Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1875-07-28
Whole No. 2O7.


of the average living rooms and
especially sleeping rooms, he will
find the results far more startling
When the sanitary condition of the
people is to undergo any investiga
ton, the public school, being most
accessible, are, of course always
put in the first rank; and, uufor.
tunately, there the investigations
generally end ; and in consequence
the impression seems to be quite
general that narrow chests, humt
backs, round shoulders, weak lungs
poor eyes, impaired constitutions
and short lives, and numberless
other ailments and evils are. the
direct offspring of the public
schools when if the investigation
were carried far enough, it wonld
be found that there is not a health
ier class of children in the world
than those that are kept regularly
at school, and farther, that this fact
results from one previous mention
ed, that the school room is the hest
and most healthful place for them.
1t would also be found that there
is not a better developed, straighter,
healthier, happier, and longer lived
class of men and women than
those that are best educated. Nor
does the actual study and mental
labor give them impaired constitu-
tions. 1t would be impossible to
find healthier, more robust, or
better developed class Of young
men anywhere than the 1000 or
1000 at our own University, and
who on the average are engaged
In close mental application not less
than nine hours a day. l have
been led to these remarks because
the public schools are so often
treated as a sort of scape goat, and
are compelled to bear the sins of
the multitude. If a child has any
ache or pain or cold, it is fortunate
indeed if he is in school, else
there would be nothing to lay it
to; or if a young lady in school
fails In health, or looks pale and
thin, how much easier 1t is to
diagnose hard study as the cause
instead Of fashions behe.ts, and
how much better for the physicians
reputation in the family, if he
watche. how the wind blows. Nor
are the schools attacked from a
sanitary point of view alone. If
the taxes are high and to be reduc-
ed they are nearly always the first
to suffer. People pay more for the
police department, jails and pau
pers, than for the schools, and
without murmur, will often pre-.
fer to pay s4 or s5 to board vag-
abond in the jail or house Of COR
rection than three shillinss a week
to educate him so that he will keep
out. Boys that are regularly at
school and made to go whether
they want to or not, rarely or never
get there. 1t is those who, neglect
ed, run the streets at night like
jackals among the ruins, or those
whose parents claim, even in the
hearing Of the child, that it does
no good to force d boy to go to
school against his will. ! have Of
ten been told this. How quickly
and how justly wonld the teachers
be charged with objectionable
neglect of duty II that same policy
we're pursued In school; and it is
certainly as excuseable In the one
case as in the other. Parents may
take their ease while their children
are wasting their youth out Of
school, or running wild Ia the
streets at night, but the penalty
will surely come In some form at
the last. This evil is real and ap-
parent to everybody, and ought
to have q remedy. It's cause is
mostly tfaccnble to the weakness
of parents discipline, sometimes,
perhaps, though rarely, excusable.
But small portion of the cause
NAV be traced to the want Of books
and inability to buy them. This
inability Is in some cases Of course
imaginary, where beverages are
loved better than books, but in
many cases II is real, and to RENE
dy this I would urgently recon-
mend the following or some similar
PLAN
First, that q small collection ol