The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1900-07-28
It is Iniurioue for Children to GARRY

1t Is Injurious for Children to Garry
StackS OF School Books.-Dr o. E. Janney,
having bad his attention called to the discus
SION at the meeting of the City School Board
Usen 'ne advIsa6illty OF making some arrange
meht by which the students at the public
SCHOOLS could be relieved from carrying their
scnool books back and forth from school
nat thing am very much interested
IN, said DR.. Janney. II understand the
cnlidren IN the public schools carry all of
snelr books home every night, whether they
are going TO use them for the next days work
or not. It's bad enough for the children to
carry the books they are going to use. It's
Inucn worse for them to carry all of them,
whether they use them or not
DO think carrying the books is injurious?
certainly do. When growing child carries
only one or two books it doesn't make much
difference. But when he carries three or more
-and usually one of these is a large book
considerable muscular force is used up. The
DOCKS slip and slide and the child bends over
70 the side in his efforts to keep them all to-
getner This twisting to the side becomes a
naolt and pretty soon one shoulder is notice
ably higher than the other.''
asked.
1T may and it may not" was the answer
IL the child is very weak the tendency will
be Tor the deformity to increase until curva-
ture takes place. If the child is strong and
ity in the shoulders
This matter of carrying school books is
more serious than wouldappear at first thought.
Girls are more likely to become deformed by
carrying their books than boys are, because
boys are more likely to use straps than girls,
and when the books are held together without
any danger of slipping there is less muscular
strain
Besides the danger of deformity there is
another reason why children should not carry
such heavy loads of books. Just try carrying
even comparatively light weight yourself for
aishort distance and see how it tires you.
Then think how it would be If you carried an
arnfnl of books. Each book weighs on an
average of apound, and children in the higher
grades carry six or eight and often more books.
The CHILDREN are tired out before they get to
school.
ION Their way to and from school the chill
dren ought to have plenty of free exercise.
They oughi to be able to swing their arms
without being encountered by a load of books"
DIR. Janne7 has been examining physician
of the Friends Elementary and High School
for number of years. He said that his at
tention had been called some time ago to the
serious results following the carrying of books
back and forth and that he had suggested to
the committee in charge of the school that
one of two things be done to remedy the evil
That the parents buy duplicate sets of books,
so that the children could keep one set at home
ana one SET al the SCnOOl OF Luab the uumDer
of study periods during school hours be in
creased, so that fever books need be carried
away and less work need be done at home.
II am very much in favor of the latter plan
increasing the number of study periods
during school hours" the Doctor said.
DIR. Janney said that the measurements
taken under his direction showed that about
one out of every ten girls were deformed to
the extent of having one shoulder higher than
the other.
"Do you think that this shows that women
are less perfect physically than they were for
merly ?" he was asked. mo. 1t seems to me
that girls are increasing in physique, while
boys are not. The deformity of which spoke
is probably due to incorrect position at school
to sitting at desks that are too high or too
low That deformity, unless too far advanced.
can be corrected by proper gymnastic exercise"
"Why are the boys smaller; less finely de-
veloped?''
II don't know but take walk out Charles
street any Sunday morning and you will see
fine-looking specimens of womanhood walk
ing with puny little fellows. Outdoor sports
and athletics have developed the girls. don't
know what is to blame for the lack ofdevelop-
ment of the boys unless it is because so many
of them begin to smoke when they are little
bits of fellows and their growth is stunted on
that account"