National Republican., 1873-03-28
HOW SHALL WE EDUCATE orr nOYs
AND GIRI,SS


The agitation Of the subject OF Overtask Ing
the minds Of children In our public and pri.
vate schools comes none too soon, and much
practical good should be derived from IL
discussion. Teachers arc not alone rcsDOnsI.
bio for the mental and physical injury to
children by the requirements Of hard study
and too many hours of confinement In badly
ventilated school.rooms Parents arc equally
30 In allowing II, and the rcspon sibility Of
tho parents becomes even greater when they
permit It, for they too often reason that II
keeps the children ont Of their way during
the day, and that studlcs occupy them when
at home. Too much cannot 10 said In con-
: dcmnalOn Of such negligence on the part of
parents, who should certainly have tho well
fare Of their children at heart. Complaints
are becoming more and moro frequent from
those who can sec the effect of this pcrnl-
cious practice-the debility and nervousness
II produces How many Of our children are
suffering to-day from these and similar all.
monts, which are laying the foundation In
youth for middle life aud old age OF pain
aud misery
The mental and nervous diseases so preva.
lent among the grown persons OF to-day-in-
V,
paralysis, epilepsy, &C., which have rapidly
multiplied OF late years, (being as three to
one when compared with earlier tlmes,) arc
largely tracoable to this systematic crammlng
and overwork In early life. Crammiug is not
IN Institution Of to-day, for our fathers
crammed US, and VIC in turn, not recognizing
Its evil results In ourselves, are cramming our
children tenfold. Were II not for this a'arm-
ing Increase Of nervous disorders, not only
among adults but amoDg children, where II
should never have a foothOld, this ngits-
tion would simply be waste Of words
Thousand Of the youth Of to-day are alIllct-
cd with class Of diseases which belong solely,
II anywhere, 10 more advanced stage Of
life. Fortunately for the country, the mon
who NIL both ends Of the Capitol, strange as
II may appear, arc as rule, exempt from
the malRdies generally caused by such an
amount of mental labor as they arc supposed
70 undergo.
The desire on the Iart Of parents that their |
children thall bo prCcoclous, that they shall |
appear to possess more natural ability than |
other children, has led IN q great munner, to |
this evil and did physicians have less regard |
for fees and greater love for scientific re- /
h'hSh lutO luN VuuHt ol ulhtAht Us wei rs It's |
cure, or having solved the problem would In
slst upon the observance Of such laws as
would Insure health, these growing evils
would be greatly Obyiatcd, But our boys and
girls are too qulck-wlttcd and active, too
nervous and high-strumg, and possess those
attributes which require but breath to fire
them with ambition, or, on the other hand, to
lead them aslray In either case, inarmlty
oVertakes thcm ere youth Is gone and the
prime OF manhood or wOmauhoOd Is lost In
the single step from youth to old age. Were
our children US u clusS good fat and lazy In
stead II 1t required a tanning mill to In
splro an ambition, Or u thuudeTbolt 10 |
produce sensation, our apprcheuslOus
as TO the future Of this country might
safely be put at rest But such children, II
they ever did exit in America, are Of the
past, and aTo to-day TO bo found only In such
Us England and Germany, aud even
In these times OF competition and strife they
,re being succeeded by children more after
he likeness Of our own. This fat, lazy, hut
lealthy condition OF child Is the very best
Indication Of future Of mental aud physical
rengthj this CHILD may not arrive ut man
God In its true meaning until past the ase Of
or three, but having reached II,
Is usefulness cannot b0 measured. This IL !
,ldOm tho case with the nervous and active
hid. Hls strength goes with his youth and
'AYss him mere wreck without ambition,