The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1877-12-10
The Public Schools.

Bolton lnielllie W
"ParluTiunt montes Of nascitur ridden.
lus musIn For the benefit Of my friend
"Reiormp i will IanslAte the aboye. The
mountains are In labor and . Fidiculoul
mouse 10 born. "Reiofm" btooded two
whole days over q reply 10 aProgreSs'
and, behold, he matches out . piece about
four inchealong which contains nothing
The only pointhe attempts 10 make Il thai
diminishing the school on Friday after.
noon ia contrary 10 the rules Of The
Board Of Education. 1fsueh q the case
why have not the principals Of the schools
been censured for this violation and com.
PEELED 10 discontinue such pFacticesI
Doubtless such q rule exists only In The
Imagination Of such men a. aReiorm,t
Before my friend undertakes TO write q
reply TO another article he would do
we'll TO take . little more time 10
spell II over carefully in order that he
may be able to quote from II correctly.
aaid nothing about calling up an old
gentleman from the past TO try school
Teaching II he had brains enough. The
point was TO examine some old gentleman
educated under the system OF teaching
from sunrise 10 sunset and giving no hol-
idays except such as the teacher Waa
compelled 70 give when the pupils barred
him out II was "Reform" who was adj
yiSed In that article to try teaching II he
had suficiency Of brains and education.
He has not touched single point made
in the article 10 which he pretends to re-
ply. Misquotation and wilful misunder-
standing Of the article Is all that can be
found 10 the reply. II was distinctly as
serted BY The writer that he 70 not en-
gagged In teaching and yet we find such
expressions "a these; money paid him
and others," "hs will have time enough"
"the great strain HE brain undergoes,"
etc. Now, a man who cannot read
brief article Of less than half
. column more correctly than that had
better rontine himself 10 his occupation,
whatever that may DO, and leave scrib.
bling 10 those who know something about
II. The writer OF this has not taught In
any school for more than fifteen years,
nor did he ever receive any public money
for teaching, except $50 In 1s47, when the
halt holiday on Saturday was In fashion.
The intelligent public Is just beginning
to awake 70 knowledge Of the fact that,
in order toacquire a strong and healthy
brain, Il is necessary 10 possess well
developed physical frame. The brain,
like the muscular system, Is a physical
organ and depends on q healthy cironla.
tion Of the blood. Ifyou confine children,
especially those under IL or IA years Of
age, too long in constrained position,
their healthy growth is interfered with,
and they grow up pale and sickly, with.
out energy aad without power Of endu.
rance. Il Is true their heads may
be crRmmed with 4 quantity Of
lumber OF which they can make
but little use, but they will never have
any real power Of thought. Men who
recognize no labor other than that per.
formed by the muscles, because they pos.
sess no mental culture, are always crying
out against short sessions in school and
insisting that the brain laborer shall be
employed as many hours as the man Of
mere muscle, even though he Is q mere
child whose body is "a yet undeyeloped.
On the contrary, men whose lives have
been spent in mental culture and who are
acquainted with the nature and power Of
the brain, almost Invariably favor short
sessions and careful attention to physical
development by abundant exercise in the
open air. II the children were kept In
the school TOnm ahnnt fnnr honPa a dav
and two hours were devoted to physical
training under q competent instructor,
we would have healthier, handsomer and
stronger men and women, with more
fully developed braina and greater power
OF thought, and such short sighted We've
as those OF Reform" would no longer be
held by the average men OF our commu-
nifty. PRoGREss.
[P.S, The above would have appeared
in our Saturdays issue but for the press
Of matter on our columns.l