The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-11-19
TOPICS OF THE SCHOOLS.

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A careful reading OF the editorial in
the October number OF the Ladies'
Home Journal, headed 1.-THE First
Blow" shows one OF two things, l.. e.,
the writer does mot know anything
whatever concerning. the subject on
which he writes. or he wllfully misrep.
rescnts. The opinion ofLthe writer in.
clines toethe frst-that he does not
know the facts, for surely an editor OF
a journal OF the standing the Ladies'
Home Journal has attained would not
wilfully mlsrepresent matters, especl.
ally one OF such vital Importance as the
one he pretends to discuss. The article
is In keeping. though, with the one en-.
titled. "a National Crime at the Feet
OF American Parents" Neither article
contains fair statement of the matter
at all, and the fundamental idea or
fact. attempted to be conveyed to the
public that our children are being IN
jured by hard study, either at school
or at home is absolutely and totally
false There may be some children,
nervous by heredity, who should not be
In school OF all. injured not by hard
study, but by the confinement Incident
to the school-room: but by hard study.
not one In thousand! No teacher
claims the right to require home study.
Lessons are assigned, which the pupils
are required to be able to recite, md II
they have not time to prepare them
during school hours. they are expected
to do some home study. but not re-
qulred 10 do 1.-THE requiring rests with
the parent. This home study Is not ex-
pected under the fifth year grade and
Will anyone with good. common sense.
assert that one or even two hours
home study per day will injure n
healthy boy or girl Of eleven or twelve
years Of age? Much better stay in
doors at night and study n short time
than to run the streets: as many in all
our cities do night after night. Mr.. Box
would much better employ his talents
In attempting to stop other crying evils
that are sapping the very foundations
Of our body polite, than to. In any man.
ner whatever, injure the influence Of
the greatest power for good next to
that OF the church-that OF our public
schools. Such articles as the ones re-
ferred to are calculated to do this very
thing. Better, far better, rail against
late hours. spent at children's parties.
the dancing school, and the ball room
than to attempt to make 1t appear that
our innocents nre being murdered ut
the rate OF thousands n year by home
study. or school study either. for that
matter. Where one Is injured thus,
thousands are injured by the dissipa-
writer has been In public school work
all his life and he has yet to find case
In which any child, even of the most
nervous temperament, has been injur-
ed. either directly or indirectly, by
hard study, either at school or HOME
He has known children whose physical
health would not permit them to at
tend school regularly, but hard study
never hurt them. or much study. either.
although 1t may be % WEAKNESS to the
flesh" to those lazily inclined. Mora
children die from the lack OF something
useful to do than from doing too much
In the way Of atudy. either at school or
at home, Some one has suggested that
the articles referred to were written
merely rs sensational. or to advertise
the Journal in which they appeared.
The writer thinks more kindly than
thls-he thinks the writer OF the ar
ticles means well, but he simply is
writ!ng-not knowing of what he
writes.