The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-10-15

I :
and. being partially starved, it was i'm
possible for them TO do the regular
| school work. Others were short IN luhs
! capacity, and close investigation showed
| that the nasal passages OF most OF those
suffering from this defect were too small
to allow normal breathing. 1t was found
| that one girl who had never been able
to talk plainly was partially deaf not
| having heard spoken words with d'stlnct-
ness, she was, of course, herself unable 10
| articulate them properly. In fact, % per
| cent of all in the school were below nor
NAL in hearing. Other backward children
were pronouncedly asymmetrical or one
sided In their physical development ana
various other physical causes for tntellec-
tual slowness were brought out.
Records Analysed.
The prime object of the early work was
the obtaining of data regarding the nor
NAL child, and in fact, this is the chief
purpose OF the work now in progress inns
is why the bulk of the operations have
been carried o. so far at the Alcott
School, for it is located in a part OF the
city populated mainly by middle class
| American families. On the presentation
of the report the board passed a resolu-
ton for the continuance of the work uIl
Jan. l, 1900 as an independent department
in charge of a standing committee De
spite the obvious Importance of the de-
partments operations, the expenses incur
red so far and anticipated in the near
future are surprisingly small.
Some of the statements and conclusions
of the report may be indicated briefly
here. For instance, it has been shown by
the geographic records, taken at the AL
colt School, that the young child's endur
ance is greater in proportion to its age
than the endurance of the older child. 1t
has been found also, that the endurance
of girls does not increase in the same pro-
portion with the age as the endurance
of boys, from which it is suggested that
after a certain age boys and girls should
not be educated together, nor should girls
bear the same school burdens as boys
after that age. In lung capacity also,
the boy increases much faster than the
girl after nine, though until that age they
are about on an equality in this respect.
At 16 or Il there is wide difference in
favor Of the boy.
Important Comparisons.
Perhaps the most important facts were
obtained from comparing the weight and
hight of the children with their intellectual
development AT all events size and men,
tai capacity have been found 10 go To-
gether with remarkably few exceptions
among the children of the Alcott School.
The diagrams show that as a rule the
tallest and heaviest pupils of any given
age are also furtherest along in their stu
dies and while there are some abnormaiy
small and light children who have out
stripped their heavier fellows, the eXcep-
lions are so few as to confirm rather
yitiate the rule From this the suggestion
comes naturally that the test for first adj
mittance of children to the public schools
be based upon weight and hight, in con-
nection with, instead of upon, age alone,
as now. From the results obtained in
the ungraded school 1t is hoped that in
time much help may be given to backward
I-.D,,os1~ 1,xrt ay Of individual
be followed by special training.
The physical force of the child has been
found 60 vary noteworthy throughout the
school day; thus, at 9 o'clock in the morn
ing it Is fair. at 10 1t is strong, at II de-
creasing, and at noon very low Al /
| there is a slight revival, at 2 it is fairly
good, and at there is a second decline.
Continued and closer study along this line
} may be of great value. The degree of
physical endurance shown by some of the
pupils in the highest grace is almost as
low as the lowest shown In the lowest
grade though the highest degree of en-
dursnce in the highest schoo. grade IS
much higher than the highest in the low
est. From this il follows that the grading
of the pupils for physical culture exer-
cises should be based on the bodily condi-
ton of the children instead of their men,
tai status, as now. The extreme varia-
tons of strength shown I'm pupils of the
same age and the same mental grade
would seem to indicate that there should
be increased elasticity in the various
school courses, particularly as the upper
grades are reached
It is held that standards fixed and de-
auctions made from the examination of
children strictly American by birth and
parentage may not fit at all when children
of other nationalities are examined. Scen-
tific investigation is not necessary to show
that Italian, Swedish, Hungarian, Finnish
and other children differ materially in mind
and body from American children. Yet
exactly how and in what degree they diff
fer cannot be determined accurately until
they are Systematically investigated This
may point the way to modification of the
school courses for the benefit of children
having different racial qualities. The ex-
aiming of truant children may lead 10
much good, on the basis that intense dis
like Of school and consequent truancy may
depend largely upon abnormal physical
conditions which, while not always remov-
able may be modified materially.
With regard to the thoroughness of the
examinations ii is realized that it is not
feasible and would not be proper 10 carry
them beyond certain limits and that much
more can be done in some individual cases,
through privates than public agencies. But
the records made by the new department
may suggest, and be used as thesbasis of,
more extended Investigations by the family
physician.
It seems more than probable that the
| steps taken by the Chicago School Board
in establishing this department is the be-
ginning of sweeping reforms in the Amer
lean public school system generally. and
in taking the initia tive the Chicago School
Board has shown itself ready to adopt an
| advanced position in educational matters.
The value of such department depends
wholly, of course, upon the nature of the
men who attend to the detailed and gener-
al work They should be thoroughly COM
petent and possessed of that strictly scien-
tifc spirit which seeks TO prove no theory
whatsoever, but to learn the facts exactly
as they are and 10 base all future opera
lions upon them. DIR. Christopher the head
of the Chicago department, is almost an
ideal person tor the place 1t was due 10
his intelligent initiative and steady persist
ence that the department was established.
It's work is now being conducted by COM
alisfe along lines Laid DOWN hx.