The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-12-28


AS an Introduction to the tHirty-frst
annual session Of the California Teach
ers' Association, the council of educa-
ton, permanent committee Of fifteen
selected by the general body to report
on educational work, met IN the parlor
3. OF the lick House yesterday morning
and received the reports Of several
subcommittee. There was a large
number Of prominent educators from
al parts Of the State, as well as sew
p eral from neighboring States, in at
tendance. Among the visitors was
Mrs. Game V. Shaw Rice, training
teacher in the Tacoma Normal School
and member of the Washington State
Board Of Education. Mrs. Rice is also
a poet Of distinction Another Ia
coma visitor was City School Superin-
tendent Bingham.
The papers read were all carefully
prepared and after their presentat ton
animated discussion followed each
recommendation.
The first report was that Of the COM
mittee on physical education and by
giene, Drs. T, D. Wood Of Stanford
and Myra Knox of Oakland submit
ting supplemental reports to the gen
eral report, which was read by Miss
Lucy NJ Washburn Of the State Nor
mai School Of San Jose. DR.. Wood il
Illustrated his remarks with charts ex-
planaJOry OF the increasing ailment of
school children. He spoke as follows:
q Dr.. Herter's Investigations of the
health Of school children IN Copenhagen,
u Denmark, proved conclustvely that the
percentage OF sickly boys increased from
90 per cent at the age Of six to 40 per
I
= The percentage of sick1y girls Increased
from l27 per cent at the age of six 70 81
per cent at the age Of is, This was a very
conservative estimate of the health con-
diuons among the Well-to-do classes
where the home surroundings were good
and the children well fed and cared for
The conditions Of Ill health include eye
disorders, deformities of spine, impoYer-
ishment of blood. chronic headaches,
er forms Of chronic sickness And the
increase Of sickness was proven to be
% senool life with over pressure, unsanttary
conditions, unhygtenio furniture.
mark verified DR.. Hertel's conclusions ST It
lions should be made In ali grades Of
schools in the United States.
DR.. Myra Knox mainly devoted her
attention to the defective vision and
hearing of children and the conse-
.Quent drain on the nervous system.
She said:
NO one KNOWS the amount OF suffering
that some children endure through phys
g ical defects that should be prevented or
Temedied. They have blurred vision
their hearing is. dulled, and they cannot
called duh. stupid, inattentive and dis
obedient. Such children are to be pitied.
They. are sensitive and physically uncom-
Portable.
The average parent is not very observ-
ing, and IN the past the average teacher,
If she recognized physical defects. doubt
ed 6a Of ma ring zIIor
In many families but little attention is
paid to the complaints of children It Is
ancestors and even in this enlightened
day, II Johnny complains of pains in his
legs, his mother gravely tells him that
fRR{ s ss goTng Eng ms snd OF
that nothing but the full measure of
growth VIII stop the pain. The chances
rheumatism. with valvular heart trouble
There are three Ills that the majority
of Children suffer from and the effects
pure air and too Paa many 'S 9fades loof Badly H
cooked food we viii have until there will
come a generation of wise people who
school without diploma from the cook
ing department that Will be a part of
every grammar school. One of the ply
steal defects most readily noticed by the
teacher IS myopfa- There Is no organ of
special sense so abused as the eyes Sight
IS the only special sense that we use all
The time except during sleep. Many par
snts labor under the delusion that chill
dren will optgrow eye. troubles. They
fear that If they take the children to an
oculist he will put glasses on them, and
the chances are he Will, for the defects
In vision are very serious when parents
seek medical aid. When eye strain is re-
moved by properly fitting glasses the
parents will tell you that wearing glasses
Weakens the eyes, for the child cannot
before wearing them. Myopia is rarely
congenital and is always a pathological
condition. About eight per cent Of my
opia usually begins before eight years
Of age. The most rapid development IS
between twelve and eighteen years Near
sightedness is less liable 70 induce ner-
vous troubles than far-sightedness, yet
the former is far more often corrected
by the oculist because it IS so apparent
Causes of nyopia are bad ligh and bad
position in reference 10 1ght, osluon or
head. distance from book, and duration
Of study hours. AS to small children,
the cause may be habitual occupation
with small objects near the e. es as In
some work done in the kinderG arten, or
practicing on the piano in lily lighted
rooms, but the most proliiic cause is IN
corrected errors of refractton. This
means ninety-fVe per cent Of all who
seek the aid of the ocultst. The near
sighted child holds the book close to his
strong conveyance, stretching, a weak
sclera and an enlarged and elongated
eve-baI results. Among type-setters We
find a larger proportion near-sighted-
The predisposition TO this defect may be
hereditary, but the determining causes
are acquired and largely preVentable.
To combat this we must promote
vigorous state Of health. This includes
home hygiene. good food, pure air, plenty
OF sleep and proper exercise. A specialist
tells me that he finds three girls with this
defect TO one boy This is because the
girl cur1s up on the sofa and reads while
the boy is out Of doors playing ball,
thereby strengthening his nerve power
and increasing his blood supply Our
schoolroons are not ideal as 10 ventila-
%N1va Ea71 1frr1a+ l-Ar- zrTa OF Tod
to the pupils. Myopia is not so common
among the English, as they are great