The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1902-01-31
NUMBERING THE 1NNocENTs AGAIN

NUMBERING THE INNoCENTS AGAIN.
Edward Box. the brilliant gentle
man editor of the Ladies' Home Jour-
nal has got an idea, and to use a bar
barrie western expression which would
shock the decolete tea man of the
Journal, he has got it bad. He has
discovered that the shattered nerves,
broken health, mental decay, early
deaths, ruined homes, in fact nearly
all the ills that prey upon cultured
humanity is due to the public school
system. SO far he has not charged
the schools with causing gout and
rheumatism but will doubtless do so
when he has had time to Investigate.
Editor Box has collected number
OF letters from parents, teachers and
pupils in different parts of he coun-
try which prove conclusiVely (?) that
the American public school system,
ing thousands of innocent children
beneath its pitiless wheels; while
other thousands, ay, hundreds of
thousands. are being swept into hos
pitais and lunatic asylums.
Like all enthusiasts. Mr.. Box for
9ets~to be reasonable or even sensi-
bic.
If a collection of testimonials is all
that is necessary to prove a fact then
every quack nostrum offered for sale
is more efficacious than the whole
medical profession.
1t wolld be easy to collect a thous-
and letters, each stating, that, ac-
cording TO the writer's belief, the
earth is fiat, but would that prove 1T
to be fat?
Mr.. Box sees nervous, puny child
rem in the school-room and broken
down, sickly adults wh have been in
the school-rOom, and he says that the
school-room is responsible for the
nervousness and sickness. Reason
ing the same way: There are con-
in Colorado and many con-
have died in Colorado.
therefore the climate of Colorado pro-
duces consumption.
This popular ladies' man takes no
account of the brain-wrecking toll
and the fierce struggle for wealth that
is going on in the "strenuous life' of
our great cities. He does not mer.
tion the fact that many children are
born of fathers of sendent ,ry occupa-
tiOns whose principal recreation is
inhaling the deadly nicotine: of COR
mothers who have turned
night into day and exhausted their
maiden vitality in an effort TO keep
pace with society. He is not con-
cerned about children's parties and
balls where infants are allowed to
kee> late hours; nor is he anxious
about unhygenic food, improper
the fatal cigarette or adul-
terated sweetmeats with which PAM
pered children stuff themselves. No,
he does not speak of these things for
he is a society man, but he lays .heir
evil results to the study of arithmetic
and grammar; and fashionable soci-
e5y eager for a scape-goat to bear
away its siIs endorses MIR. Bok's
and he becomes more pop
ular. After twenty-four years q, -x-
perience in schools as pupil, teacher
and supervisor | cannot recall Il sim
gle instance of n he lf1hy, normal
,hifd being shattered, wrecked" /
Or ''hurried into a premature graveo
BY going TO school. OF course the
work in country and village schools
Ia Kansas NAV not be so .'maid, rOus''
4s in Philadelqhia- MIR. Box. how
EVER, makes general and sweeping
.h h7rges, and from some of his state
nents ] gather that the course of
u udy in the City of BrOtheriy Love
loes not differ much from that used |
n Kinsley.
How many children hay. heen
murdered" by the Kius!ey schools
his year?