Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-03-17


There is considerable excitement just now
over The crowded condition Of he primary
schools Of New York city. President Wood
Of tho board Of eddcation, in referring 70 the
facts as they came under bis observation re.
Gently said, 1--WE are raising children to kill
them. As long as the law permits children
Of four years Of age to attend school the pri-
mary schools Of this city will remain over
crowded" The additional result is INSULT
cieut ventilation.
We allude to this subject for the purpose
of calling the attention Of our readers to the
two important points suggested, viz legal
school age and ventilation for our children.
The importance Of suitable regard to the time
when children should be sent to the public
school, aud to the condition Of the room where
they are to spend their school hours, is not
confined to New York city nor New York
state. 1t is equally important in Vermont.
And we believe there is too little regard
paid to these things. There is not much
danger Of over.crowded schools ia our state,
and especially in the rural districts, but even
here we are liable to make grave mistakes,
as suggested, in the early training Of our
children.
In the first pace, they are often sent to
school too youug-sometimes merely to get
them out Of the way so that the mother can
have more freedom. This is wrong for two
reasons the child is often seriously injured
by such imprisonment, and the school is in
jured Of taxing the teacher with the extra
work of caring for such specimens OF perpet.
ual motion. The injury to the child is also
two.foId. First, its health is impaired, aud
secondly, it becomes disguised with school.
life and the influence Of this abuse Of child.
hood, is felt through all the years of minor
ity. W
A good homo is the best school for chill
drep, and especially, if they can enjoy the
care Of an intelligent mother, who will en-.
courage their freedom and activity and direct
their attention TO the object lessons by which
they are surrounded. Vastly better, under
such. circumstances, to stay at home until six
years old, thSn to begin at three or four
They will be more advanced at twelve year,
old, to begin at six, than to begin at three
So teaches all experience on this point.
Aud then the Srhool-rooms where many oil
our children spend their Imprisoned life, arc
so badly constructed aud so poorly veuti
lated, that health aud life are imperiled
1--WE are raising children to kill them" il
we conhue them in badly ventilated rooms
day after day and week after week, and ex
pose them to the extremes Of heat aud cold
usually experienced 10 such poorly eared.foI
apartments as country schoOl.houses. There
was more safety with tho old fireplace aud Oper
chimney. This indeed was the best kind o.
a ventilator but where has been substituted
the box-stove with no arrangement for evap
Grating water, to moisten the parched atmos
phere, and with no provision for the free cir
culation Of the air, a great and fatal mis-
take was made. -r -.mr
Parents should look well to these things
that they may save their little ones from thu
evils contemplated above, and from prema
ture graves. 1r