New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-12
SCHOOL DEFORMTTTES.
Many Children Grow Up Crooked
Who Might Be Straight.

Are the merry faced lads and lasses whom
pne passes in the street on their way to school
carrying bundles OF books under their arms
in danger OF becoming lopsided through SO do
ing? Is school deformity" increasing? Some
physical directors think that the beautiful spec
tacle of a girl OF twelve years swinging freely
along in the morning sunshine is In danger of
being marred by the burden imposed upon her
by the requirements of modern education They
also think that, notwithstanding the increasing
attention given to setting up and other phys
Teal exercises IN the public schools, the number
of youths who are being deformed by incorrect
attitudes assumed in the sehoofroom Is grow
ing.
DR.. Luther n Quick. the director of physical
training in the New-York public schools and
Matthew O'Brien, physical director OF the Boys
Central High School of Philadelphia, have been
endeavoring to find out the and cures for
the comparatively large number Of cases Of
curvature of the spine DR.. Gulick thought the
carrying of schooIbooks might have something
to do with it So he set about securing facts
about the practice which modern educational
conditions have imposed upon school children
He found. among other things, in his search
for exact information that girls and boys Of
eleven to thirteen years are expected to take
home on an average about four books Some
carried only three, and others as many as
seven. The average he found to be At With
scales at hand the piles of books were weighed.
Some of the piles weighed only ~ pounds, while
others balanced the scales at 9A pounds The
average weight was SIS pounds. For some IN
explained reason the larger proportion carried
their bundles Of concentrated learning under
their left arms OF those whose lettering steps
were watched as they approached the school
house in the sunny forenoon or streamed away
from the door in the afternoon Go Der cent
were observed to be carrying their books pen
ellis and pads under their left arms They
leaned to the right from the perpendicular suf-
hciently to balance the burden.
Perhaps some curious person will ask why
children of this age should carry books home
Why cannot they learn their lessons in school
hours? Possibly some of these persistent ques-
TONERS will argue: I'VE did not carry our books
home when went to school and we are not
ignoramuses." DR. Gulick gives some reasons
One of them Is that the use of buildings for
evening schools makes it necessary that the
belongings of those who occupy the schooIrooms
in the day time be removed for their protection
The size of some of these bundles. he declared,
is affected by the pride of the owners. Girls
especially enjoy going along the street with
pethoric bundles They imagine others view
their stacks of educational literature with en-
vious eyes, and say they pass by: They
must be goin' to graduate pretty soon Look
what a lot of books they've got One child
found who carried tweRty-one blank pads
of paper to swell her pile. 1t is the proud
ambitious. nervous girl-the who is most
apt to carry more books than really neces-
sary-who is most susceptible to any injury
likely to follow carrying a bundle of books, Dr.
Gulick says He adds what will be comfort
TO parents. that the average child is not likely