Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-12-28
TEACH PEOPLE
CIVIC DUTIES
One Of the Many Functions of
School State Pedagogues
Are Told.
NEW YORK OFFICIAL TALKS
Medical Examination of Children,
Teachers and JanitOrs Should
Be Required.

Chicago. Dec 2S-School teachers
of illinois were today urged to JOIN
hands in a statewide movement 10
force legislation for protection of the
health of all school children. Will
liam H Alien, director of the New
York bureau of municipal research,
made the appeal for unity at the con-
vention of the Illinois State School
Teachers association at the La Sale
hotel. and was listened to by several
hundred of the 5000 delegates at the
convention.
American schools, ii was inferred
from Mr. Aliens address, are utterly
failing 10 educate the people in their
civic duties, and Mr.. Allen asserted
that all the teachers of the state
should work con stantly to interest the
growing generation of Illinois citizens
in preserving the health of their fell
lows.
- GREATEST SOCIAL WORK.
The greatest social work ever con
ceived." said Mr.. Allen, lis that of the
school where teachers and principals
are in sympathetic touch with children
and their parents. The best way to
teach children their out of school re
lations is to enforce right relations to
each other and to officials within the
schools
1T is 4 topsy-turvy world where, as
in most American cities, 10 or 80 pTi-
vate citizens are Interested in the
criminal. the feebie-minded, the in
digent and the aged infrm for every
private citizen intelligently interested
in the public schools. Proper proper
lions will never be restored until
school men and women assume their
responsibility for leading their COM
munit.es in movements classified as
social service, uplift and civic better
ment.
KNOW THE BENEFITS.
There is one step forward which
Illinois, with a population of 100000
school children and with 100 school
districts, should take Immediately,
and that is to pass Il law providing
for the medical inspection OF school
children and for medical examination
for physical defects. We know now
how great a benefactiCn such a law
will be TO all Illinois. and you school
teachers of Illinois should work unit
eddy until the law is passed.
The new measure so necessary to
Illinois should make it compulsory up
on every school government, whether
public, private or church institution,
to assume responsibility for the health
Of the children. and in that duty to
give the children the benefit of thor
ough periodical physical examination
for those defects which now stand be-
tween the children and opportunity.
The schools should insure protection
for the children against transmissible
diseases. The child valves no right
to health from the state by its act of
going to school founded or protect
ed by the state.
COsTMENDS 4 PROGRAM
ITO give the schools Of Illinois the
power for civic education they de
serve, I commend to her teachers the /
following program:
ASK for a state law on medical /
examination of all children, teachers, /
janitors, buildings and grounds in all /
school districts, public, private, paro-
chial. rural and urban.
2-Teach personal hygiene by relat- |
ing it to community hygiene.
keep your communities constant |
~ informed of health needs at school
Give your newspapers school |
stories, and thus increase by % per