The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1883-07-07
Too mich study.

parts Of the city almost all these chill
dren belong to the public schools,
bit in other districts the majority are on
tler way to the many private schools
for which Boston is famous. They come
IN groups. in tlocks, in long streams
some by hOrse-cars, others by railroads
from neighboring towns others from
their city homes; here children Just old
enough TO be trusted in che trains alone;
there young men and maidens of fifteen
and sixteen years--all moving to their
mornings work, and all with books.
Books often two or three apiece
sometimes a strap full; not child with
out ut least one volume.
From these books the children have been
learning their "home lessons. These
lessons are recited in school. but have
60 be prepared at home, where also my
extra work has % be done for which
for one reason or anOther-th there is no
time in school. If one would know
what this work amounts TO, let him in
uuire of these be-booked children what
they had for their last nights lessons,
and how long they had 10 work. The
answer win probably be; "Oh, only
little French exercise--tha took an
hour; with the writing out of some
notes--about half an hour more" Or,
Last n ght had algebra. but didn't
get through, though l worked over an
hour, because had some Latin gram
mar TO make up, and that took ME
nearly an hour" This perhaps from
girls of fourteen or fifteen. "And does
It ever tire you to study so out of
SCHOOL," " Yes, sometimes; but we
have to get the lessons. you know"
1t is to be hoped that the stories that
one sometimes hears of overworked
boys and girls are exaggerated, and
that there are not many teachers,
" successful or not, who put excessive
pressure on their pupils. Yet it must
be admitted that cramming. both in
our private and public schools, Is far
too common. So much is required Of
the teachers, there is so much emula-
ton among the scholars, there is so
much rivalry among the schools. that it
is difficult for even the most discreet
teachers to resist the demand for a
system Of h'ghspressures And not all
teachers are discreet. Too many of
them think little of the physical, or in
deed of the mental welfare of their
II Il
ceptacles, into which great deal has
TO be forced in certain limited time;
and they devote themselves to their
task with immense energy, skill and
perseverance, too often ignoring the
danger to which these frail vessels are
eXrosed by the process of examining,
To make children boys or girls be
tween the ages of twelve and sixteen
study more than an hour out of school,
is, unless in exceptional cases, to impose
on these growing bodies and brains
more than trey ought to. Children are
tough, and they are ambitious; and so
are able to do much more than they
ought 20 do. Some may work hard all
the morning and all the evening, and
keep this up for years before any evil
effects appear. Others need constant
watching in school hours, and should
never have work to do out of school.
The evil OF the forcing system les not
only in giving children, on the average,
too much to do at home, but in requir-
ing the same amount of work of all the
children in n class regard ess of Their
health, their temperament, and their
.quickness and capital for work.
This forcn system is not only dan
gerous, it is short-sighted; it tends to
defeat the very object for which it il
employed. Of what avail is it to carry
children along at high pressure for halt
Il dozen years if at the end of that time
they have to give up studyP Athorough
education may be valuable, but not at
the expense of weakened brain, a dis
ordered stomach, impaired eye-sig t.
general loss of vigor, exhaustion of Vita
power 1t is better that children should
devote their years of growth to securing
strength and toughness of body, even al
the expense of some mental discipline
than that they should try to master all
wisdom and all knowledge, and run the
risk of being unable TO use these dearly
bought. requirements.
1t is the work out of school, rather
than the work in school, that is obiec,
tionable. Most children under twelve
should have no tasks at home. A little
easy memorizing, that may take twenty
or thirty minutes; bit of interesting
investigation or an experiment; some
thing that shall seem like play rather
than work-this is as much as ought L
be put on any child of this age as extr;
work. From twelve to fifteen, ligl'
home tasks may well he given to all bu
the least vigorous, but the tasks should
be such that only the slowest stud mt,
will have to study on them more than al
hour, and this limit of time should be SCI
for all. At sixteen, children of settle,
vigor may begin doing harder work on
of school-work that may sometime
occupy an hour and half, or even more
But children of this age should b.
watched with especial care; that the,
are ambitious; that they feel that thief
Ia.rg vaat-l,r nxo,.