Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-06-23
DAILY Observation-Disclosures.
scHooI.LrrE AND gyEsIGur.

The Bureau of Education at Washing |
ton has published an address onthe sub
ice. of the effects of student life upon the
evesioht, the eist of which is that very
large percentage of children injnre Their
ewes while at school. The paper treats
of various complaints. but the observa-
,;ons ON the common defect OF near
siphtedpess ara especially intefest1h9'
The Deductions are dra wn from statistics
Of sehools in this country and abToad,in-
Guiding observations on about ao'W"
children. From these it appears near
sicffedness is rarely found III children
under five or six years old. The defect
could scarcely 30 discovered ia The prim-
arr classes OF the schools exarninec, but
with each rise in grade or each added
year of school attendance IT rapidly IN
creased until in the highest classes an
unnatural close-sightedness was often
found in as many as seventy per cent. OF
the pupils. Again, it is found that the
defect il much more common IN the
city schools than in those OF the coun-
try. owing to the better general sur
roundines, less strain and more rsss foT
tho eye in the country. Colored chill
drcn, singulariy enough, are remarkably
free from the complaint. 1t seems we'll
established that tho tendency to my
opia, u -aghtcdness. is often her
editary, but the conclusions drawn from
the observations made arc hat 1t ID
more generally the result OF abUss OF
the organs during school attendance.
There are two classes Of influence that
sconduee to this result. One includes All
those things that cauge q straining oil
the eye, as fine print, bad print and the
like. The other includes those intiu-
ences that cause rush OF blood to the
head. as bad ventilation, excessively
hard study coupled with an uncomfor-
table construction of desks and benches,
or habitually bad positions in sitting.
Probably these facts are not new, As ii
appears that come Of the authorities
qnoted are OF long standing, but how
ever well known they may be among
professional mon and opticians. they
are little known and less Leeded by
those who have charge OF oar schools,
public, private and collegiate. A class
room or study room is mere trap for
dwaTing and deforming children, III
less it be thoroughly well lighted and
ventilated. This 10 certainly well known
to the schoo, authorities and 0ildoubt-
cdly some attention Is given To the sub
jec;s Of light and ventilation by school
architects. IL did not need the Stats
ties on near sightedness TO inform item
of this, but il may be that these stats
tics will give them new insight into
what constitutes proper lighting. A
room may have plenty Of light without
being well lighted. The light may come
from the wrong direction, or il may be
imperfectly distributed. The amount
of window opening that would suffice
for a cloudy day would cause an un-
pleasant and harmful glare Oh n bright
day. II is not TO be supposed that this
subject has received no attention, but
there are so many of our schooi-rooms
that are wofulIy defective, and dcfec-
tive in SO many ways, that it would
seem AZ though all tho data were nc
cessible from which to choose meas
urably good plan Of lighting. l. is for
the teacher, OF course, to SO shape the
exercise and guide the children's study
that their restless little eyes shall re-
ceive the minimum Of abuse.--.fAa.