Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1909-02-04
Boards Of Education From page /.

meet tneSe physiological cUlultlOh.
Nervous diseases among children are
increasing at rapid pace. 1T is al
most a conceded fact this is due to-
increased tension. The sCruin of
overwork and of home study uudodbt-
eddy are marked factors in these prob
lens and a serious hindrance to de-
velopment, and yet the courses of
study in our schools are constructed
without the guidance of any data
based on any careful Investigation of
these vital matters. School buildings
must be erected to-day by expert ar
chitects. Is it not as necessary to
have physical experts to guard and
guide the development of the children.
There is no evidence possessed by oc-
culists at the present time which will
answer the question in connection
with the vision of school children un-
der school conditions. We are badly
in need of evidence and the expert
along these lines must be developed.
We must develop within our Boards
of Education power to see that the
fundamental principle of human life
health is properly guarded. Until
these thinge are done, until these
questions are attacked with the tools
of science, it will be impossible to
contribute anything of permanent val
ue to physical development. The de-
lection of contagious diseases with
full power to act, the ventilation, re-
cesses, lighting, seating, exercise,
hours of home study must lie care
fully gone nto. To attain this object
cooperation of Boards of Health with
Boards of Education would b. of
marked benefit.
Proper examination of all school
children for defects likely to Interfere
with consistent growth and education,
such as adenoids, defective vision and
hearing. A careful record should he
kept of each child from grade to
grade following up consistently each
case, pick out the disabilities and re-
move them. These questions are of
such vital Importance it is 50 abso
Iutely necessary that adequate and
complete records should be kept.
To accomplish this on a rational
basis there must be hearty co-opera-
ton of Boards of Education, teachers
and medical inspector. If it is our
desire that we want to help the child
togrow mentally, to acquire mental
power and vigor, if quality of work
rather than quantity of work l.; to be
the standard. If a normal correlation
between mind and body is deslder-
alum, if in short we wish to graduate
from our schools well-rounded men
and women, then it is our duty to
give due regard to their physical edu-
cation James Russell Lowell says:
''It was in making education not only
common to all, but in some sense
compulsory on all that the destiny of
the Republic of America was settled"
The schools are the factors in deter
mining the character of our citizens
and country
While | may not have given the at
tention to detail which it may appear
to you should have been given TO in
spection of schools, the question of
personal hygiene, physical education
and inspection are so intimately con-
nected that a general reference to
them all appeared to me to be proper.
1t has necessarily been superficial as
the details would consume too much
time If | have succeeded in dcyel-
oping train of thought and action of
which this paper is crude suggestion
/ shall be fully repaid. These things
are coming and let us be we'll up to-
wards the front in what | am salts
fed is the march towards develop
ment and the conserving and proper
building along right lines to make
not only better men and women ply
sically but mentally. We are, / am
sure all convinced of the necessity of
more practical and perfect system
of instruction of school Children as
to the laws of their being that there
may be instilled within them full
appreciation of the sacredness of life
and health, and desire to proiong
the one and preserve the other.
DIR. WILSON'S PAPER.
Medical inspection of the public
schools is a subject, the Importance
of which is recognized by every one
in this room. Although of compare
lively recent birth, it has developed
into quite lusty infant and is rap
idly outgrowing it's swaddling clothes
The question is sometimes asked,
what is medical inspection of the
schools, and what good is expected
to result from it? The first is a
hard question to answer, for the sub
ject is so far-reaching and should,
and eventually will, take up so many
different, and yet kindred lines of
work, that it is difficult to forecast it's
scope The second part of the ques
ton, what good practical results may
we look for, is more easily answered.
Efficient inspection will, in the first
place, by its watchfulness and super
vision over the whole student body,
go very far toward eliminating the
epidemics of contagious diseases that
frequently sweep over our school,
and practically put them out of BUSH
ness for the time.
1t will teach the value of fresh air
and sunlight in the schools and the
home. thorough cleanliness, and in
short all the details of sanitation
and hygiene as we understand them
to-day. 1t will go still further and
deal with individual children who
may be defective in some way, ply
sically or mentally, and ascertain the
cause and correct it if possible.
And let me say right here that
many cases of dullness and incorri-
gibiIity are due to some physical de-