Of the parent to give
and IN the caracity ofthe child to receive,
and this cannot he done by permitting ii
to run about the streets, or idle away II
i time 1T home And it is also the duty Of
parents. if they .rish their children to j.
benefited by the school facilities offered
them, to DO all that Us in their power to
help keep up and maintain the proper
rules aul regulations Of IL. school
Aud one Of the most effective means of
doing this is to sec in person that her
children are sent u school erefy dag At
| the proper t:me. ! 10 not nov say tia:
any positive rule upon this subjec. Is to be
adopted here. hope that the evil may
be rcmcdied without any rule, and know
it will be parents once fairly ;ndcr>-end
their own interests. Eat d. say that If
the present lax practice !, persisted in, a
rule excluding pupils FIR IRREGULAR atten-
dance will have to DC adopted or the
school will become comparatively useless
There is another thing to which parents
should give more attention. That IS the
dress and clothing Of their children while
attending school. The winter season is
fast approaching, and an extra provision
Eor their warmth and comfort should be
made. DO not suppose that | am trying
to dictate as to what clothes children sho d
wear. or that | am trying 10 interfere with
matters that do not properly belong to the
school | do not intend any thing OF the
kind; but do knox from Ny own expert
cncc as 4 teacher, that children who are
comfortably clad. learn much faster than
those VINO are not. The reason is obvious
to every one; children cannot learn. while
bcnumbcd with cold. [ have known
many halfclad urclins 10 coine trudsing
through the snow, a distance OF mile n
over. to school, with bodies and LIMBS so
chilled that it toolsa good hour to warm
them through, SO they could hold book
in their hands See that your children
are we'll wrapped up, during TIC cold
weather, before starting for school. See
that the hands, neck, and especially TIE
ieet arc well protected. Do not under
any circumstances let your children wear
leaky or thin soed boots or shoes They
had much better go barciooted than to sit
all day with shoes and stockings soaked
With water. One of the most fruitful
sources Of the diseases Of children is wet
feet ] know that these are hard times
and that it costs a deal of money to buy
good boots and shoes, but a physicians
bill is much more expensive, and if parents
wish their chll'lren to keep in good health
through the winter. and improve in their
studies, they should provide their boys
ana girls too with good thick -soled boots