The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-01-30
Home Education.
OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM FACULTY.

OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM FACULTY.
lam now advocating such household
appurtenances purely on the score o
health. Our school system is blum
der. No child should study from 8 til
70; and especially in rooms where
they must sit. A child at study
should, much of his time, be on hi
feet, or reclining if he chooses, anC
changing about. When you add th'
books taken home for evening study
you have shown up our common
method, whereby, to perfection, We
destroy the health, vigor, beauty ant
character of our children. Every one
is damaged, and the majority are spoil
ed. insist upon play as duty, as
part of life, as in fact itself q part O.
study. A teacher of play would he fal
more sensible than the piano at 50 tt
S4 a lesson.
How about dancing? AS a matter
of health it is generally of no advan'
tage whatever. 1t is no sooner acquir'
ed than night is turned into day, and
then the play is carried to such ex'
tremes as to be disastrous. 1 have
watched this matter from physicians
standpoint, and object totally to three
or four hours and especially to six OF
eight, devoted to hilarious dancing,
and those hours the ones that nature
devotes to sleep. There is another
point cannot overlook. 1t is the
close contact of bodies in round dances
"a contact unwholesome, purely
from a physical point of view. The
moral effect others may discuss, but ]
object to any delicate persons being
borne so closely into the atmosphere OF
grosser, coarser ones. The physical eff
feet is not likely to be understood, but
it is seriously evil. I do not, there
fore, care for dancing, unless conduct
ed as a part of home sport, as it is not
likely to be.
A GOOD MORAL ATMOSPHERE.
1t is, however, folly to talk of q
healthy home that is not charged with
good moral atmosphere. I assure
you the moral atmosphere is. as real
and tangible and efficient as the physi-
cal and those who refnse or neglect to
consider it will suffer accordingly. II
is impossible for US to have about us, in
close intimacy, those of gross tempera-
ment and physical sensuality, and not
feel the effect on our bodies as well as
on our minds. This holds good, OF
course, of our own relation to our
selves. If we do not sustain spirit OF
self-control and manly aspiration in
our souls, our bodies are diseased as a
consequence. One-half of all disease
is the result of unsanitary mental con-
ditions. Uniform honor, good faith,
manhood, temperate desire, kindliness,
will have powerful effect in sustain
ing vigorous physical health.
1 have brother physician who in
sists that if all people would keep in
the best of humor for one hour before
eating, during meals and for one hour
after, they would never be troubled
with any disorders of digestion, OF
with headaches. He is q trifle croch.
ETY., but he is not far from right in his
valuation of good temper as foe to
dyspepsia. At meal time it is pecu'
liarly important that all should be de-
corous and kindly. The fashion Of
haste and fret at our meals is an indi-
cation of nervous irritation, and af'
fects digestion directly. But in all
othes ways a house should be delivered
from the destructive influence of i'm
moral or immoral habits. An habitu-
al scold is not only disagreeable ter
magant, but destroyer of the physi-
cal health of her children. The effect
on moral character is tailed by the eff
feet on the features of the young. l
have supposed some to be more sensi'
tive to moral atmosphere than others
but on larger experience I am satisfied
that all are Influenced in this way, and
to their serious detriment. The art Of
building healthy home is dependent
upon the art of being ourselves pure
hearted and honorable, generous, just
and adaptable.