Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-03-08
The PerIls Of Education.

] tue lily ocuOOl OoulullLEet OA Alual1ut
asking an aOridgement Of the hours
Of study in the Public Latin School.
One Of these petitions is signed by the
parents and guardians OF the boys
attending that school, another by the
clergymen Of that city, and still
another by one hundred and fifty
! three physicians Of Boston. Some Oi
the physicians signing the last men
toned petition have appended re-
marks In support Of the prayer Of the
document. These remarks are rs ap-
plieable to other high class schools as
TO the Public Latin school OF Boston.
DIR. Clement A. Walker, Superin-
tendent Of the City Hospital for the
Insane, who has himself been teach
er, says: II cannot doubt that our
modern system Of forcing the tender
'brain OF youth lays the foundation
:. Tor the brain and nervous disorders
"Ot after years-the cases Of melan-
"cholia, paralysis, sOftening Of the
brain and kindred diseases becoming
$50 fearfully prevalent. DR.. Daniel
V. FOlts says: 81 have had two sons
complete the Latin School course Of
instruction, and both had ruined
constitutions as the consequence.
"One sleeps in Mount Auburn, and
'the other was obliged TO leave col
'lege without finishing the course,
land has never been able to resume
"his studies. Both are melancholy
comments on the Overtaxi1g, ex-
"hausting system Of instruction" +"
/ DIR. E B. Moore writes: II am Of
1.-THE opinion that no lessons should
''be assigned 20 scholars out 0f school,
! leaving sc voluntary with each to
/ ''study or rest. have a son now in
'the insane asylum the result of ex-
| '.cessive study and disappointed am
"bition.n Or. George w. Gray says
81 wish that in all OF our schools the
pupil might be made to remember
''tess-and think and reflect more.
"Our minds, like our stomachs, can
"digest just so much, and any over
"spOils the whole-espeeially is il so
with the young-befOre the mind
becomes matured. There is too
imueh cramming In most Of our
schools DR.. Harris says the sug-
gestiOn Is as applicable to the Gram
mar and High Schools as to the Latin
School. DR.. George A. Stuart says :
HOf late years the majority Of diseas- |
"es seem to have assumed a nervous !
type, which in most cases may be .
traced to the over taxation Of the .
mental powers Of the young, both /.
male and female" DR.. E. CheneTy I
says "The number Of children
breaking down under the prescribed I
studies seems to call for some re- |
form" DR.. Alfred G. Garrett saws .
the study out OF school hours ought 4
20 be abolished. Several other physi- !
clans coincide in this view. DR.. Pike .
says six years of his life had been /
given to teaching, and it has always I
been his opinion that scholars were
too severely taxed. DIR. TreadWell ,
testifies from his personal observation .
''that hundreds Of pupils Of our pub
''lic schools are ruined in health every /
year, DR.. Peter d. Walsh says the
great mental strain required by the
course Of study in the high classes Of
our public schools result in IAN over
taxed brain, a dwarfed body, a weak
"ened Intellect, variety Of diseases,
land a premature grave" DIR. NJ. b.
Seward writes Il often see children
whose health is seriously impaired
"by being overwOrked in our public
SCHOOLS. Ishould favor their memo
cries being less taxed" DR.. VIM. P.
WerselhOeft saws: "I am convinced
''that the children in all our public
schools are OveTwOrked, and that the
system demands a radical change
as well in the number Of hours they
''are confined as in the studies pur-
''sued.n DR.. John II. Dix, oeculist,
warns the committee that "the de-
'mand for application by artificial
light should be limited to studies for
which the use Of a dictionary is not
required" DR.. Benjamin n. West ,
writes: Forcing systems, whether
''in hot houses or school houses, seem
ito me lily calculated to produce
'hardihOOd. I shall be happy to see I
adopted any means which tend to :
produce sound minds in sound bod !
'ies.n DR.. Howard F. Damon says T,
Il have for long time regarded this ,
"a subject for earnest consideration !
'by professional gentleman, especial !
'ly physicians. Excessive mental ,
labor in the young seems to retard
physical growth and induce condi- 9
'tiOns Of the system which are alike !
'pernicious to the highest develop !
ment Of the mind and body. The !
amount of vital power has its limits, :
and these limits in my judgment are \
& far exceeded by the present system q
of overtaxing the pupils in our pub .
lie schools. i
We have taken but few OF the :
comments made by the physicians OF I
Boston on the course Of study pur- n
ued in the upper grades Of schools in r
hat city. There is quantity more OF 4
he same sort, but what we give is 3
efficient to show the perils OF the >
Ugh pressure system OF education.
The one urvarying burden is enfee- n
lied health, ruined constitutions, pos n
ible insanity, or early death. Less .
tudy and more exercise are insisted n
Iponif the rising generation are to be Z
aved from these perils. 5
At the last meeting Of the Board OF II
OF this city, a petition was .
resented, signed by the parents Of n
ne hundred aud thirty-three out uf q
he hundred and fifty-seven pupils in =
he High SchoOl-OnIy ten refusing n
o sign and the remaining fourteen Z,
.Ot having been applied to-asking q 81
hange in the hours OF study so that n
here might be but one session q day. q
he reasons given for the desired u
hange were the necessity OF more 4
Xercise and less night study, as well I.
5 other sanitary reasOns.-CgeUeldRd O
Eer0ld h