Evening journal., 1893-09-22
DANGER In WRITING.
EXPERTS sAYTHAT sLANTlNe SCRIPT
CAUSES DISEASE.

Backed by the Highest Medical Author
itIes-Results of Extensive Experiments
with school Children.
The method Of writing taught in mod
ern schools and practiced by 90 people
out Of every 100 has been declared dan
gerous and unhealthful by experts. By
the time the next generation natures it
will probably have been wiped out. The
script then win be vertical instead Of
slanting, and writer's will sit square and
upright before their work instead Of side
ways and stopped, as at present.
The idea Of this prospective reform or
iginated in Germany and overspreads
England while reaching this country.
The following resolution was adopted
not long ago by the international con-
gress Of school hygiene in London by a
vote Of 300 against 1:
Whereas. Tho hygienio advantages Of verti-
cal writing have been clearly shown and es.
tablished both by medical investigation and
practical experience, and
Whereas, It's Introduction obviates those per-
nicious positions Of the body which entail ra-
chitic diseases and myopia,
Resolved. That we recommend the introduc.
ton Of vertical writing in the schools of tho
people.
The effect of so serions an action in a
country esteeming proper physical con-
ditions as England esteems them is
readily to be imagined.
The corresponding movement in the
United States is led by DR.. Burnham Of
Clark university. His investigations
have brought the conviction that the or
binary position in writing is among the
foremost conditions of school life and
methods of training which must be
changed in the interest Of health. The
vertical script, therefore, IS strongly
recommended. From 80 to 80 per cent
Of lateral curvature of the spine is found
to be caused in school life, the curvature
in large per cent Of these cases being
toward the right side, as n result Of a
defective position in writing, and the
eyes at the same time are seriously in
jured by this slanted writing.
The practical advance Of the newly
approved system in this country is illus
trated in the Worcester normal school
and the Workingmens school at Fifty
fourth street in this city, directed by
Professor Adler, where the vertical
writing is used in the lower grades and
now carried ON 10 the fourth and fifth
grades.
The observations Of foreign physicians
showing that the prevalence Of myopia
and spinal curvature is regularly in
creased in the advance through the
school grades are supplemented in this
country by work ON novel lines. An en-
ergetic course followed by Dr. Shaw OF
the University Of the City of New York
has given additional proof that the cause
of the difficulty is TO be attributed to the
desks which are generally in use, and
more especially 10 the bad position IN
writing, the opinion being held with ap
| parent unanimity by investigators il
this country as well as abroad that al
but two positions TO be taken in th'
school practice Of writing are improper
One Judged 10 be correct is the obhqu'
central position and the other thu
straight central position, between which
in reference TO final choice the cOntrO
versy in Germany is said TO be fierce.
/
the child writes vertically when he frs
goes to school, and that the teacher hai
to work for the slant. The vertical writ
ing and the central position at the desl
are alike naturally indicated. At thi
stage the controversy has led to the con
clusion that the height of the desk anC
that Of the seat must be equally adapted
to the growth Of the pupil. In some o
the progressive schools, as Felix Adler
and at South Orange, N. j., adjustable
seats are being used.
The point in DR.. Shaw's recent expert
ments, made with the aid of several as
sistants ON more than 300 pupils in tn
New York and suburban schools, ha
been to see whether, with the paper di
rectly in front Of the pupil and with tn
eyes closed, there could be any tendenc,
toward vertical writing. The pupil
were first requested TO take the custom
airy position in writing, and TO write il
the ordinary manner the sentence, "JOhl
is flying his paper kite" This form O
exercise was selected on account Of tn
number of long letters which it contains
anu tAo ANAAAH RAAA tAa0 AAAtAA ~ At'N ANA III
child to remember. After having thu
written the sentence, the pupil was di
rected 10 take the straight central posi-
ton, dip his pen in the ink and with hi
eyes closed TO write the same again.
, The closing of the eyes was to elm
, nate from the child's mind the conscious
ness Of the slant. The angle of slant i
all the long letters in the test papers wa
carefully measured, the angle of slant i
the usual writing in each case being ais
7 found with the same precision. Tn
measurements and the calculations IA
r up to 5000 items, and among other issue
e Of the work was the invention by lad
j. Of a machine for making the measure
e ments.-New York Press.
r Club Rule In New York.
n l was somewhat shocked last wee