The sun., 1903-12-13
KEEPING CHILDREN HEALTHY.
WHAT THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
is DOING IN THE SCHOOLS.
Physical Training Given In Addition to
the Old "Setting Up" Excrciscs-Ies.
sons in Hygiene and . Daily visit
From Doctor and Nurse Ensured.

sons In Hygiene ana DAILY WISH
From Doctor and Nurse Ensured
II future generations of New Workers
now at school are not up to high standard
Of health and strength 1t will not be the
fault Of the present Board Of Education
You might almost think that the present
board members had lain awake nights
Matching schemes to bring about that
very end
4Never since public schools were first
heard Of" said district superintendent
shave such active measures been taken to
insure the health Of pupils as are being
taken right now. Not only do physician
and a nurse visit the schools every day
but in addition to the setting-up exercises
which have been In use for some time,
every child now takes lessons In physical
training and hygiene, special course OF
which was introduced into the public school
curriculum this fall,
The superintendent put special stress
on the physical training exercises.
little later the we'll known principal OF
primary school repeated his speech almost
verbatim, abstaining, however, from en-
phasizing physical training.
| "Oh, yes," said she, though without
enthusiasm, awe tevidently meaning the
school board are full Of fads In these days,
and gymnastics is one OF the latest. In
making my rounds of the school fairly
tumble over special teachers, who come
and go to teach every thing but the three
RS. They are much In the way at times,
and upset the ordinary school work but
of course Idiplomaticallyl, as they come
here in the interests Of the pupils health
| the regular teachers try to make the best
OF it,"
The regular teachers in more than one
school consider the physical training exer-
cises superfiuous. They also resent receiv-
| ing instruction from the special teachers,
"The idea of one Of those specials under
taking to show me how to draw long
breath 20 that might make no mistakes
| in teaching the setting-up exercises ex-
| claimed an up-to-date primary teacher, her
, nose taking an upward tilt as she spoke
That's thing | learned to do when l.,
myself, was a kid in the primary. Every
! primary teacher is bound to know it
1t came out that still another reason why
this teacher and some others are not wildly
enthusiastic over the 1903 course Of physical
training and hygiene is because. so far. it
tween it's special teachers and the regulars,
After a while printed directions will prob
ably be mailed to teachers, but for the time
being teachers must go to conferences 10
hand in reports and get schedule OF the
exercises which areto be taught during the
next four weeks. The schedule for each
grade is different. Grade l, 2, 3, and 80
on. each has its own exercises and these
in turn are changed in some particular
every month.
DO the children enjoy the physical
training course?" a principal was asked.
"Of course they do Children always
like to play was her answer.
Whatever differences of opinion there
may be among principals as to the value OF
the new course Of physical training, the
men and women who teach it, including Dr.
Gulick, head of the new department OF
physical training in the public schools.
and the members Of the Board Of Education
say it is splendid thing for the rising gene
ration and their descendants. especially
the latter.
An outcome of this belief is that from
ten to fifteen minutes are now spent daily
by every public school pupil in doing gym
nastic stunts, exclusive of the setting-up
exercises Of two minutes duration practised
twice each morning and once in the after
noon session.
What in the world are these setting-up
exercises. anyway asked an old fashioned
lady from the country the other day when
visiting a city school. The teacher pointed
to card conspicuously ia acked up on the
front Of her desk and the visitor read:
Glass standing. must draw a deep breath
four times. lnhale und eXhale forcibly,
forcing the breath to the utmost. The neck
should be forced firmly backward against
the collar Stretching four times. bend
back, then forward. straighten the back;
raise the chest; lift the arms as high and as
far back as possible. counting two while the
! position is held. Trunk erect, bend knee
half way eight times, Take four deep
breaths, as at first.
Mercy" exclaimed the old lady, can
child do all that in two minutes?'
The special physical exercises are more
elaborate than the setting up movements,
even in the lower grade classes.
For instance. a class OF youngsters
spent the greater part of ten minutes the
other day in knee bending, meanwhile
keeping the feet firmly planted on the floor;
knee raising by lifting one foot after the
other; sliding the feet apart after the man
ner of moderate split stretching with
hands on hips, and review of military
tactics, which meant much marching and
counter marching-pr practically the same
exercises, as a teacher pointed out which
are put in practice when running up and
downstairs peering into other folkss win
dows, skipping the cutters, vaulting fences,
playing ball, running errands and squatting
at the various sidewalk games. all of which
are busily pursued by the average child
outside of school hours
How thoroughly and understandingly
the physical training department has
gone into the work is shown by this extract
from its last report
Gymnastic exercise should conserve organic
vigor, lead to correct posture and train to
quick and definite reaction. II should be
based upon muscular combinations and should
make q progressive demand upon muscular
effort, complexity of movement and power
OF heart and lungs. All available means of
arousing and maintaining interest. such rs
the use of apparatus and a change from
the classrooms surroundings. should be
employed,
In some cases Of apparently mentally
defective pupils who are unable to keep up
I'LL, tbo;r otoe and in Conaa1popra hoy