Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-08-31
susJEcrs FOE THEsTATE BOARD
OF HEALfa.


OF aEALTa.
We have the assurance that at least
one member OF Our State Board ~
Health ia fully alive to the importance
OF careful supervision Of the sanitary
condition OF our public school bnildinee
and scool methods, and chat As soon rs
the Board gets fairly doxn 70 business
this will be one Of the matters to which
they will give special attention.
We are likewise assured from our
own observation and judgment that an
intelligent and conscientious inyestlga'
ton in this direction win disclose some
facts that will convince the public that
the damage TO the physical health OF
children under our school system al.
most destroys any mental benefits they
may derive. We may not be any worse
in this respect than other cities-we
hope not 50 bad--bus the public 10
awakening to the fact that bed air and
bad methods generally are proving very
disastrous to the health Of school chill
bred, more so, perhaps, in the case OF
girls than boys.
The effect Of the forcing process tnaI
now passes for education, upon tne
health OF the pupils has been carefully
Investigated by the Board Of Education
ii Cleveland, Ga city whose schools
rank with the very best in the country.
II appeared from the reports that, during
the last year, l66 pupils in the hlsh
schools dropped out without completing
their course. The committee Of statistics
undertook an investigation OF the rea-
sons for this. OF the 1876 cases that were
INQUIRED into, IS were taken out on &C.
count of i'll health. Seventy-fve per
cent. of the girls who dropped out
were Withdrawn for this reason,
and 50 per cent. Of the boys. The re-
port in all its bearings, shows that the
girls suffer more from the strain oil the
school course than the boys. The reas-
on given is that, in the construction OF
school buildings, in hours and methods
of study, and in making up the course
il is assumed that girls can endure as
severe and continuous strain as boys,
although physicians and wise parents
know that special consideration should
be paid to the physiological conditions
of girls when they are passing through
the high schools. Out OF the 96 girls
who left school, 20 started in with good
health. OF this number only %
par cent. retained good health
while in school, while so per cent. OF the
bows we're unaffected. That is to say
So Der cent. OF the girls and 10 per cent
of the boys had their health materially
impaired by their incomplete course o.
study in the high schools. Still more
striking facts are adduced by the Ledde'
OF that city, in the cases Of 80 young NO
men graduates OF the high schools. U
these 80, who completed the full course
% started in with good health, which
only 5 of them kept. These figures, ant
more telling the same story, cause TIT
| Leader to ask the pertinent question
"Whether the education or the health o
our girls is to be first considered, o
whether it is not possible to educate
without sacrificing health? The qHes
ton OF a remedy cannot b
more than touched upon in a paragraph
but it may be said, in a word, that eyei
the best OF our public schools do no
yet make enough account OF thes
I air, inshmclent hrucheuns; rarki- 6ft
door exercise, the climbing or stairs
social or other eIcitements at home
and too many studies If the bOdil
health can BE- maintained at hig
standard. the brain will do all that
required OF it. The pressure is no doub
too high, but large proportion OF on
girls break down through lack OF al
tention to the plainest and simplest con
ditions OF health on the part of parent
and school authorities.