Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1885-04-03
OUR COMMON SCHOOLS.

cising them on several points which Injurious
ly effect the health Of tho children. Some Of
these criticisms apply only or mainly TO the
schools in the large cities, where an inexora-
BILE high pressure system is followed, but 9th.
ers are applicable to all schools. The mat
ter Of yentilating is first taken up and the
poisonous, stupefying effects of the foul air,
so commonly found in school buildings, are
pointed out The question Of defective
lighting, which causes 70 many near-siRhhd
children, il next taken up and the article
then proceeds:
Another source Of danger to health Is the
number Of school hours. Five or six hours
a day is not too much for some, perhaps not
for the majority OF scholars, but II IL un
doubtedly too much for young children, and
for all nervous aud sensitive scholars. II is
thought 10y persons competent to know that
for children from 10 TO ~ years old four
hours day IL long enough time to spend
in school for children from to 10 ears,
three or three and half hours for obildten
under years, two or two and a half hours.
Evidently young scholars should not have az
many hours rs older scholars have, yet 1t is
generally true that the primary schools are in
session as long rs the grammar schools, and
in some pnces q little longer than the high
schools. We venture to say that visitor to
almost any primary school during the last
hour Of the second session could not fail to
be impressed with the r,stlrssness and wea-
riness OF the children.
Under the Euglish system children can
take half time ia order to spend the other
half in factories and shops, or on farms, to
learn industrial pursuits. Over 100. 600 chill
dren were thus taught last year. 1t Is very
significant that these children have made NJ
much progress in their studies a. those who
spend six hours IN school.
Should there not be a sliding scale Of at
tendance, so that scholars may take two
hours or three hours only, instead Of full
time, one study or two studies instead Of the
complete curriculum, and be entitled to GER
tihcates corresponding to the amount Of work
done2 1t might make addition al labor in the
cement Of classes and in the keeping OF
records, bot the results would Justify any
trouble taken, and the object of schools Is
not TO save teachers trouble. II IL not enough
that the teacher has liberty to excuse the
tired or delicate scholar now and then. The
system itself should provide for aud invite
partial courses. II is one OF the wort evils
Of schools that the full attendance, which is
none too short for the heslth'e-t children Is
required OF all who would avail the mselves
OF a common school oducatior. yet ctapparent
ly IL is an evil which is not fficult Of rem.
edy.
But the gravest offence against health re-
mains to be- considered. II IL result OF the
methods theusslves. II grows out Of Gus
toms which arc firmly established. Il Is not,
therefore, as easily recognized I or as easily
dealt with as evils which are due to external
arrangement and length of sessions. II is
known in England Ss overpre-Sure. and in
America as overwoTk. The charge Is that
for a considerable proportion Of scholars, the
demands aud inct ntives which are distin
gushing characteristics Of the school system,
produce sn excessive nervous strain, and that
in consequence, complete breakdown is not
infrt tquen', while nervous disorders and i'm
paired health are very common. Or, IN
brief the charge il that good many schools
are overworked.
Now, no sooner Is this charge made than
teachers by the score deny 1t Indignantly, il
not contemp mptuousy. In justice TO teachers
| il should be admitted that they do not see the
worst results OF overwoTk. since they do not
follow their pupils home at the eud Of the
day or the term. Ambition 10 graduate with
the class, the disproportionate value put up
| on a successful career in the school, the uu-
willingness to prolong iudt hitey the period
| OF school life are ioTces too potent for the
| control Of average parents. Rihk TO health
is a tIihe compared with the completion Of
the full course and the honor Of graduation.
The system means all or nothing. Il has lit
tie elasticity. /. has few, IL any, comprom-
ises and adjustments in the interests Of safe
| ty. young lady who had won the valedic.
tory honors Rppe are d ou the platform TO read
her essay, Tut after a few brief sentences
hesitated, and then, having stumbled on a
little farther stopped altogether in complete
| failure. She had strained every nerve to car.
| ry OF the bOnOrs aud get through the public
exercises aud, as might be expected, was III
| for weeks afterward. In scores Of cases the
reaction comes a day or two later, aud the
| public knows nothing of 1t. In this case, the
nervous force fsiled few hours too soon. II
was said that her parents and teachers were
mortified; they ought to have been incarcer.
ated, Will any one have the temerity to as
sert that there is nothing wrong in system
when it's incentives can produce such results
| The system Of rank and rewards is especially
| bad for girls, since ii induces intense nervous
emotions, such as fear OF failure and over
| excitement with success Every physician
| of extensive practice has had patients ner.
vously proslrated by such a strain. A physi
clan in one OF our largest cities, whose spe-
cialty is nervous disorders, is Of opinion that
| not less than one-thrd of his cases are per
sons who have suffered from tn pressure OF
| the school system.
1t is a little singular that in England over.
pressure is felt Chi, fly by dull, backward
scholars, but in America by the bright, ambi-
tious pupils. There the teacher receives a
cash payment for every scholar who passes
| the prescribed examinations, aud pressure is
consequently applied to bring up the rear,
since the rest of the procession will get
through without difficulty. Here the ambi-
tion of scholars is the motive worked, through
the announcement of percentages of rank
4 aud hannWa Tf lha
pressure is on the bright, sensitive, nervous
scholars, and il scarcely Rppreeiable with the
| rank and file. 1t may be said, by the way,
of the marking system, that it is an inoen.
tive TO those who need no incentive, and has
little or no effect on those who do need urg-
ing. The 231 scholar in a class Of 80 will
not forego the pleasures Of this life in order
to become the 2lst.
It is not claimed that all, or even a ma jori.
| ty, OF pupils are oyeTworked. The average
boy is sturdy enough to bear up under the
exactions of the schooroom. He is sufi-
ciently sensible or natural, TO know that
base ball aud tennis aud ooasting impose du.
ties which he must not neglect. His healthy
instinct informs him that it is better to attain
unto perfection in athletics than In books
Neither boys nor girls in primary schools are
in danger, provided sessions are not too long
But very large fraction, If not a majority,
/ OF girls In grammar apd hlgn Bchools are un-
der a nervous pressure, either from the de-
mands or the incentives Of study, which is
bad for them.
There is something wrong in an education
al system when nearly all scholars in the up
per grades after spending hve or six hours
in the sohoolroOm, are in the habit OF taking
their books home for evening study Must
they carry their letters with them every
where May they not go home in peace
To say nothing of the monotony of such a
life, nor of the fatal effect as to habits of
study by spreading work over 20 many hours,
it is bad for health to keep young people por-
ing over hooks from morning till night and
into the night. The brain, even a chid's
brain, cannot work as il ought such length
of time. There is not one literary man in a
hundred who can work his brain more than
six or seven hours a day and not rs long az
that in intense intellectual labor. child
does not apply himself as a man does, but
then he has only child's brain and ohild's
power. Il has been estimated by high au-
thorty that a child from 6 TO years of age
is able to attend to one lesson not more than
fifteen minutes, q child from to 10 not
more than twenty minutes, child from 10
to ~ not more than thirty minutes. These
| a NI..s. ,l...k. - ur.N.