Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-21
Sioux City Doctor Declares
Sixty Per Cent ofHigh School
Pupils Are Wrecks
SAYS THEY ARE ovERwoRkED
Pupils Compelled to overwork in Ord
err to Finish the Courses and Result
is Either Breakdown in Health or
Giving Up of School Work Before
Graduation.
,necial to Times-Republican.

Special to Times Republican.
Sioux City, April 21.-"Sixty per cent
of the pupils in the Sioux City high
.school are nervous wrecks"
T. This declaration was made today by
|.Dr. j. E. Carver, Of 701 West Fourth
street, following the prostration OF
some pupils of this school.
That the curriculum provided in the
schools of today is certain to break
down the nervous system of the pupils
is DR.. Garver's belief. He does not at
tach any blame to the methods OF the
teachers, rather holding the demands
/ of the day responsible for piling so
much work on growing boys and girls.
Other physicians interviewed today
agree, at least partly. with DR.. Gar
Sver's view.
During the last week." said DR..
Carver, II have had occasion to attend
four. patients suffering from nervous
prostration, and it is due to nothing
else than the strenuous work demanded
by the curriculum 1t is my belief that
| so per cent of the students attending
the Sioux City high school are nervous
| wrecks.
There is a tendency of the times to
overload students. Pupils are crowded
with work from the time they enter the
preliminary grades until they COM
plete the course. When they reach the
high school they are unfit to begin the
| to- l,.,
| curriculum.
| IN many instances, yes, / will say,
| in all instances where a student has
suffered as result of over study, and
| whose nervous system has been i'm
paired, full recovery is never made.
This is true because usually complica-
tons follow in the wake of nervous
| ness, which leave their stamp on the
patient.
CAS- result of the examining pro-
cess which goes on day after day, the
mental and physical development is not
uniform, and this leaves the student
with brains and no body. Many stu
dents force themselves to graduate,
knowing full we'll that they are not
physically able to do so. After gradu-
alton, they take light work and rest,
and in a manner recover their former
strength. but never entirely. Cases Of
this kind are not isolated. We see them
every day.
Girls who have suffered from ner-
vous troubles are untitled for mother
hood. The nervous trouble may not
be due entirely to the curriculum.
The latter is surcharged with a lot of
studies of no use or interest to the
pupils, but thru which they are COM
PEELED to wade in order to secure their
diplomas.
Degeneracy Will Result.
This is indeed becoming a seri
Gus matter. Physicians have discussed
it in their journals and in their soci
cites until they are tired of 1t. 1t does
no good. But the time is coming when
something must be done or degeneracy
will result"
After the statement of DR.. Carver
was made a number of physicians
were asked for their views on the mat
ter, and all agreed in measure that
the stand of DR.. Carver is we'll taken.
II will not say that go per cent of
the students are suffering from ner-
vous impairment" said DR.. A. Perry
Bowman, "but 1t is my belief that
third at least are afflicted to degree
from nervous affections.
There is no question but that the
curriculum of the high school is too
heavy. Not three-tenths of the stu
dents of the high school graduate.
What is the use of making the other
seven-tenths wade thru lot of
stuff that they have no early use for
after they graduate?
ut is this fact that students are
made to do lot Of useless work that
causes the trouble. 1t is getting to be
a serious matter, and unless the cur
riculums are changed serious results
will follow. More time should be re-
quired for the stduents to complete
the course. They are required to do
in four years what should take five
or six
DR.. John P. Savage believes that full
ly 40 per cent of the students are
nervous wrecks when they leave
school, providing they do the work
conscientiously and complete what the
curriculum demands.
Girls Suffer Most.
"The course is too exacting," said
LIZ. ScttdSC. Lie pupAAS e1iS ASluAASA
to complete too much in a given space
of time. This nervousness is more
prevalent among the girls than among
the boys, largely because the girls do
not take the necessary exercise to en-
able them to endure the work. Boys
are out in the air large part Of the
time, indulging In outdoor exercise,
athletics and sports, and they build up
what is broken down by their hard
work
''But even among the boys there are
a great many nervous wrecks, and 1t
takes years for them to recover If they
ever recover. The pace that is de-
manded in this day is a killing one,
ana the health of the country is being
imported as a result"
BROTHERHOOD OF ST. PAUL.