The Western news. [volume] (Stevensville, Mont.) 1890-1977, 1906-09-05
HAMILTON MONTANA WEDNESDAY. SEPTEMBER 5, 1906

duoleSCenCe. II the nd bit OF nlght
/ study is not formed then n, will it ever
be formed?
Have you ever paused to consider
what the habit of night study means
to our children? Let us pass over the
immediate advantage Of having u
lesson well prepared for the next day.
1t means that they are home "a night
storing up knowledge. that will be Of
inest'mab BILE value to them in after
life. In this connection allow me to
| put a question or two. Are your chill
dren home at wight under your watch
full eye? Are they preparing their
lessons for the next dav? Are they
reading Instructive books consistently?
If they are d, ing the latter this may
come within the meaning of nigh,
study. Are they reading lig hit novels
i that tend rather to degrade than to
elevate? | repeat, are they home at
night? Ii not, where are they? Are
they developing mind and soul? Ans
wer these questions, please parents,
for Yourselves, aud then decide wheth-
er or not night study is better for your
children.
that teachers impose night work in
order to Tighten their own burdens.
l say e1nphatically that the night
! work as imposed in our schools in
=, H..
preciably. All papers handed in by
the pupils must be corrected or marked
for correction by the teacher. To
make this night work more effective.
these papers are often called for with
out the pre-knowledge of the teacher,
and reviewed by the office.
1t is said by some that night study
is no, good for pupils in that many
parents assist them in judiciously-
that they assist bv old methods, and
thus interfere with those of the teacher
and that they often work problems for
their children, thus dwarting mind de
velopmept. In some Instances par
euts doubtless are injudicious. but
upon the whole | think the objection
unwarranted. After all, the essence
OF education is the power to do, and
the doing, and if parents assist in
developing this power and in making
u r'lti"nally dc'lVe, we >houla not ne
100 critical or ther ih'th"os. Whcther
thcy are educated or not, parents
nave oeeh tfa'heo IN the school OF ex-
per'eh'e' 1hey k'io" ds wen as the
teathets' perhaps oe'ter IMAM many OF
us, what eouc''ioi' means 10 'he'r
children' 1heN kno" thal the chlld
must DC 'r"'nH" |" 90 io' hi'isei'' an"
that the S"'''" Oh pfoo'ehS ehntelH
Tor MN Is 'Wiae'
IL Is certainly cohlihehddoIe iol par
ents' not only to be interested III th9'a
, chlioreh' out hEe"ise 10 Try TO as IL
theih III tiiei' st"e'eS' hnls"e N"o"'"
use Caution Inc proper deVeiop
, ment Oh the mn Is ohly oy sell ell
, tort. Gulde INTO proper Methods
! keep clear OF 1alse ones-but by all
means teacn the children to do tor
. themselves. Ii the child does by his
unaided efforts only one-tenth OF the
!, work assigned him, he accomplishes
tar more than II he were helped en-
: tlreiy through the lessons by his par
ents.
The policy of this office in regard to
night study is as follows: From the
third grade up children should study
at night. This work should never
? abridge needed hours OF recreation, or
the necessary hours OF sleep. In my
opinion children OF the third grade
: should study at least fifteen minutes
:, each evening for five days of the week
o The hours should be increased gradu
ally as the child advances from grade
to grade until he studies at least on,