The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1898-09-17
HOW THE CHILD SUFFERS.
Should Have Thorough ExamInatior
on Entering school.

Speaking on the subject of children's
eyes: a great many children are sent to
school with eye defects which demand
great expenditure of nervous forces in
order for them to keep up with those
who enter on the same work with
natural eyes.
The same children are often c'assed
as idle or stupid, when in reality their
mental condition may be just as keen
as their classmates, the failure to keep
pace being entirely due to defective
vision. In some cases by virtue of great
persistence, they succeed in keeping
abreast of their more fortunate COM
panions; but this task is accomplished
at the ex xpense of vital energies which
often lays the foundation of future
disease. It IS not uncommon and GER
tainly not improper to have the first
teeth of children four of five years of age
filled instead of extracted while the
eye, the most intellectual, the most ap-
prehensive and the most discriminating
of all our organs, receives scarcely pas
sing thought, much less an examination.
1t seems never to occur to some par
ents that the principal agent in requir-
ing an education is the eye. The child
| is placed in school without the slighest
inquiry on the part of either parent or
teacher, as to whether it has the normal
amount of sight, whether it be near
sighted or far sighted, whether it be
clear or blurred, whether it sees with
one eye or two eyes, or whether the act
of vision is accomplished at the ex-
/ pense of an unnatural strain upon the
nervous system.
1t would be a boom to the children
that attend our public schools if the
| board of education would enact regu-
lation which would require certificate
! from some com petent doctor of refrac
ton, one who has graduated from some
good optical college or school, who had
found them to be normal or had cor
rected the eye to be normal.
But l realize that such a radical
measure would meet with much opposi-
ton and might possibly defeat the very
end it was intended to accomplish. a
careful study of the subject of children's
eyes leads me to suggest to the teachers
Of the schools making a test of each
pupils vision. For that use | will
gladly furnish charts and instructions
to find out the errors of each pupils
eyes, which might lead to the discovery
why pupils have been kehind in theil
studies.
If child, whose vision is but weak
and with proper glasses will help il
to outgrow its detected vision and use
them while young, will probably in nine
cases out of ten, have no use for glasses
after a few months, or perhaps for study.
ing only.
Only those who have been relieved by
the use of glasses understand what bear
ing the condition of the eye has or
general health. There are children to-
day sick because of eye-strain. Theil
illness may be attributed to other causes
but they go along sick until the true
cause be discovered by the exercise o
good common sense on the part of par
ents. If your child complains of the
eyes, see what the trouble is. Take hel
to an optician; one who understands hi
work, not a man who simply hangs ou
a sign, "Glasses for Sale", but to ar
optician. 1 will be glad to examine an
case of eyes, and if you need glasses
will tell you so, if not, will tell you so
1t costs you nothing to find out. Ex
animation free. P. 6. DAUT.