The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-01-13
Be just to Boys and Girls.

there were, during the last school term
over sixteen thousand children between thu
ages of eight and fourteen, taken out O.
the public schools because their nervous
systems were wrecked and their mindl
were incapable of going on any farther il
the internal examining system which ex
lists today in our schools ? And these six.
teen thousand helpless little wrecks are
simply the children we know about, write,
Edward Box, in the Ladies Home
Journal Conservative medical men who
have given their lives to the study Of
children place the number whose health is
shattered by overstudy at more than fifty
thousand each year. 1t is putting the
truth mildly to state that of all American
institutions that which deals with the pub,
lie education of our children is at once the
most faulty, the most unintelligent and
the most cruel.
1 am making no attack on the teachers
of this country, fer 1 yield to no one in
my admiration Of the work which these
noble women and men are doing. And
from no class, | venture to say, will these
words elicit a stronger approval. Indeed,
it is from them that there has come the
most intelligent aid received in the investi-
CATION of this question. But, as Mrs.
Lew Wallace said in her remarkable ar
ticle few months ago, the teachers dare
not speak freely. Especially is this true
of the public-school teacher, who is only
too often part of vast political machine
controlled by men ignorant of the first
principles of true education. She is ex-
pected to cram specified amount of book
learning into the heads of an immense class
within given time. She knows the class
is too large. But her position compels her
to follow orders. 1t is hopeless task for
the best of women to fight crowd of ig-
norant politicians, and that is, for the most
part, what the boards of education of our
largest cities are.
Just see what is being done to our chill
dren, and with our consent as parents; or,
if not with our consent, with shameful
negligence of the matter on our parts.
The most rapid growth in the human
brain takes place during the first seven
years of child life. That is settled
fact. Hence, all that is required at this
period is simply to direct into the right
channels this outpouring of natural men.
tai energy, and to nourish the body prop
erly to stand the strain of rapid mental ant
physical growth Therefore, no chile
should be sent to school before the age o.
seven. Fortunately, this is becoming the
general rule. But where it is not, il
should be. Froebel's teachings are per.
fectly in accord with this fact, for the
kindergarten simply directs natural energy
through natural methods of play, etc., anC
is scarcely to be reckoned as a school.
During the second seven years Of chill;
the marvellous brain growth begins tt
slacken. 1t was planned by Nature thai
between the years of seven and fifteen the
child should have rest-not rest which will
stop all mental and physical growth, Of
course, for when growth ceases in the
natural or physical world, decay begins
but the child pace should be checked 81
as to allow him to recover from the strait
which his system has just undergone.
But what really happens to the average
child at the age of seven? Is he giver
this period of rest? Verify, no He
enters the schoolroom and becomes vic
tim of long hours of CONFERENCE.-The first
mental application, mind you, that the
child has ever known. The nervous veal
and tear begin; the child is fairly launched
upon his enjoyment (God save the mark }
of the great educational system Of America
The warning has been again and agar
sounded that the fresh mental interest of
child of seven cannot be advantageously
held for more than eight consecutive min
utes at time on any one subject. 1t has
been proved that the health of child be
tween seven and ten cannot stand more
than thirty-fve minutes of study during
any single twenty -four hours.
Here is very recent demonstration o
this fact In Chicago they have started
at the Alcott School, common-sense ex
experiment in education, which, if per
sisted in, will do great deal for American
education. On the theory, not by an,
means new, that brain growth is effecte'
through, if not entirely by, physical vi
tality, a child is carefully examined physi
cally, and his mental capacity is thu
established 1t has been found that
number of children who are sent to schoC
should, instead, be at home and under
physicians care, and they have been re
turned to their homes. 1t has also beel
found that the physical force of chill
varies tremendously throughout the day
At nine O. clock, for instance, it is fair; a
ten it is strong; but from that point
decreases until at twelve it is very low
At one O clock there is slight revival; a
two it is fairly good, and at three it
again low. Thus it is demonstrated tina
there is barely one brief hour in day
study when child's mind is actually fresh
Now, these discoveries are not new
Their value lies in the fact that they hav
been found out once more, brought int
publicity in another way, and given ne'
emphasis. But the question is: Whe
will the warning they sound be needed
when will parents learn the lesson?
For how are these conditions met? i
the majority of cases, by the little tots be
ing compelled to study or to hang owe
their books for one hour and half t
three hours each day There's educatior
for you
| The child is made to study far, far be
yond his physical strength, and, conse
quently, his mental good. Into what Ma
ture planned should be period of rest,
time of moderate study, an immens
amount of learning is crammed which j
absolutely values less because one-tenth of
is not absorbed, and the child is PHYSICAL
injured. The MONDAY meal is hastil
eaten for fear of "tardy' marks, or t
make time for recess in the playground
The child goes back to another two hour