Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1902-09-05
SCHOOL HYGIENE.
Able Address 10 the Teachers by Or
W, G, Hope,
DELIVERED At THE CITY INSTlTUSE.

II appears to me that the teachers
in our public schools have the great
est opportunities for missionary work
in hygiene of any class or profession.
They come closer to the future citi-
zen. are closely associated with him
longer hours of more days, at an age
when he is receptive of impressions,
at an age when his habits and char
acter are being moulded, moulded after
the plan more or less of ONE one in
whom he has confidence and whom he
admires, than are the members of any
other profession. | today can look
back over my school. life, and realize
plainly that my lie is yet running in
groves furrowed into my plastic mind
in the receptive days Of youth and
early manhood.
But this is an old and tnreadbare
story to you teachers, a story of which
every one VINO addresses you reminds
you. and although you cannot be re-
minded of it too often, or think of it
too seriously, it is my duty today to
touch it only and to stay with my
text. the more prosy subject, School
Hygiene"
That cleanliness is next to godliness,
and for health in this world, far above
godliness, never was realized so thor
oughly as at the present hour. The
enemy of VI race is no longer the
cannon ball and the bullet, nor the
mysterious providence bringing the
pestilence, but simply dirt. There are
millions of little animals plainly visi-
bic by the microscope, that can live
and propagate disease and %pestilence
in dirt only. One kind Of filth, prac-
tically speaking, causes typhoid fever,
another kind cause cholera, others
skin diseases, etc.
These deadly germs are in many
forms and families, but always in filth.
And first we will talk a little about
personal hygiene. think there are no
classes of persons who are so well pre-
pared to speak about personal hygiene
as the teacher and the physician. You
teachers have all read the story of the
man who became a famous statesman,
who was once corrected by his teacher
for having such a dirty hand. The
teacher said to him: 81 will give you
a quarter if you find me another hand
as dirty as this in school" The boy
drew promptly from behind his back
the mate to it, and got the quarter.
There are some matters of great i'm
portance which are very delicate
things with which TO deal. How fire.
quently we have children come to
school beside whom you would not
care to have your child sit. Hands,
finger nails, teeth unkempt if not in a
filthy condition.
The tactful teacher can in an off
hand way without offering a quarter
for a duplicate, impress upon these
children the necessity and advantage
of having these parts of the body in
good condition. A short talk on the
beauties of the teeth, the beauty of the
nails, and the Importance of keeping
these organs in good condition will i'm
press a lesson upon the minds of these
children without personal mention.
AS for disinfection of the school
room the room should be disinfected
whenever the infectious agent is
known to be present. But you say how
are we to recognize the presence of an
unknown enemy, or if known, yet an
Invisible one. The effect indicates the
cause. A child does not have diph-
liberia unless diphtheria germs are
present. When a scholar has diph
liberia he becomes a distributing cen
ter from which diphtheria bacilli are
distributed, and the disease is spread
This is not the place to discuss the
methods by which various infections
take place. but sufice ii to say sucl
transmissions occur not alone by per
sonal contact. but also by Intervention
of inanimate objects.
When pencils and other instruments
are used by one pupil today and b,
Others tomorrow. uaily d~isinfection O
these articles can be considered onl,
as a proper safeguard of health. A
this is hardly practical, better neve
pass pencils, etc, from one scholar I
another. As for disinfection of closet
much depends on local conditions
Some might rarely need disinfectiol
while others as no doubt ONE OF u
have thought, %scrubbing, deoderizatio
and distinction daily for a wee
would hardly make them habitable.
Coming to the how OF disinfectio
we come to a large field, but win tarr
only on the edge o. it and view SON
of the more practical points in come