The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-06-01

for in the formation Of their charac-
tei.
If the parents wages cannot main
tain the family and keep the child in
school, change the whole machinery
Of industry rather than sacrifice the
children. At least transmit our her
itage to them and stop the progress
Of degeneracy.
In the matter of physical training
in school it Is not necessary to have
expensive buildings and apparatus
: for gymnasium exercise, for nearly
all necessary exercise can be had out
doors. The world has never known
a more remarkable system Of physi-
cal exercise than that handed down
to Us by Japan-a system Of bodily
training known as Jiu-jitso. Not
only the men but the women engage
in it. and it is said that the skill and
strength J ceived therefrom is most
remarkable It's antiquity is scarcely
known-dating back at least twenty
five hundred years. The science has
been impaired under the strongest
oaths Of secrecy, and only within the
last few years has anything been
known about it by other nations. In
the training nothing is needed but
two individuals equally matched in
strength and height. The exercise
can be had anywhere-in the school
room or out doors in the open air.
I could not close these remarks
with better words than those uttered
by George E. Johnson, superintendent
of Pittsburg Playground association.
He said:
Once upon a time the citizens of
certain city were greatly interested
in the nurture and training Of child
ren. When the question arose as to
whether they should build a great
public school or open playground it
was decided to open a playground.
Now, in the course of years, it came
to pass that the citizens Of that city
advanced so far beyond the rest of
the human race that in all the CEN
turies since, even to this day, the ma
tons that have gone on building pub-
lie schools and neglecting to open
Fairgrounds have not been able to
catcn up with them.
This is fact, not fancy. At 7 years
of age the Athenian lad entered the
palaestra, which was essentially a
playground. All the first and better
half Of the day was spent in gymnas-
tic, dancing, games and play. In the
afternoon there was singing, some
writing (the beginners wrote in the
sand box or in sand strewn up
on the ground), some reading, all in
the open air, and then came a long
period of play again.
Such was the schooling Of the
Greek lad up to the age of 10 or II,
and it did not differ essentially up to
16 except in the severity Of the exer-
else. Yet the world has not ceased to
marvel at the results Of Greek educa-
tion. 1t produced the highest type
Of man physically and Intellectually
that the world has ever seen-a type
which Galton says was as far in ad-
vance Of the modern Englishman as
the modern Englishman is in advance
Of the native African. In physical
beauty, courage and patriotism, in
philosophy, literature, architecture
and art, the Greeks have been the
unsurpassed models Of the world
and remain the inspiration Of our
nation today. But they placed the
emphasis upon hygiene, exercise,
games and play, which we neglect, if
We do not ignore. They cared for
the strong and sometimes left the
weak to perish; we care tenderly for
the weak and often leave the strong
to perish.
This is fact, not fancy. In the
State where I had the privilege OF
acquiring most Of my experiences IN
educational work, to obtain the best
educational advantages a child must
be blind, deaf, feeble-minded, lncor-
rigible or truant. Then he is given
exercise, Fairgrounds, gymnasiums,
baths, fresh air in abundance, gar
dens and play shops. The great ma
jority of normal children get along
the best they can without them. Now
in several cities We have. open air
schools for children with tendency
to tuberculosis, so consumption seems