Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1906-03-17

--i-WW
Las Vegas Pedasosues Have In.
teresting Discussion on Altitude

At the meeting Of the Pedagogical
club last M0nday night the sutjec'
subject for discussion was The Prob
lem oil The Altitude" A. the cics'
AZ the diacussion q resolution was Of
fered and carried 10 present 10 thu
Optic for publication the main conclu
sions reached BY the club concerning
the question.
The statement and outline Of the
subject was ~ follows;
II 70 m opinion frequently express
Cd IN Las Vega atd Mhnr western
t0wus, both among parents and peda
sogues. that. owing to the detrimen
tsis influences Of the altitude, children
10 school must not b held too closely
10 school tasks nor urged 10 school
work to the same degree 70 which
this can be done In lower attitudes.
(a) DO you agree or disagree with
this ~psoposition!
(b) In what way do these detri
mental influences manifest them
sslvss9
(c) Has your experience m . teach
er here confirmed or disproved this?
ld) Do you hnd that. personally. tn
altitude affects you IN the same way
To- Do you md that you are more
nervous here than In q lower altitude
% Il your general health here
poorer or better than In Q lower alti
tuds with ne same effort expended u
school work.
(g) DO you tire mentally more
easily here than IN : lower altitude7
m Does the altitude stimulate yot
- tat you oyerdo beyond youI
stsength. with the result that yot
saddsuly nnd yourself exhausted men
tallyi
"a Are there more nervous person.
Iers and more disorders RELATIVELY
among our people than 10 found y
lower attitudes?
a. Are there more nervous chil
dren here relatively than IN lower a.
titudes?
IL Must the standards OF scholar
ship necessarily be lower - hign y
titudes than nearer the sea-leveli
al what are the principal nervous
disorders common to high attitudes
The following points summarize tnt
conclusions reached:
Las Vegas has an unusually large
number 81 physically unsound people
ana II there should be much nervous
ness among the school children II
might be due to large part 70 inherit
ed physical weakness from unhealthy
parents. .
However, II was the opinion Of the
club that the prevalent notion IN Las
Vegas that the altitude makes child
rem ana adults " has not = sur
ficient basis OF evidence to support y.
practically. all teachers present
Who had taught in both high and low
attitudes were agreed that school
children In the former environment
are no more nervous than those In Q
lower altitude. but that, on the con
trary, there Is a smaller per cent
IL nervous children here an In other
mountain towns than nearer sea.level
III our large cities.
Miss McCrickett, primary critic Al
the Normal stated that she did moi
have ID her department any children
who could be called nervous or over
sensitive, though she found the child
rem Of Las Vegas somewhat noisy O
b~oisterous. This was thought to be
due 10 the great amount of outdoor
life led by the children here and &c
the stimulating power Of sunshine and
pure air.
Mountaineers the world over are al
ways Iugged. hearty, ~long-lived peo
pie, and the phrase hearty mountain
eers" has passed into q proverb.
A doctor in Idaho Springs. Col. (al'
titude 7.543) was quoted as sayina
that there IL more st. vitus' dance
per capita At Syracuae and Rochester,
N. r., than in the mountains.
Our native people referred to as
proof that high attitudes do not pro.
pduce . race Of nervous people; a. a
wen known. the native aces Of New
Mexico are remarkably free from nee.
vousness In any form.
The teachers themselves say thai
they can do more work here and feel
II less than In lower attitudes; there
seems to be something In the atmos.
phere which puts new vitality int
the body.
The principal physical disorders In
which a high altitude II detrimental
Is organic heart trouble.