The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-11-26

One Cause Of the Breakdown of Pupils
and Teachers.

New York Sun.
II believe" remarked the veteran school
principal. that the cause of most of the
and pupils is the luncheon question. What
do you suppose causes the general collapse
at the end of the school year which so many
lunching, in nine cases out Of ten.
Its preposterous to think a girl of eleven
or twelve years OF age should become a
bundle Of nerves with water for blood un-
der a routine of four hours school attend
ance and practically no work at home:
Why, do you know when / was a little girl
going to a village school, every one OF US
children had no end of chores to do around
the house, besides getting no end Of lessons
out Of school hours, and We went to school
at half past s and weren't dismissed until 4.
And dio We break down under it? Never
heard of such a thing Even now, In Ger
many and France. children work much
and breaking down is unheard OF. Again
it's the lunching question.
I'm the country We either went home and
had a hot dinner at noon or took a whole
some cold lunch and ate ii during the noon
recess. City children very often have an
allowance of 5 or 10 cents a day with which
to buy their luncheon, and, as a rule, they
use about as little Judgment as their moth
ers do in giving them the money. You can
get a glass of milk and two large rolls for
5 cents at any of the little bakeshops near
by, but I've yet to hear of a youngster who
buys anything so sensible. Cream puffs and
ice cream soda are the most popular lunch.
Once in a While an unconsciously sensible
child lays out his lunch money on the penny
chocolate bars of the slot machine: OF
course he has a notion that he's INDUCING
in forbidden candy, but chocolate Is really
nutritious and sustaining. while there's
nothing at all to be said in favor OF cream
puffs and soda.
when the children having their lunch
cons. as a few of them do. in paper boxes
or wrapped in a newspaper, l am always
surprised how few of them have anything
appetizing. AS 4 rule they have nothing but
thick slices Of bread with the crnsts on and
the butter carelessly spread. This meat Is in
chunks, and the whole thing anything but
tempting. Mothers don't seem to realize the
Importance of this luncheon question. They
children are ashamed of their lunch. They
go off in a dark corner and gobble II hur-
riedly, or they throw half of II away. A lit
tie forethought would enable even the bust
est mother 10 have a variety or tasty and
inexpensive lunches. It's a lack OF apprecia-
ton of its Importance, that's all.
But the teachers, after all, are not much
more sensible. We were discussing the
luncheon problem among ourselves not long
ago and one young teacher admitted that
since school began her luncheon every DAY
had consisted of ginger snaps and pickles
brought from the corner grocery by an
obliging pupil. I've been watching her since
and I'm not surprised TO IND mat she Is
decidedly irritable and impatient toward
the end of the afternoon session. Another
teacher assured me that she feels perfectly
well on a luncheon of soda crackers and
tea.
II haven't any scheme to boom, but /
THINK the trencn system a very wise one
for both teachers and pupils. L suppose.
however. il wouldn't take here at all, ex-
cept. perhaps. in the very poorest sections
of the largest cities, and there IL might
do as much harm as good. You know in
Paris they regard a cook and a kitchen as
quite as indispensable a part OF the school
as janitors and teachers. Every child has
his owl of soup and piece OF bread in
quite the same matter of course fashion
that We give him calisthenics 10 make him
a physically well-developed person. / have
an impression though that II is only in the
primary schools that the custom prevails.
In this country we need IL more in the
schools for older pupils. IS a rule the pri-
mary children live near enough the school
to go home at noon, and II is only the
teachers who suffer. \ majority OF the
gramma and high school pupils usually
| live farther away.
Where we have tried the lunch counter.
/ think IL has been a failure. That Is, for
everybody except the caterer. He rents the
privilege and sells his wares at a fair profit.
There is no intelligent supervision and the
! school lunch counter does more harm than
good 10 the children's digestive machinery.
/ know one little girl who boasts that her
lunches cost her only 8 cents a day. For
| that sum she buys coffee and pie and