The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1897-03-12
WORTH LOOKING INTO,
The Eyes of Public School Pupils
Should be Examined.
The Condition of Things Found i'm the
Sioux Falls Schools.

In many of the cities of the country
the question of the condition of the
eyesight of public school pupils is re-
ceiving much attention from the
school boards and Others Examina-
tions in eastern cities have shown a
large percentage with defective sight,
requiring the use of glasses, and in
many cases treatment and refraining
from study. The eyes of the pupils in
the Minneapolis schools have just
undergone similar examination with
about the same results.
The teachers of the Sioux Falls, S.
D., schools have been making some in
vestigations showing the relation of
physical development to mental &C
quirement. 1t was found that 33 per
cent of the pupils could not do as good
work at the close as at the beginning
of the day. The hands of 81 per cent
trembled when writing; 35 per cent
have frequent headaches; Al per cent
have defective eyesight, and Is per
cent defective hearing; 80 per cent of
the boys use tobacco; Is per cent of
the pupils have sickly appearance,
and over so per cent of them have
sunken chests and STOPPING shoulders.
Tests were made of the air in each of
the rooms. The lowest amount of
carbonic acid gas in the air tested
was found to be LEO parts in 1000, and
the highest 3.14. The superintendent
says:
"As there should be only a parts in
each 1000 in air of standard purity,
these tests show four to eight times
as much carbonic acid gas as should
have been found. While the air was
not analysed for other impurities, it is
generally conceded that where car
bonic acid gas is found in quantity
there will be ammonia and disease
germs"
The matter was at once referred to
committee of the school board, and
some elaborate changes will be made
in the school buildings in the spring.
The superintendent among other
things recommends that the schools
in the fall begin the last week in
August and run through June, so that
the winter vacation will extend
through January.
In view Of what is being done in
other cities, resulting in great good to
the pupils where the parents follow
the advice given, it occurs to US that
the pupils in the Mankato schools
should be given an examination.
There are undoubted by some whose
daily headaches is due to straining of
the eyes, while others may be suffering
from more serious effectiveness of the
eyesight that ought to receive i'm
mediate treatment. One curious re-
suit of the examinations in some of
the cities has been that some of the
apparently more stupid pupils have
made rapid advances after having bad
their eyes htted to glasses, Owing to
the strain and blurring of the letters
or headache, they had previously
made very little progress at studying,
as steady reading was almost impos-
sible.
Baltimore was one of the first cities
where the eyesighJ of pupils has been
tested, and % per cent were found to
be so seriously defective that they
needed immediate treatment. In the
absence of this treatment they stood
in danger of losing their eyesight OF
being troubled the remainder of their
lives. The parents in many cases
were taken completely by surprise.
This is a matter deserving the at
tentiOn of our school board.