Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-07-25

the blood vessels are full, it is evi
dent that the effect of any draiI
upon the veins downward or failure
in the arteries to carry the du'
amount upward, must be to form 8
vacuum, and a consequent saspen,
sion, for the time being, at least
of all the functions of life. The
individual is said to be faint, and
either falls or is laid down, and the
force of gravity thus directed as
much to the head as to other parts,
the brain is again supplied with its
natural stimulant, and the fainting
IS over. In view of all this the
wonder is, not that we have so many
cases of the various low forms of
brain diseases-such as softening.
tubercular, menir gifts, hydrocepha-
lus, insanity, idiocy, etc, but
that We do not have more of it.
"The natural pride of parents in
their children leads them, in many
cases, into over anxiety to have
them excel in school, or fear in other
cases that their daughters may not
properly finish their education,
music and other accomplishments
before the time arrives when they
will get married, which period now
a days is placed a number of years
earlier than it formerly was or rOught
to be. These, combined with the
uppermost thought in the American
mind that the best interests of their
children and their country demand
that every exertiOn should be made
to hasten and perfect the education
of the rising generation, then the
industry and ambition of teachers
to excel one another and please the
patrons of the schools, and their
lauable desire, in the general inter
ests of education, to advance their
scholars with the greatest possible
speed, as well as their particular
pride in the brightest and most apt
ones-all this, though well for the
interests of educction in general,
has the inevitable tendency 10 over
tax certain class. Just as any law,
adopted for the general good, will
bear heavily on certain individuals,
so in this case, in the general anxi-
city and exertion to educate the
many of the best ones are
killed or ruined in health.
81 am satisfied that many of those
sOrrowful looking, sickly, hystericky
females and others, afflicted with |
1yspepsy, consumption, rickets,
etc, may date their loss or health |
back to their school days, when
hey, either voluntarily or by com
)ulsion, were too many hours, get
ing too many or too long lessons.
81 am confident that many cases
Of anRmia in children, from over
,axation in school, go on unreeog-
lized, and are perhaps attributed to
liver complaint or some other
equally vague local disease, and
,reated in all methods, from aIlo-
)athy down through homeopathy,
lydropsthy, and every other pathy,
Ind patent medicines, from wizards
Ill to Townsend's sarsaparilla,
While the real cause is allowed to
continue to operate until the child
s past recovery.
'In nearly every group of chill
iren meet on their way TO or from
school, L notice one or more of |
.hese an9mics. The pale face, the
white lips, the bony fingers, the so
Der and careworn aspect, are not to
be mistaken; and | know very well |
hat this or that child is going to
'ail before the term closes, unless
he pressure of study is diminished.
But, says the parent or teacher, or
both, the child is not getting exer-
Use enough in the open air. So, in
addition to over-taxing the brain,
he muscular system is now put to
he test, and the child is piled with
,very inducement to extra play,
ong walks and the like; and the
liet is regulated, perhaps, to
trictly vegetable basis-and then,
pird6He dictH! tho child perVersely
continues to oct worse"