National Republican., 1873-03-28

or powoflc.s to act II ambition acre still left
him.
The American people have been requiring
too much brain work Of themselves, and are
now requiring too much Of the same kind Of
labor from their children, and giving them
too litlls recreation aud Amusement. Six
hours Of hard mental labor is quite enough
for O days work even for on adult. Astonish-
Ing results have been attained from labor
averaging much less per day. Is not then,
nvC hours In school, and frequently from one
TO three hours out Of school, devoted TO the
most severe mental labor known--study-too
much for a ohildi II Ia tho testimony Of
physicians that, owing to the fact that the
organization Of q ChIld's brain Ia much more
delicate, and therefore much more
sensitive than that Of an adult, Its
disease must necessarily be more frc-
oucnt and much more dangerous. Is
Il right, then, to tax a chlld's brain with
labor equal to that which man should per
form The introduction Of gymnastic exer-
cscs In schools docs q great deal TO relieve
the monotony, but II requires brain work to
acquire sufficient skill In them 10 accomplish
any good. II requires no brain work to play
"tag.' Children should he allowed sum
cient amount Of exercise In the open air, and
the brain would not then be fed by blood
kept impure by rcinhnling poisoned air. In
the case Of very young children, the system
Of "objcct teaching" sccms to afford the
greatest safeguard against excessive brain
work, as in proportion as work becomes In
terestlng II ceases to wear on the nervous
system; for these lessons are Intended to In
terest the child.
A system "of hali.tiIns schools" las been
established and eEporimonted upon In Eng
land by Mr.. Chadwick, a gentleman deeply
interested In educational matters, and II Is
claimed for them that the sauna mental aud
better physical results can bo obtained with
half-tlmo as with full-timo schools. Whistler
tho mental results arc the same, or proper
ionately lsss, the adoption OF half-time
schools In this country could not fall OF being
q step In the right direction, and could We be
assured that the mental progress was reduced
prOportlonately with the hours, we could
advocate them still more strongly. With a
reduction Of brain work should come like
reduction Of examining. ono is as injurious
as the other. Tho number OF studies to be
taken up at one time by children should be
reduced, and others added only as these are
thoroughly mastered and understood, not
simply passed over. The failures OF q great
many Of our Yale aid Harvard mon to real
Ice tho brilliant futures marked out by youth
full hope arc often directly traceable to a nom
Observance Of this rulo alone. Most Of the
eminent men Of to-day have become 20 BY
carefully studying and thoroughly under
standing very few subjects.
Our future national existence, as we'll as
individual safety, depends upon the action
that Is to be taken for the regulation Of our
public school system; and lu view OF the ap-
parent defects growing out Of lts present
condition, 1t Is imperative that this action be
immediate and effective. 1t Il the duty Of
parents and guardians to lsok well Into this
subject, and consider whether the adoption
In this country Of half-tlmc schools will not
reducing, as Il must, the amount Of brain
work, the attempted mastery Of too many
studies at once, and ai the same time allow
ing more wholesome open-alr exercise 10 their
children-produce a much higher standard Of
Intelligence and health ln the future.
The familiar maxim, Time lost can never
be regalncd," has lnstilled into tho minds Of
parents the idea that their children should DO
kept constantly employed acquiring know
ledge. But the time given children for
amusement is not lost, for Il brings the best
results In the preservation Of sound, healthy
bodies and well-balauced mental organlza-
tlors. We believe that the introduction
Of such system Of schools, requiring but
three hours attendance and not over two
hours study at home, would accomplish this
much-desircd reform, and we would commend
Its consideration to parents and teachers In
Ill nlL..