The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1900-01-24
He REDWOOD GAZETTE.
BY AIKEN & scHMAHL.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. "a, 1900.
CRIME OF PARENTS.
Health of Children Impaired by too
Much Schooling.

y
the practice of sending mere infants
to school become very common. As
soon as the child is big enough to
follow an older brother or sister to
school it is sent there, not so much
for the education as for the purpose
of escaping the care of the child at
home.
A few years ago when the schools
were overcrowded the board of edu-
cation found it necessary to refuse
admission to the schools Of children
under six years of age and this re-
suited in much dissatisfaction until
the capacity Of the schools was in
creased.
Regarding the folly of sending
too young children to school. Edi-
tor Box writes an article in the cur
rent number of the Ladies Home
Journal which may be read with
profit by parents. He expresses
himself very forcibly on the ques-
ton of the American method of
schooling children under Is years
of age. He begins by asking if we
realize that at the last school term
16, 900 children between eight and
fourteen were taken out Of the pub
lie schools because their nervous
systems were wracked and ''their
minds were incapable of going on
any further in the Internal cram
ming system which exists to-day
in our schools Mr.. Box thinks
that no child ought to go to
school before he is seven years of
age, and he reminds us that in the
succeeding seven years the rapid
brain growth begins to siacken.
1T was planned by nature that be-
tween the years of seven and fifteen
the child should have rest. But
what really happens to the average
child at the age of seven? Is he
given this period of rest? Verify,
no! He enters the school room and
becomes a victim of long hours of
conference.-the first mental appli-
cation, mind you, that the child has
ever known. The unfortunate is
compelled to spend hours in study at
night, although warning has been
given again and again that the fresh
mental interest of the child of seven
cannot be advantageously. held for
more than eight consecutive min
utes at time on any one subject. -
It has been proven that the health
of the child between seven and ten
cannot stand more than thirty five
minutes of study during any single
twenty -four hours.
''We are constantly admonishing
business men that they must not
continue their work after nightfall.
Physicians warn men of this and
wives echo the warning to their
husbands Burning the candle at
both ends has killed almostas many
men as liquor, say Investigators.
No one will dispute the assertion.
Men of common sense know that
night work after day of business
is vitality injurious. Yet in their
own homes is presented almost
every evening the sublime picture
of children porting from one to two
hours over lessons for the next
day. And while the lesson is tc
the child exactly what the business
problem is to the man, we warn men
of mature growth against the very
thing which we allow children tc
do. What a superblv consistent
people we are, to be sure!
"What to demand of our schoo
system is the first step, and if {
child, when he reaches the age o.
fifteen, has been taught to reao
aloud pleasantly and intelligently
to write legibly, to spell correctly
to count accurately, to use his mine
for himself, to use his fingers
so that his band will be help t.
him in earning his living-that is
all that should be expected of the
child, either boy or girl. That il
enough for seven years learning il
the great formative period of life
There must be shorter hours
and an absolute adjustment O.
home study before the age of fifteen
and even after fifteen no evening
study beyond an hour.
Our children must no longer b.
the prey of ignorant and conscience