Omaha daily bee., 1885-10-12

The charge which has recently been
made by an Omaha physician against
ono of our teachers for forcing her class
to the dctrimcnt of The health of his
daughter opens q fell of inquiry which
may throw some light upon the draw
backs Of the graded school system. The
aim of practical educators is and should
he to so arrange the grades us to meet
the mental and physical capabilities of
the average boy or girl To those who
are endowed with il high degree of men
tai energy and physical force, this is Il
drawback, They must slackcn their
pace and are held back to enable the
average pupil to keep up with
them.
1t is unreasonable for any pat
ron of the schools to ask
thata dull or sickly child shall be
taken as the standard by which the abili-
ties for study of the entire class shall be
guaged. No rational person will persist
in demanding that whole class shall
limp because one or two members are
lame. How would it be at West Point or
any other school where discipline is
maintained, if the dullards and weak
lings should insist that every class in
which they happen to fall should be kept
back to enable them to keep step? Sup
pose that in military drill it should be
proposed that the entire regiment should
measure its stride by the step of the
shortest men. Such proposition would
be hooted at
There may be reputable physicians
who insist that the brain of the average
scholar in our public schools is over
taxed and that the course of study should
be reduced in its requirements. There
may be even some very high authorities
in medicine who maintain that the brains
of the rising generation are ovcrworkcd
in our free school system This is fall
lacy which disprovcs itself. There is no
danger that any boy or girl, with fair
health will impair il by pursuing the
ordinary course of study. The truth is
that those who enter the schools in good
health and break down do so because their
parents or guardians permit them to
ulSlf8lll lilt A'iNo Vi llObi'ii
outside of school hours. III nine eases
out OF ten, those who complain of over
cramming the brain have simply over
crammcd the stomach. The complaints
about too much brain work do not come
from the poor, but from those who are
able to indulge their children in delica-
cies and luXuries. They don't come from
the mechanics and laborers whose chill
drcn live on plain food and go to bed at
reasonable hours, but from professionals
and men of means whose chill
drcn are ovcrfGd, overdressed and
underslept Their boys and girls
keep late hoursy attend dane
ing school and social parties when
they ought to be in bed. Boys and girls
who 90 to bed with Il stomach overloaded
atmidnight suppers, rise with Il headache.
feel dull during the entire school day,
and come home complaining about the
terrible tasks set before them by their
teachers. Doctors, of all people, ought
to know enough to know that the stom-
ach is responsible for nine-tenths of all
the ailments and complaints that come
from the school room.
We have no fear that the children of
the present generation will be oHr;riied
off in an epidemic Of nrc.iin fever caused
by too much stIdy The grayeyards are
n standing testimonial that of the young
who die, the schoolmarms have killed Il
good many less than the doctors.