The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-05-11
THE GIRL IN SCHOOL
CONTINUED from Page one.)

active than a girl There is no reason
why man should be better devel- |
oped physically than woman Our
methods should produce the best pos !
sible development of both.
"The natural enjoyment Ia boy
finds after day spent in the school
room in wild, rough play, puts fresh
life into his body and new thoughts in
to his head; while the girl through
the false teaching of her mother, ear
ly impressed with a sense of the i'm
portance of decorum and with the
ghost of propriety ever before her,
goes home quietly and the studies of
the day still recurring in her tired
brain like an echo, occupy her mind
in spite of herself Study pursued un-
der such circumstances may be ruin
ously harmful, when the same amount
might do little or no harm IL done
with proper regard to the necessity
for exercise and diversion.
Medical supervision of schools had
/ it's beginning in Europe in Sweden as
early as 1882. State regulation of
school work was begun. The first
laws relating to school physicians ana
school inspection were passed in
France in 1888. other European coun-
tries soon followed. In America, Bos-
ton in 1890 was the first to introduce
a system of medical inspection in her
public schools. New York followed
in 1897. With few exceptions medical
inspection of schools in the United
States has had for it's object Cnly the
detection and exclusion of contagious
and infectious diseases and this meas
ure was originated and carried on by
boards Of health from which great
good has resulted.
THE next step in connection with
medical inspection was the examina-
tion of individual pupils, especially
those who had attracted the attention
of the teacher by giving evidence of
impaired eyesight or hearing. No spe-
cial attention has been given to the
sanitary and hygienic condition of
school buildings. The school rooms
in reference to light, heat, ventilation
or the equipment, the grounds or en-
vironments, all of which should come
under the inspection of a medical
board; the height of the ceiling is an
important factor in producing disease
in our high school girls which will fol
low them during the remainder of
their lives, running up and down these
long stairways in changing rooms dur
ing recitations are apt to bring about
uterine displacements and all the re-
: fleX diseases that accompany them.
In plain English, the building of
school houses should not be relegated
to an inexperienced incompetent ar
chitect, who is ignorant of it's require
ments from a hygienic or sanitary
standpoint, but should be supervised
by state medical board. In this
> connection let me urge the impor-
tance of each school building having a
; modern up-to-date, well equipped
gymnasium for girls, as well as for
boys, special exercises being meted
out to the girls, suitable for their
physical development and equilibrium
under the direction of a competent
teacher which has been provided for
in this state, by a law which was
; passed and approved April 20, 1904,
entitled Physical Training in the City
Schools and reads as follows: Physi.
cal training shall be included in the
: branches to be regularly taught in
: in public schools In city district and in
all educational institutions supported
wholly or in part by money received
from the state, and it shall be the du.
I, ty OF the boards of education of city
school districts and boards of such
educational institutions to make pro,
visions in the schools and institutions
under their jurisdiction for teaching OF
physical training and to adopt such
methods as shall adapt the same to
the capacity of the pupils in the var
ious grades therein, and other boards
may make such provisions. The cur.
riculum in all normal schools of this
state shall contain a regular course of
physical education.
Since we have law in this state
providing for physical training in con.
nection with our public schools, allow
me to urge upon the Ohio State Med
ical association to place itself on
record as advocating and encouraging
the Inauguration of a thorough and
systematic medical inspection of our
public schools with special reference
to the physical training of our school
girls, thereby assisting in rearing a
: strong generation of women who will
be better able to perform conscien.
uously the many duties of an upright
and noble life"