Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-09-22
TO SCHOOL AGAIN.


American Agfirultursli.L
With September the school question
comes 10 the front, for in this month
most Of our schools begin their active
operations for the year. In what con-
dition are our children, physically and
mentally? How do we hope to find
them at the close Of the school YEAR,
We cannot afford to let this school
business entirely to the teachers and
tha school committee Pcrhap. they
would educate" our children to death.
What i, the proper object Of eluca-
tom To dcUcioy the human faculties
and to put a person into possession Of
those powers with which Nature has
endowed him, so that he can have
them for u,c and enjoyment all through
life Not long ago it wa. genera ~
believed that the object of cducai on
va. the acquisition o; knowledge. AID
! once heard a school superintendent
tell the children, that their mind,
were like baskets. which they were 70
fiil a fall a. possible with facts while
they were young. Ideas Of this kind
are passing away, and We no longer
hear the memory laudci as the most
important faculty Of the human mind.
We are more inclined 10 heed and A.
Fegt the olt.rcpeaiai advice of King
solomon Get UNDERSTANDING" and
Get wisdom" How triiling. com
paratiyely, i any amount of mere
knowledge or information abou; things
if in gaining it the faculty for study
and investigation, and in right think
ing, Is used up or broken down. This
not unfrequeuilv occurs. The bright
scholar, who Is the pride Of his teach
or aud the hope Of his parents, breaks
down in the race, used up before the
real battle has begun. have known
this TO befall children Of naturally
strong constitutions and the danger
seems TO widespread, aud the calamity
so great that parents need TO be thor
oughly warned.
In the first place, the children should
be sent to school in good physical con-
dition. If they are sick they should
not 90 at all. They must have full
hours Of healthy sleep, early TO bed
hahilually, and not very "early to
rise" if they seem TO need more sleep.
| feel as though / am committing
sin when | awake a child in the morn
ing from sound slumber, even when I
have been begged by the child to do So.
1t seems necessary to do this some
times, in order to break the child of
night wskefulness aud late morning
sleep. But sleep is literally Tired
natures sweet rcstorer." Brain repair
aud healthy physical growth take
place best during the hours Of sleep.
The brain uses up by its work certain
portions of the nutriment which comes
from our daily food, and these must
be supplied in our food from day to
day, or the brain will work feeblv or
break down easily. ] believe that
many dull scholars are made so hy
poor food, much poor food being mis-
named rich"
I feel condemned when my children
have to hurry to school, worried by
fear of being late. The home arrange
ments ought to be such that the chii-
dren can easily be ready in season.
and walk calmly to school, with no
anxiety about tardiness. The teachers
do well to try to promote punc,ualiiy,
both for the good order of the school
aud for the ehild's education in good
habit but when children get such
dread Of being late that they much
prefer to be absent, the matter is over
done. More than once when my little
daughter found herself starting 30 late
that she wished to run most of way %
school, (moTe than mile), / have
told her not 10 do so, that the tardy-
mark on the monthly report, and the
staying little while after school hours
we're not half 81 bad as a headache
for the day, and the necessity for
study while overbeated and tired.
This IS part Of her physical cduca-
iion and very important ono.
4 CO.. ..ee.m.. ...ms.a.