The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-03-21

breaking out caused by taking cold, but
but by noon the boy came home so ill
that the family doctor was sent for and
diagnosed at once case of chickenpox,
is only lesser form of smallpox danger
GUS il neglected, the risk of hasty in
spection is manifest. | speak only of
what comes within my limited expert.
ence. Teachers could tell far more tales
When it comes to failure Of the eyes
the evil is too well known to require
many words. On the continent, 1t Is re
marked by the ablest doctors, that near
sight and trouble with the eyes follows
fast upon compulsory education, and
the prize scholars and winners in COM
petitive examinations gain their desire
only 10 find it useless from failure of
eye or brain in a short time. The light
in the center Of great class rooms can
not be strong or cloudy days, while
those next the windows in clear wealth
er find it absolutely glarng. Add to
this the poor type OF cheap school books
and the anxiety of superintendent for
cheap books, the evening study de-
manded, the effect of foul air on the
nerves Of the eye, and there is two good
| reasons for the weakness of sight which
| INCREASES bCuOOib anu ohOhb
ates. The evil, though hidden, ia not
dead. In too many cases the amauroses
or palsy of sight, which is the first DIS
tressing sign of age, has to be traced 10
the injury done in early hte IN the
school room.
In face of these dangers, not eXagger
ated or half so startling as the RECORDS
Of candid teachers, we are confronted
by movement, not to free the pubic
schools from these injurious conditions,
but to crowd them still more by the
most rigid laws for compulsory attend
ance. The reason for this given by tne
Superintendent of Schools for New
York State is to reduce the expense OF
education per capita. The total attend
Anoe of children for the State he gives
at 1,033, 269. The total number OF child
rem of schools years in the State, l,IaS,
95S. The total of expenses is $40, 69o VIZ
which makes the cost OF schooling Tor
each child really attending Slo.l9 the
expense to each person in the state
Census of 1880 being 50 %. The only
remedy for such showing, the super
intendent says, is a compulsory educa'
tional law, capable of rigid enforcement
He does not purpose to reduce the &C
tual expense to taxpayers, but the ap-
parent cost, by crowding the 100000
odd children into schools already made
quate to their attendance, and II the
next report shows rate per capita OF
81. rs to the taxpayer everything Will be
satisfactory at the headquarters OF edu-
cation. If enlightened physicians also
keep a record of children brought to
their death by attending crowded
schools, by overstudy and the number
whose health is seriously undermined
for life by the same cause, the enuca-
ton report will not commend ITSELF
Taxpayers in general will hardly grum-
ole if $3.0S of their taxes do go to pay
for schools, and $15 10 year does not
seem an extravagently high price to pay
for the schooling of each pupil. IL
future American citizen or citizens wife
cannot richly repay the State the $780,
30 it LAYS out on his education during
ten years it is the fault of that educa
ton more than anything else. The 100.
900 and more children not in the public
schools are probably in better private
ones, or so out of health that their pres
ence in any school is undesirable. The
most refined and intelligent PEOPLE OF
England are fitting the orge OF compul-
sory education in the kingdom, and we
are allowing the short sighted Grad
grind too fashion the letters on our So
ciety that the education rate per head
may appear sufficiently cheap to satisfy
the stipgiest voters!
II you could see the end from the be-
ginning education in mere book learning
would not be valued higher than life and
health and social adaptation, as it is
held. Since wrote the last paper in
this series l stood by the deathbed OF
one of the most finely gifted women
brain, beauty, delicate, enduring ply
siaue and personal character to be found
among women. Some of the best blood
in gland flowed in her veins. Better
still, the blood of heroes and lordly
spirits who laid down their heads for
country and freedom, and she was
worthy descendant of such men. For
more than twenty years life had been
one almost unbroken anguish OF such
pain as go ms incredible. Her doctors,
such men as Seguine and Hamilton.
specialists in nervous diseases said 1t
was the pain of cancer without its hope
of speedy release. Borne bravely ,heroi-
cally, silently, through those long years,
she never excused herself one duty the
trembling hands were able to perform,
but with the corpselike face, pausing for
the intervals of maddening pain, went
about her household tasks till mind
and body both gave way, at the very
last. And this terrible doom was traced
10 her education. The bright girl, over
pressed with studies to crafty the pride
of her family, broke down with brain
fever at IA. recovered only to be urged
along the same route, with Latin Greek,
higher mathematics, all taken not in
smattering, but with the thoroughness
and conscience which marked all she
did. From graduation she went at once
as teacher in large and brilliant ladies'
school, and, worn out there in few
years, wishing rest and home OF her
own, she married-God help her!
home missionary, the last man in the
world she should have chosen. Hard
duty and care followed, till there came
an awful respite from her toll, who had
known no rest withou It-endless seem
ing years of such agony as wrings the
heart to think of. And the seed was
sown in that ambitious over schooling
of delicate girl years before. 1t seem.
/ Gu db III LudJ IEdLuo VI obCci IOuiu NV
give way. The fine brain clouded and
cleared again, and it took all that lgnor-
snce and bIgotry could do to compass
her death, and the desired release from
her accomplishing presence. She died,
murdered as truly as II the knife had
been set across her throat, who should
have known ten good years of lie long
err. The very friend who had brought
relief to her pain over and over, whose
touch had soothed her delIrium, was
forbidden to remove her to pure air, or
to employ a trained nurse at her own
expense to attend the dying woman, In
her last hours Of peace years fell from
her like garment, and so fair, so bright
she seemed with her tender tones and
quick jestings as of one at ease 10 soul
and body, it was treble hard to let so
much sweetness and grace go out OF the
world by the contrivaDce of coarse, mer-
ciless natures, tired of caring for her so
long. But by her dead form | swore
that such force as have should go to
prevent women from suffuring such
cruel lives, if plain speech and truth tel
ling could hinder them. God knows