The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-02-03
TO LEARN
WORRY OF
PUPILS
Doctor Proposes TO Prove That
Children Lose Flesh During
tests Of Progress.

Milwaukee. Wis, Feb. 3-By the end
OF this week every student in the West
Side High school will have been duly
weighed on the brand new scales put
into the gymnasium for the purpose aaI
his or her exact weight entered on the
printed slips which DR.. Albert Hsrsch-
man has prepared for his investigation
of the Injurious physical effect OF school
examinations.
Immediately after the examination pc
riod, which comes in about two weeks.
the pupils will be weighed again, and
Or. Herschman expects to find I'm some
cases a falling away OF as much as Ave
pounds due 10 the worry and strain OF
the examinations
The weighing process began this morn
ing The students are weighed by rows
TO avoid confusion, and only In the hours
when they have no classes. Judging
from the appearance OF some 20 BOYS and
girls this morning the scales may be said
10 have the same effect as the camera
i'm arranging the features i'm that peculi-
arly difident and anxious expression
that Is the despair of photographers.
The girls hovered near one another,
spoke In whispers, and didn't seem 10
l.
one found voice to make the usual pro-
test that che had weighed Ave pounds
more last time. But no reflections were
allowed 10 be cast upon the brightly poll
ished new scales, so she was induced to
remember that she had worn her hat and
coat on the former occasion.
There was much diversity In the weight
OF the pupils. and the monitor was kept
busy shifting from 100 10 50 pounds and
back again. The champion heavyweight
was boy who registered isO% pounds
He was succeeded by a lad just under
100 pounds.
Principal McLenecan. though willing
that the experiment should he tried on
the pupils, thinks that Dr. Herschman
will not prove his theory. He has his
own ideas on the subject Of who loses
weight during the examination period
and he Is going to have the teachers
weighed as we'll Here is where he
thinks interesting statistics may be com
piled
"Dr Horschman is basing his cxpsrl-
ment." he said, ION some made In Ger
many. where an examination h a much
more rigorous thing than "a is here.
There the tests lasts all day and some
times for a whole week. Here they usu-
ally come on alternate DAYS and last
only from IN until y o'clock
The pupils have the afternssn for
skating and other kinds or exercise. which
should keen them In good healthy con-
dition. or course. once in a while one
finds a nervous child who has got 90 do
Just so much worrying, and she will
probably he pulled down physically BY
the eXamination. I don't believe how
ever that tho majority OF the students
take them seriously enough 90 lose much
flesh over them. Sometimes l rather wish
they would
Or Herschman sometime ago made
personal Investigations along this line in
Vienna 81 found" he said. that the
bulk of the increase I'm weight and height
zen In the Ions summer vacation. and
that decided restriction took place dur
Ing the school year An investigation re-
Gently made IN Moscow showed that
many pupils lost seven. eight and nine
pounds during an examination period. A
noticeable loss or weight az this time was
also found in sirls school In Bulgaria.
where the question WAS investigated +"