The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1903-10-02
Is the III Health Of Children Due
to Over. Study?
Or Must 1t Be Ascribed TO Other and
Numerous Causes?
Ladies' Of Christian Temps rance Union
Discuss the Question.
An Article BY Edward Bck Stirs Up
Talk in Meeting.
From Wednesdays Daily.

The North Mankato w. c. T. U. held
its monthly mothers meeting with
Mrs. Alice Tidland. The topic was 'The
Principal Benefits of School For Chill
dren." The time was mostly occupied
by an article from The American Mother
written by Edward Box, editor of The
Ladies' Home Journal, which was read
in sections with discussion between each
section. The article was entitled ga
National Crime at the Feet of American
Parents" 1t dealt with the so-called
examining system which exists today in
the schools. Mr.. Box says that during
the last school term in five of the cities
sixteen thousand children between the
ages of eight and fourteen were taken
out of the public schools because they
were incapable of going on any further
in the internal examining system and
these sixteen thousand helpless little
wrecks are simply the children known
about.
Conservative medical men who have
given their lives to the study of children
place the number whose health is shat
tered by overstudy at more than fifty
thousand each year.
81 am making no attack on the teach
ers of this country for l yield to no
one in my admiration of the work done
by these noble women and men, but the
teachers dare not speak freely, especially
is this true in the public school teachers
who are only too often a part of a vast
political machine controlled by men ig-
norant of the first true education.
:. The most rapid growth in the human
brain takes place during the first seven
years of a child's life. That is a settled
fact, hence all that is required is to di-
rect into right channels this on pouring
of natural mental energy"
Then Mr.. Box went on to condemn
the practice of sending children to school
under sever years of age and also of
too long hours for study and especially
the practice of giving the children home
tasks and allowing them to pore over
books when they ought to be in bed,
claiming that much of the nervousness in
children is due to overstudy and that
the parents are at fault for. allowing
these things to exist.
The article c~alled-ferth a spirited
discussion, some OF the ladies claiming
that the sooner the children were in
school the better, while others agreed
with the writer. Some thought that not
many children were liable to overstudy
and that much of the nervousness and
illness laid to the school system was
perhaps not due to that at all, but per-
haps the fault of the parents in the way
of HEREDITARY tendencies brought on by
indulgence in alcoholic beverages and in
tobacco alleging that these things are
undermining the health of the children
rather than altogether. the examining
system in the public schools.
When will parents arouse themselves
to this fact and of they want strong
healthy children they must order their
own lives accordingly.
One new member vas gained. The
president reminded the members that
Sept. 2l-2S was membership crusade
week and all were urged to work for new
members.