Milford chronicle., 1910-12-02

ished by the stories and description
found in the Libraries; the Natur
4 lessons once in a while introduced
to drive away the shadows that some
times gather over the school room
talk about the potted plants ol
work in the school yard or in any
unused plots of ground, each in its
proper season will arouse the schoo
to the desire for work, and convert
it from a tread-mill into a growing
body of happy youth. Tact is a
great gift, and is needed more in
the teachers profession than any
where else.
We owe much to the ladies of
the Century Club for their aid and
encouragement in putting the vari-
Gus auxiliaries into the activities of
our schools, and when at times you
feel discouraged and disheartened
by the slowness with which your
plans are adopted, remember that
under the influence of your efforts,
the schools Of the State have been
vastly improved, and the leaven
will spread from the more favored
districts throughout the whole lump
of the educational machinery of the
commonwealth.
The movement to have a physi-
clan make regular visits to exam
inc the children and see thst they
are in good physical condition, not
only looks towards preserving the
health Of the school, but ofttimes it
shows some weakness or defect in
the pupil that may be remedied by
treatment In many cases, what is
termed laziness, is the effect of dis
ease. A child in one of the Will
mingtOn schools with a slight defect
in its teeth, was changed from an
irritable, peevish boy into a bright,
cheerful disposition by attention to
such trihing cause. Many a boy
or girl gets areputatiOn for dullness
or morOsenese from imperfect vision
that could be remedied with intelh-
gent oversight. l hope you will |
have the schools of Wilmington |
under the care of a medical inspec
tor. Every teacher feels that from
unequal capacities of the children,
the work is much hindered by the
necessity of keeping the instruction
down to the level of the average boy
lr girl of the class. In many cases
-he difference of powers of the poorer
pupils is due to some minor defect
hat will yield to treatment, and
hey will have the same ability as
he rest if the physical trouble is
removed. Those who are less favor
IDLY endowed than their fellows
should be given such instruction as
hey can readily master in separate
,lasses. 1t is unfortunately the case
hat a small percentage of children
re weak minded in various degrees,
md it is manifestly wrong to make
he vast majority mark time while
to get all to keep step.
1t is gratifying to know that the
EDUCATIONAL committee Of this Club
5 agitating the question of the es-
ablishment of a juvenile court
which will have jurisdiction over s
hose minor violations of the law in {
he case of children which are wont
D grow into criminal acts if left un- l
hecked. The youthfulness of the t
ffenders renders it wrong to bring I
hem into contact with tine violators ]
f the law that they would meet in q
he ordinary course, and a kindly i
ldge could often direct the energies /
the mischievous boy into chan
els of usefulness and respect. l t
ave not time to say more than that
Wilmington, which is growing into {
proportions, should a
Ike the leadership in this move C
rent for the preservation of the re- C
Dect for law and order among our T
eOple. c
Some one has said that our cities t
re the concrete expression of the L
,cial forces that build them. In v
urope there are many traces of the s
allied towns that were built for q
and some of these walls +
re kept for picturesqueness or other u
reasons. Just so our Ii
WIS are the expression Of the aspir- II
ions of the people, and still many Il
their early imperfections have d
cen retained for one reason or an Il
her, even when we see how i'm u
they fit the times. When Il
little more than a decade ago Mr.. 81
enry Ridgely, Of Dover, under Il
ok to collect the school laws Of Il
lie State, and purge them of incOn- "
and of imperfections, II
,u remember with what consterna- le
On it was received when he pro- rs
)sed to change the system of taxa p
IN for schools. In rural Delaware e'