The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1877-10-16

And so, il no interruption comes,
everything goes smoothly. She has
the satisfaction OF knowing that she is
doing well with her studies. and the
unbroken rest she gets at night, re-
pairs all the wear and tear OF the day.
IL her mind is not for any reason drawn
from legitimate work, if she can put all
her thought and energy into the ac-
complishment OF proper school duties,
she finds that mind acting easily and
powerfully. and she enjoys each day,
that good time" which comes from
the feeling that she is doing her best.
But il is never given to her TO pursue
her work quite uninterrupted. There
are, OF necessity, some things for which
she must turn aside a little and there
are, too often, some things not at all
necessary for which she may be strong
ly urged and tempted TO turn aside a
good deal. The claims OF society mem
barship occasionally require an extra
effort, and am glad here to say that
the bravery and perseverance, with
which our girls struggle with burdens
and responsibilities in conducting the
affairs of these societies give good
promise that they will at no distant
day take up with equal bravery and
perseverance the burdens and response
bilities which future days and other
forms OF society shall bring TO them.
Occasionally a concert or lecture may
proftably occupy the time generally
given to study. Periodically, she. may
devote an hour or two to our college
social gathering, and the interruption
to study which all these things cause
may be made up by devoting to extra
study portion OF the time for recrea-
tion without encroaching upon the
hours OF sleep. And il the Interrupt
tons have mentioned are not too fire.
quent, she may be benefited by the
change they bring and return TO her
studies with new zest for them.
There need be nothing in these inter
ruptions TO take her mind from her
work, or to distract her attention per-
msnently. But what il. TO these nec-
cessary and even desirable changes
from the regular routine, should be ad-
ed all the unnecessary and the undesir-
able distractions which people hospita-
bly, inclined may thoughtlessly desire
to prepare for us. | can tell what,
for / have seen it, / have seen school
girls going 20 parties and ont till one
or two o'clock in the night; have
seen them coming TO their classes the
next day, Gf they did not stay away to
sleep, looking worn and jaded, with
no knowledge OF their lessons and
newly acquired distaste for studying
them, their minds still dwelling on the
gay scenes Of the previous evening, and
their tongues busy with gossip about
their dresses and their beaux; or il not
OF class liable TO be affected in this
way, still weariness and headache
would unfit them for work. have
seen those who did not have invitations,
or could not go, rendered for the time
being enyious and discontented with
everything about them, forgetting en-
tirely that there was ANYTHING TO live
for il they could not go to parties.
have seen what promised in the begin
ming TO be q fair terms work broker up
almost entirely, by girls getting the
idea that she must go 10 everything
that came along, and sit up nights TO
make the attempt to get her lessons.
In such cases, the young lady's health
very often fails, aud her sympathizing
friends can be heard telling how poor
Mary Jane has ruined her health by
studying so hard and climbing so many
flights of stairs. think that the ex-
perience Of teachers and physicians
will bear me out in saying that in
nineteen out Of twenty cases Of failing
health attributed to hard study,
study has had nothing to do with It.
There has been exposure to taking cold
by improper dressing, such as failing
TO wear rubbers in wet weather, or suf-
fciently heavy wraps in cold, or there
has been imprudence in eating whole
some or uDwholesome things in i'm
proper quantities and at improper
hours, Il don't know though as il is
possible to find proper hour for eat
ing an unwholesome thing, or there
has been irregularity with respect to
hours of sleep, and lack Of sufficient
exercise. Aud so when the poor girl is
merely suffering the penalty of vanity
and greediness and carelessness and
Incidence, hard study and wearing
school duties, too often bear the blame.
/ am sure there are many students
present who know by experience how
great is the difficulty OF regaining lost
time; how great is the difficulty Of
making up days work missed, or i'm
perfectly performed; and this difficult
ty is rendered proportionately greaterif
for any reason the physical condition is
not mp 10 the usual mark either by rea-
son OF illness or Of late hours. Aside
from the direct effect on the work OF
the classroom caused by neglect of
study hours and disturbance OF the
hours OF rest, there is the other not
less disastrous result that the mind is
unified TO return 10 what by compari-
son seems the bum-drum work Of study
after en- evening spent in what 1 may
perhaps call dissipation; and with
large class, one evening spent in this
way only creates a craving for another,
and very soon they think OF nothing
else. After the term is fairly begun,
and the students are entering eagerly
and zealously upon their work, l a.
ways dread the coming OF the first
thing that will interfere with study,
for / know that there will be individ
unls that will not for that term at least,
return 10 their duties with just the
same interest they felt before. dis
tinctly remember one period during
the last year when there we're students
who came to me for permission TO
spend the evening out four times in
one week. After they had been three
evenings, / rather demurred on the
fourth. This fact illustrates the point
which / wish 10 make. Let a thing
like this be once commenced aud the
end cannot be seen from the beginning
by those who are unaccustomed to such
matters. There may be individuals
who would not receive harm from the
same thing that would very much in
lure many others, but law cannot be
made for few or part; il must apply
TO all. II is sometimes argued that II
can do no harm for the girls to 60 just
once 10 Miss AS party. Well, II they
go 10 Miss AS, Miss B will have just
cause OF complaint IL they cannot go 10
hers, aud Miss @ aud Miss ID, and all
the rest Of the alphabet can put in a
claim. II they go TO one kind Of
gathering, that fact will furnish n sub
stantial reason why they should go TO
another, gotten mp in the interest oi
somebody else, and m broken study
hours. failure on the legitimate work of
the term, and loss Of interest in regular
school duties will be seen the usual re-
suit. Now I believe you must agree
with me that ID IL one OF the essential
things that your time should be exclu.
sively devoted 30 the work for which
you come here, and the protection OF
your time involves, in a great degree,
the preservation OF your health Tor
late hours and insufficient sleep are ac-