The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1884-01-26

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intellectual cxertion, combined with
bad air, with the annoyanccs and ex'
elements and worries, the wasting
and rasping anxicties of school life.
Nothing is so terrible as severe neural
gia. and beyond doubt girls acquire
/ Il often enough by the condition OF
Ischool-lfc. Headaches in schoolgirl
usually mean exhausted nerve power
through oyerwork. ovcreXcitcment,
ovcranxieiy. or bad air. Rest, a good
laugh, or country walk will usually
cure it readily enough to begin with.
But 10 become subject TO headaches Is
q very serious matter, and all sEch
nervous diseases have a nasty tendency
to rccur, TO become periodic, TO be SET
up by the same causes, To become an
organic habit of the body. For any
woman to become Liable TO severe ncu-
ralpia is most terrible thing. 1t
means that while il lasts life is not
worth having. 1t paralyzes the power
to work, it deprivcs her of the power
to enjoy anything. it tends toward
t,irri,ability Of temper, 1t tcmpts to the
use OF narcotics and simulants.
There can be no doubt that too hard
school-work in young women during
the adolesccnt period tends to bring
out hereditary, nervous. and other
weaknesses. The great natural pro-
lection against these is sound health
and general bodily vigor in q frame
| that has been brought carefully to full
maturity, harmonious and healthy IN
all its functions. This law is found to
prevail in regard to nervous hereditary
weaknesses, that the stronger and moro
direct the tendency, the carrier in life
such weakness is apt TO show Itself. Ii
we can postpone il, we can frequently
avert it altogether.
MANUAL TRAINING IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
Supt. Scavcr, OF the Boston public
schools, says: Education through ap-
premiership to trades has disappeared,
and the time has been filled up with
larger amounts of schoOl-book inStruc-
ton, and the consequence is that,
through lack of opportunity, the naive
aptitude ofmany boys Tor handlcrafL
is quite ignored. There doubtless is
in our city boys an ample fund of Ia
tent mechanical ingenuity. which only
awaits proper treatment to bring 1t out
and lead its possessors to the right oc-
cupation for using 1t.
My hope is that public free school
on the plan Of the school of mechanic
arts NAV be established in Boston. The
place for it in our system is side by
side with the high school. This can be
done rs soon rs the taxpayers and their
representatives at City Hall see the
wisdom of it. Let it not be supposed
lhnt the manual training proposed rs a
part of general education consists in
learning this trade or that trade, nor
vet in learning the fragmentary begin
niugs OF dozen trades; but ra.lcr
that it consists in developing manual
skill and mastering the fundamental
processes applicable in many trades
For example, one who can use well tho
common woodworking tools-the ham
mcr, saw, plane, auger, chiscl and try
Squares ready to enter several diff
fcrcnt trades with immediate advant-
arc to himself although he may not
vet have lc,rned the special detail, of
,nv one Of them,
Now | am sanouine cnouoh to be-
1.-Two thot the Introduction OF the manu-
nj training element int, school work
would nromotr still more a salutary
reform which seeks TO abolish mere
aomiual teaching and replace ii by
ro,l trochino that Is. y tcachinr that
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