Perth Amboy evening news., 1912-12-30
PUPILS HOURS
ARE TOO LONG
Suggestion for Remedy in
South Amboy Schools.
South Amboy, Dec. 80.

EDITOR EVENING NEWS
Between thep resent time and the
first day of February, 1913, many
Boards of Education will be changed,
especially In II city of South Am
boy, a new board will assume the
reins of authority. Judging from he
past the supervising principals ana
principals have done all the thinking
and arranging Of the modes and reg
ulations of the schools or nearly so.
1t might not be amiss to give some
suggestions through the press of one
whose obsSfvations and experience
number of years.
In the present age legislation and
custom has made in nearly all occu-
pations of manual labor eight hours
as constituting a days work. The
wisdom of this we will not question,
but every one knows that brain Ia
Dor is far more exhausting to the
system than manual labor Then IL it
is necessary to curtail the hours of
manual labor of a fully developed
man or m is it not the height OF
absurdity to suppose that children
with undeveloped bodies and minds
must not suffer with a system that
!. .ompe1s eight hours per day in
School? Then the nightly comedy
of children studying and parents en-
deavoring to teach from three to four
hours after the closing of school for
the day. What is the teachers in u
schools employed for? To play de-
tective in the morning and see how
well the parent or parents have sue
ceeded in instructing their child or
children
As the public schools are now
classified, say make the school day
as formerly nine hours, compel the
teacher to teach, assist as far as de-
eirede practicable in study. Make a
thorough explanation of the matter
under consideration, and let the
scholar do his or her studying as we'll
as reciting in the school hours. Oh,
yes, our public school building in
spectors will condemn our buildings
on account Of cross lights and that
the building must be ~rearranged so
the light must come over h left
shoulder, SO as not to affect the eye
sight of the pupils, yet the combina-
ton of Boards of Education, princi-
pals, teachers and parents will drive
these same pupils to from two to
three hours study by artigcial light.
many Of the spending their time In
study with no other light than that
produced by an Anticipated oil lamp.
Is It any wonder then as we meet the
pupils OF our public schools on the
streets, apparently one-half are wear
ing eye glasses7 Is 1t not a waste of
money to endeavor to remedy an evil
in one direction-that is by having
Jul school room properly and scien-
tifcally lighted for the advantage Of
the pupil and then forcing that same
pupil to rutA their eyesight by being
compelled to have a course of home
study each night with defective
light.
Then this course OF home study
has a disheartening effect On many
pupils. Some OF the parents have
been blessed with advantages in ac-
quiring a faid education and III able
to assist and explain to their chill
dren and the same pupils attend the
qrecitations with bright countenances
and quick answers, while those who
have not this advantage come to the
recitation room with dull looks and
laundering recitations and in the
mind OF the teacher is voted dull and
lazy, when the curriculum and
teacher is the underlying cause of
the whole.
The schools OF our city are now
closed for the holidays. Would 1t
not be a wise thing If each parent.
father or mother come to this conclu-
sion, that the scholars work shall
end as far as study is concerned at
end of school hours, Just the same as
his own business at the close OF office
hours or the end of a days labor?
many OF us who have grown to man
hood and are advanced in years have
had cause to regret our parents In
difference or ignorance all Jul lives.
Then let parents take the initiative
and write to the Board Of Education
saying they will not permit their
children to study after school hours.
This may be the entering wedge
for an effective readjustment Of a
magnificent institution gone lament
ally wrong.