The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1910-03-19
.WttAkN HOt1OOI-LtE SHOULD
BEGIN,

The sedentary and bookish routine
| Of the schoolroom, the exacting exer-
cdses, the ompetition and rivalry, all
tend to lower the vitality and arrest
the development of the young child.
The reason Of this is that this siren
uous exertion is unnatural to him.
The development Of the child's brain
should be so gradual that he does
not feel the strain.
To the childlover our modern sys-
tenn of education is matter for
mournfuI contemplation. He believes
that childhood should be all bright
and joyous, and yet he knows that
countless thousands Of the little ones
whom he loves, sit and bent forms,
porting over written and printed
pages for hours at time when they
should be running and jumping and
shouting in Gods great outof-doors
Careless happiness is the birthrlght
OF the child, and he should not pc
robbed of an iota Of it.
No child should be started to the
regular school before the age of eight
years, when the little body has had
a chance to lay the foundation Tor
vigorous constitution. Any age under
eight is too young for a child to at
tend the regular all-day school. Now,
don't say that this will handicap the
child by causing distaste for learn
ing. and an impeachment to his sue
cess in later, school work This is
not true, we know from the evidence
of many recorded cases. And two
striking instances came under our
own personal observation in the ten
years just past.
These two children were as diss1m-
liar as could be in characteristics,
in heredity and environment, the
families representing the two ex-
tremes of society,-the highest intel
lectual class and the low and Hitter
ate.
The first was the little daughter
Of a prominent physician of our town.
This little girl was not taught ner
"a, b, c's" until she was past eight
years of age; furthermore she was
not allowed a book, nor even a block,
with letters to puzzle her little Drain
She was not a delicate child at ALL
lust normal, healthy little Emmy
Lou. When she was eight years old
she was started to the public school.
Most of the other little girls and
bows were in the Third or Fourth
Grade, as we graded the schools IN
our town then, and here was this big
girl in the primer class. The rela-
tives on both sides had protested
vigorously against allowing the child
to grow up an ignoramus,' but the
doctor-father, who had been to Eu-
rope several times and who made
children's diseases specially, insist
ed upon rearing his daughter to suit
himself. Well, the child with
strong, healthy body, who didn't
know her letters at tie age of eight,
advanced rapidly from grade to grade
and soon outstripped many OF the
children who had two years start OF
her. She was graduated from the
city high school last June, at the age
Of seventeen, with high honors, and
enters Wellesley this fall. She is
Also a musician Of ability. Added to
all this she is a beautiful young
woman, somewhat above average
height, and glowing with perfect
health.
The other child came from miser-
ably poor and illiterate parents. Ow-
ing to circumstances, 1t was not pos
sible to start him to school until he
was nearly nine years old. He had
scarcely seen a book Of any kind In
his life and did not know "his let
ters." But he was a sturdy little
fellow, having lived the most OF his
life in the open air and sunshine with
his father who cut and hauled stove
wood for a livelihood. And this lit
tie fellow took to "book-learning
from the start and went from grade
to grade quite as rapidly as the physi-
clans daughter. He graduated from
the high school also, making the
highest average in class of twenty
two students, and won a scholarship
to one of our leading theological
seminaries.
II our present school system could
be changed and the ill-advised tasks
now laid upon young children elimi-
mated: IL no books we're allowed I'M
til the age of nine or ten years, and
most of the instruction given in the
open air, then it might possibly be
advisable to start children to school
at the age of six-Indiana Farmer.
POVERTY OF WIVES.