Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-05-11
STATE HAHNEMANN SOCIETY OP.
POSED TO TEN MONTHS
SCHOOL YEAR.
EVIDENCE is PRODUCED
FROM MANY TEACHERS
Harmful Effects of Long Study Shown
in Physical Condition of Youths
Building Plans and Ventilation De-
ADMINISTRATION Adopted-other
Iowa News.

Des Moines, May 11.-Aroused to ac
ton by the scathing denunciation of
DR.. C. J. Snitkay of Belle Plaine
against the present public school sys-
tenn Of education, the state Hahne-
mann society at its meeting yesterday
afternoon put itself on record as OPP
posed to the tendency of school boards
to extend the school year.
Several months ago DR.. Snitkay sent
a letter of inquiry to 800 school teach
ers, both rural and city, and also to
physicians and school board members,
asking what effect the present sys-
tenn of public school education was
having upon the physical life of the
child. The replies to the letter were
startling, and verified his professional
experience, says DR.. Snitkay. that many
of the public school children perma
nently are disabled physically because
of poor ventilation, poor lighting,
crowded school room conditions. long
study hours and school years and the
pushing of the children to make pas
sing grades.
a number of these letters We're read
to the homeopa thic physicians yester-
day. and so aroused their ire against
what they termed atrocities against
child life that the following resolu-
ton was unanimously adopted:
Resolved. That we enter a vigorous
protest against the tendency to length
en- the term of school year at the ex-
pense of the physical welfare of the
child
The action of the state society;
which is holding its sessions in the
Great Western Insurance building on
Eighth street. was not a surprise to the
local physicians of that school of med
icine The Des Moines association
took an active part in the recent fight
made against the school board in an
endeavor to have it rescind it's former
action and re-establish the nine
months school year.
In speaking of the letters received in
reply to his set. of questions. DIR.
Snitkay said 81 if54i
System 10 Condemned.
almost without exception they unite
in condemning our present system of
instruction. The stories they told of
crowded work and the pushing Of the
little ones far beyond their strength in
order that they might live up to the
requirements of. the rules were heart
rending. Some told of having forty or
fifty pupils in room with an ordin-
airy seating capacity of twenty. One
county superintendent told me Of things
which he had seen take place in the
fifth grade of the schoels in a city OF
5000 The work done by these pupils
would compare favorably to that done
in high institutions Of learning and
business colleges. Children of II and
II were wrestling with intricate prob
lens of stocks and bonds.
"The time is ripe for a change. and
a radical change at that And now they
are frightening the school year. They
are. talking of taking away from the
child the only thing that has made the
long winter bearable at all--the vaca-
ton. 1t does not seem to be question
of how much they can be taught or how
much they can digest of that teach
ing, but under how much the little bod
les can bear up. The hours Of labor
and the time of recreation heightened.
Then why should the school year be
heightened?
THE question asking the causes of
eye strain. which necessitated the use
of glasses, was answered almost al
ways in the same way. insufficient
lighting of school rooms, windows toe
high or not enough room to place the
child the proper distance from the
blackboard were given as reasons
IF you will investigate. you will
find that in the average school build
ing the only way of obtaining fresh
air is to lower or raise the window,
causing sudden changes in the atmos-
phere and resulting in colds, bronchial
trouble and catarrh. 1t seems that we
are becoming a nation of nerves.
Judging from the answers received from