The Newtown bee., 1901-03-22
The NewtOWn Bee
EDITORIAL INK DROPS.

of Physiology and Hygiene in the Public Schools of this State, which reads as follows:
 ''SectiOn l. The ma ture of alcoholic drinks and narcotics, and special instruction as to their effects upon the human systom in connection with the several divisions of the study of Physiology and Hygiene shall be included in the branches of study taught in the common or public schools and shall be studied and taught as other like required branches by the use of graded textbooks in the hands of pu- pills where other branches are thus studied, orally in the case of pupils unable to read and by all pupils in all schools supported wholly or in part by public money.
 Section ?. The text-brooks used for in structions required by the preceding section for intermediate and primary pupils shall give at least one fifth of their space to the con- sideration of the nature and effect of alcoholic drinks and narcotics, and the books used in the highest grade of graded schools shall con sist at least twenty pages of matter relating to this subject: but when this subject is massed wholly or in part in a chapter or chapters at the end of a book, such book shall not be con- sdered as meeting the requirement of this law.
 Section 3. It shall be the duty of all school visitors to report to the comptroller if the provisions of this act have not been complied with, as specified within the preceding sections; and any failure thus reported, or otherwise satisfactorily proven shall be amount of school dividend which such dis trict OF districts are otherwise entitled to re- ceive.
 Section 4. No certificate shall hereafter be granted to any person to teach in the public schools of Connecticut, who has not passed satisfactory examination in Physiology and Hygiene with special reference to the effects and nature'of alcoholic drinks and other mar cotics upon the human system.
 Section 5. Sections 2loo and 2141 of the General Statutes are hereby repealed.
 Approved May, %, 1s93.''
 All but two states of our Union have simi- lar laws requiring that the effects of alcoholic stimulants be taught to pupils attending common or public schools.
 There is at present before the Committee on Education in the present Legislature a bill providing for the repeal of the above act, mainly upon the ground that the textbooks that have been furnished by the state do not fulfill the requirements and expectations which were originally intended and also that | they contain erroneous statements. None of the laws require the endorsement of any per son in order to introduce them into the public schools.
 number of School Boards have adopted | those approved by Mrs Mary H. Hunt, superin- l tendent for The National and Worlds w. 0. | T. U., Department of Scientific Temperance
 Instruction, including the Advisory Board of
 eleven men, which includes educators, clergy
 men and physicians.
 l More than thirty different textbooks on | physiology have received their endorsement
 lit has been claimed that these sbooks con-
 tain congregations in reference to alcohol and l narcotics.
 l
 known to be opposed to this instruction were
 chosen to examine and and report upon these
 textbooks. After carefully going over the
 thirty books they found seven statements
 which they called incorrect. Upon a more l thorough investigation five of these errors
 so called, were found to be supported by the
 highest medical authorities in existence Charles s. Davis, superintendent of schools l in Amsterdam, N Y reported in January l 1900. Scientific Temperance Teaching under | what is known as the Ainsworth Law is grow | ing in usefulness and popularity. A few years ago the study was almost universally
 opposed by teachers. At the present time the l law is observed everywhere, not only in letter l but in spirit. In this city the study is popu-
 lar with teachers and pupils. We have every | reason to believe the influence of this work
 upon those now in schools will be felt through ! alltheir future lives. This is not speculation | merely; the results are already beginning tC
 appear" In Pennsylvania there has been a | strong Temperance Instruction law in ex- istence for F years. The study has dropped l into a regular routine. The teachers have
 been greatly helped by instruction at the l Normal Schools and Institutes which has
 given them thorough preparation for teach l ing the subject. In a late article by Dr> l Egbert and Woodpury in the Journal of The
 American Medical Association they say: "A
 large share of the increased interest taken by l ha naOna in tha biecf Of panaral
 is in our opinion due to the systematic study
 of physiology and hygiene including the | scientific temperance instruction. which has for some years been a regular course of study | for all pupils in our pu blic schools l The question now stands before the people
 of the state of Connecticut whether the inter.
 ests of the rising generation will be best served l by a repeal of the law, which will teach tc
 that generation the physiology reasons
 against the forn,ation of narcotic habits, ol l whether it will best be served by the system
 of eduucation as it now stands.
 Every influence that can be exerted to main | tain this law upon our books must be exerted within the next few days. It is suggested l mat every person interested In the teaching l of effects of alcoholicism to the pupils In the
 public schools of our state will write to the | Committee ou EducatiOn Hartford. Conn.,.
 requesting an adverse report upon the bill to | repeal the present law. The fact that the la W itself may not yet have given entire satis- | faction is no reason why there should not be a
 systematic mode of instruction for every pupil in the schools of our state as to the