The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1911-11-23
BY E. f. Coad.

Business writing is being introduced
into the schools. The course will be in
full swing by the holidays. The meth
Cd adopted by the School Board is the
A. N. Palmer Method. IL differs little
from any other good style of business
writing. The chief advantage claimed
for it lies in the fact that the Palmer
people keep their experts in the field
looking after the work of the teachers
IN the schools where il is adopted
This method is now adopted in many
cities in Oregon, and has been in use
in all the Catholic schools of the
United States during the last ten
years.
The mastery of rapid legible style
OF writing IS an accomplishment well
worth the effort required of any young
man or woman. Typewriters are used
a great deal these days, but we cannot
get entirely away from hand writing.
III shorthand writers could agree upon
an ideal system and we could all agree
to use 1t, what a saving of time il
would mean to us all. The strokes of
the pen necessary to form one letter
would write many entire phrases in
shorthand.
One is apt at times to be too critical.
That applies to myself at least. And
then one is apt to overlook things that
deserve mention. We have may stud
ents in the schools who deserve the
most favorable mention. We have a
great many students who are the most
conscientious | have ever met any
where. | wish that the public would
measure the work of the High School
by what these students are doing rather
than by the work and behavior of tn
careless and Indifferent type But it is
a good deal like news. The good
things and deeds are taken as matter
of course with little or no mention, but
the delinquencies of humanity are her.
aided to utterm0st parts of the earth.
As matter of fact we have students
who are working too hard. And then
we have those who are worrying about
their school work. Worry hurts more
than work. But every young person
must have regular hours for rest. 1t
is not treating nature much more fairly
to work until midnight continuously
than to rob ones self of needed rest in
other ways. Home work is necessary
for most students, but it must be with
in reason to be effective Regular
hours for rest are just as essential, in
fact more SO.
In the grades | have asked the teach
ers when they assign home work to be
sure that the pupil is prepared to do
the work unassisted. A certain amount
of home work is necessary in the
eighth grade. 1t is absolutely essen
tial in the High School also. In the
lower grades it depends upon the class,
the individual pupil, and the work at
any particular time The work as
signed should not be required to exceed
an hour at any time for any pupil from
the fifth to the seventh grades inclus-
i've. In the eighth grade and the High
School carefully prepared schedule
strictly adhered to will allow an abun-
dance of time for sleep and recreation.
Any youth under eighteen years of age
should have at least ten hours of sleep
every night. And all would be better
off if the old fashioned rule that all
children be in bed by nine clock were
enforced. To the student who is work
ing too hard or is allowing school work
to worry. | say, "Quit it. -
The other day man who has worked
a great deal with young people during
the last thirty years said. "How do
you account for the growing restless
ness of the young people of this gener-
ation?" After discussing the mat
at lentgh we agreed that it was largely
due to the fact that young people are
not generally taught sef-control.
The tendency during the last fifteen
years has been to give children too
much liberty. This is true in the
average home. day-school, and Sunday
School. Sef-control is a habit formed
under rigid supervision and continued
when the restraint is gradually with
drawn. Prof. James says, "The great
thing in all education, both home and
school, is to make our nervous system
our ally instead of our enemy" And
then later on in discussing habit form
ing he says, 'Never allow an exception
to occur till the new habit is securely
rooted. " What a pleasure it is to
meet young person who has poise,
good manners, and perfect self control.
If you can turn your boy and your
girl out into life thoroughly the master
of himself and herself, it means vastly
more than any wealth you can possibly
leave them.