The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-05-19
CRRMMING SCHOOL CHILDREN.

CRRMMlNG SCHOOL CHILDREN.
Many children lose their health
and have their lntellects blunted by
over study. Many again are made
dull by over-cramming their brain
that they may come up to certain
standard at the annual ezamina-
tions. The opinion of one of the
greatest living philosophers of the
day, Mr.. Herbert Spencer, is against
such a system. He says "This
over education is vicious in every
way-as giving knowledge that will
soon be forgotten, as producing a
disgust for knowledge, as neglecting
the organization of knowledge which
is more important than its acquisi-
ton, and as entailing that i'll health,
for which even success would not
compensate, and which makes fail
ure doubly bitter"
The defect in many schools is this
oyercramming in order to pass
successful examination, in utter dis
regard of the mental or physical
capabilities of the children and of
the preliminarles which go to make
q sound and lasting foundation upon
which to build practical and use
ful education. Many children have
been graduated from school at the
age of u or 13 years, as having fin
ished the course, that had they OBJ
tanned q complete and comprehen-
sive knowledge of the curriculum
and not been crammed, could never
have done so. The knowledge thus
obtained being only superficial, is
soon forgotten, while the injury to
the health, that overwork, and over
taxation of the mental faculties
brings on, may be source of life
long trouble.
Another bad feature is the length
of the school day being the same for
all ages. A boy of 5 years cannot
be expected to do as much work as
one of u, nor can boy of II
be expected to do the same amount
of mental or physical work as a man,
Yet, in the public schools of many
places the hours are the same for al
ages. Immature brains cannot dC
the work of mature ones without in
jury to those brains, and as tn
brain always gives away before tn
physical health suffers, we shoul'
be guarded in the work we give th
immature brains to do. The disre
gard of this principal is no doub
the frequent cause of school chill
dren complaining of headache AM
its consequent uniting them for tn
duties of the schoolroom.
Another system prevails anon
school-teachers to more or less eS
tent in all places, and that is impo;
ing upon children certain task t
be accomplished at home, during til
time that their brain should be II
cuperating, and their physical pow
ers kept up by such exercises as til
playground affords. Why, afte
doing their allotted days work
school, should their home be cor
verted into school, and their lii
be changed into kind of slavery
of which we may be ashamed j
years to come? School headache
are not the only diseases the chi
dren are subject to, many nervou
diseases, some of serious and con
pllcated nature, can be traced to til
confinement of the school-room an
the modern process of crammin
which is called "being educated.
AliuSi S"i'Sh schOOIS III NaTlOl
parts of the world have done muc
within the last few years to relic,
the younger of schoolgoing childre
from the drudgery of the regulate
public school, and much more CT
be done in the same direction VIII,
those whose duty it is to superi
tend the schools look more
healthy results, than for gratifi
ambition in being pronounced su
cessful teacher in having turned o
finished scholars at so early an ag