Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-12-29
EDUCATORS HEAR
noted BIOLOGIST
---------- ------
DR.. John NJ. Tyler Of Amherst on
"The Girl and the
Boy"
BROWN TO ADDRESS TRUSTEES
United States Commissioner of Educa-
ton TO be Principal Speaker at
This Evenings Session.

An address on "The girl and the
! hoy in the grammar grade" BY DR.,
John NJ. Taylor, the noted biologist
| of Amherst, was the feature OF the
general session Of the Gtah state
| Teachers association held in the as
sembly hall at 10 O'clock this morr-
| ing. The musical portion of the pro-
gram was also especially interesting.
Supervisor Wetzell of the city schools
presenting pupils of the Bryant
| schools in German songs. A vocal solo
| by Mrs. a. S. Peters was much aP-
| prccitated.
DIR. TYLER'S ADDRESS.
Dr. Tyler the biological expert Of
amherst college. Amherst. Mass, then
| delivered an address on ."..Tllc girl and
the boy in the grammar grade" Dr..
Tyler said
Pharaoh, king OF Egypt, saw in his
dream seven fat cattle. They were fol-
lowed and devourcd by seven exceed
inSly lean kline The dream signtied
seven years of plenty followed by seven
Of famine over all the land of Egypt
lie was told to store up the harvests OF
the seven good years against the time
of need.
This dream, somewhat modified. is a
picture Of the life OF every child At
the end of the third year he weighs over
three times ~ much as at birth. At 6
ms weight is 90 per cent greater than
at ,, AZ he has added /, third to this
The young child runs and plays, and
the exercise of its heavy muscles slim
ulates the growth of every organ III tho
body. This is the chief Significance OF
childhood
Tic tenth year in the girl and tho
eleventh in the boy are years Of very
slow growth in both height and weight
Tho girl is now n full year more prcco-
clous than the boy, and her time of
minimum growth may fall ut Q. Nature
Is nov ccononlizinr material and rally
ing her forces against the critical period
of puberty close ut hand. 1t has como
before one expects it. The period OF
rest and economy is followed by ole OF
rapid increase in height. while rapid in
crease in giI'th begins year to two
later. Hence the child is lean and
lank, and seems TO he all legs and
arms. With his longer legs, he
has to learn to walk all over again. Tho
boy stumbles over his own feet and
! does not know What to do with his
| hands. 1t Is q, trying time.
Growth is always an expensive proc
| esS. IT demands the combustion or
| oxydization of q large amount of food
to add a little to the weight of tho
body. Growth In height is especially
expensive. 1t begins in the bones: and
all the muscles. arteries, and nerves
must be heightened correspondence.
These changes require large amounts
of food ana oxygen, and produce much
waste which must be quickly removed.
The food and oxygen must be furnished
by the organs In the trunk, especially
by the digestive system and the lungs.
But the trunk IS relatively smaller in
l IL.
period % life. The vital organs have
f.iien behind in growth; the demand
threatens to outrun the supply.
Now comes n metamorphosis in the
body of the child as real as the change
of Il caterpillar into butterfly. Every
organ is rebuilt or modified. The
changes in the girl are, perhaps, even
more profound than In the boy. They
occur earlier, before we expect them.
| They are more hurried. for she Is more
precoc!ous. Hence her pubcrtal period
Is more likely to be stormy. But hap
pincss. health, and life itself depend
upon the successful completion of these
changes. 1t Is Of the utmost impor-
lance that she should come up to tho
ninthyear With tlic largest possible store
OF material and vitality. Remember
Pharaoh's fat and lean kinc, her
famine years have come.
We have seen that the rapid growth
the readjustments in length, and the
profound changes in all the organs
involve much destruction of material
and waste of tissue. II this waste is
not speedily removed, it poisons the
blood, deprcsses the whole nervous
system, produces dsinclnation to OK
ercise or effort The girl feels the chill
OF cold air, stays in the house, loses her
appetite. Yet exercise to furnish oNy-
gen and n good appetite for plain food
are essential, Headache, pallor, nerv.
BUSINESS and general weakness follow.
All these arc due to the abnormal con-
diton of the blood.
In sweden the amount OF morbdity
or disorder in girls did not fall below
60 per cent between the twelfth and
nineteenth years OF age. In Denmark
it was over 40 per cent. For the boy
it was between so and 40 per cent in
both countries What Is the remedy
for this state Of affairs?
The excess of waste and the small
size OF the vital organs has produced
a bad condition of the blood. The
waste can be removed only by n liberal
supply of oxygen furnished by the
lungs. The girl is ut this time slightly
taller and heavier than the boy OF tn.
same age. She is changing faster
She needs more oxygen than he. But
the average girl during this period has
for each pound of weight hardly more
than three-fourths of the lung capacity
Of the boy of the same age. 1t is n
well known fact that the lung-capacity
can be increased easily by gymnastics
or better by play and games in the open
air. The exercise must not DO too
severe; it should be light, recreative,
aud plentiful. Most girls become
ludylikc and stop playing open air
games just when they most need tho
exercise. Many have neither place nor
opportunity. Some have no time from
home duties. All should be encouraged
10 remain or become tom-boys.
Bright pupils have on the average
il larger lung capacity than dull ones
during this period Bright girls at
this time often have a year OF dulness
or even stupidity, when they can
neither think, learn, or study The
poor blood has Cioggcd the brain. The
proper remedy is not more study, but
more open air and play,
Thcater- parties and late dances are
now fatal. Nervous excitement should
be avoided or mitisatcd. study periods
should be shortened and rccesses
heightened Long sitting without
change OF posture is dangerous. Let
the pupils walk and chat for five or
ten minutes between successive school
periods.
i reasonable amount ,uf study will
not harm the girl. But ii Is better
that she should rcman unlcarned and
healthy than to enter the university
u,tth I, Soeb rIlc b,yt 10,