The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-03-27
HOOkWORM AND
TIE BOOkWORM
superintendent Eggleston Uses
the Two to Answer Some OF
His Critics.
TELLS HOW BOTH % HARM
Bookworm Sometimes STILES
Mental Energies Some
Sharp Talk.


tendcnt of Public instruction j. -
Essitston. Jr.. I" gcpcuted criticism
OF his administration from Il reaction.
airy clement of Virginia educators is
ihaue IN tho preface 10 the school Fair
Builctt soon 70 Is. issued Beginning
with the caption. THE Hookwur,u al,
the Eookworni." the State Supefin.
tenutnt removes pieces oil cuticlc from
The backs vi his dct:actors at every
stroke His reply is especially strik-
inS In view OF the silence he main.
tanned In the face oil attacks during
the last session OF the Legislature
Following Is a copy oi tic preface
to the Bunctin wh'cn Is now in the
hands OF the Public Printer:
Two OF tile creates, drawbacks to
real education in Virginia are the
hookworm and the bookworm
The hookworn is a physical handi-
cap. weak en.ng the body, producing
an ahaemic condition, ana sapping the
energies OF the person affected IL
thriyes through ignorance of, and
careless In regard to, certain simple
laws OF health and sanitation, and +,
a running mate with the typhoid germ.
us divinity. Ike that Of the typhoid
germ. is Beezebulb. the god of NTH,
which fatally shapes the ends OF thou
sands.
The Rockefeller commission. with
the hearty cooperation and assistanc.
of the State Board of Health and the
State Board Of Education. is elimi-
mating the hookworm and incid entally
making life burden TO the typhoid
germ instead OF allowing the latter
to be n burden to life.
The bookworm is a mental and
spiritual handicap. 1t some times
STILES. and often causeg a direction
OF the mental energies. Ono Of Its
most dangerous tendencies IL to cause
the mind to magnify unessentials,
while Imagining these to be all
character. inducing moral astigmat,am.
as the mind and henrt thus affected
are unable TO function properly.
Tends to Warp md Destrny.
Along with the hookworm, the book
worm tends TO warp and destroy the
three fundamentals OF education,
which are Z healthy body, properly
directed energies of mind and will.
and an unseldsh outlook on life.
This tendency sometimes causes the
victim TO neglect 10 cultivate the 80
cial and spiritual energies latent in
every human being. This neglect often
results In spiritual and social myopia,
which prevents foresight and limits
the spiritual and social energies to an
bookworm eliminated. might easily be
prevented. For example. the book
worm, the natural ally of the hook
worm. having produced a condition OF
mental and spiritual myopia, and q
laissez faire attitude toward life
causes its victim to wait for the hook
worm. and the typhoid and other
germs, to afi,ct people before an at
tempt is made to cure these terrible
scourges OF the human race. Ite vic
Tins look upon typhoid, diphtheria,
tuberculosis. pneumonia, grippe ana
other prevcntable diseases as vista
lions of a mysterious Providence, in
stead OF visitations of natural causes
clearly prcventable.
AS bad as the hookwcrm is, its et-
fects are small compared TO those pro-
duced by the bookworrn. The book
worms worst effect Is the attitude to-,
wards life II produces In its victims.
One strange delusion il produces Is
that cuiture-pronounced ''culchur" by
Its victim-consists In book knowledge
for the sake OF knowledge, and not
for social service-and that one should
not will until one knows. Its formula
may be expressed In the sentence He
that knoweth Will do" Its practical
effect has been TO teach how to know
SO as TO do others. This is diane
trically opposed TO the standpoint OF
Jesus Christ, whose entire life ana
teaching was, He that wills TO do,
shall know" Another effect of the
bookworm IS Its capacity TO render the
mind and soul impervious to new Ideas
and new Ideals. II produces a marvel
Gus capacity TO resist the entrance of
simple truths. 1t destroys teachable-
ness and openmindedness. It en-
courages complicated life and divided
aims. and rejects that spiritual sim
lott .1,t .I, ~
slnglemindedness properly directed to-
ward social Improvement.
Another Strange Delusion.
Another strange delusion produced
by the bookworm is that to teach a
child how to do something that is
really useful from an economic stand
point is TO encourage "materialsm,"
and to weaken spirituality. The edu-
cationnl formula of this attitude may
be expressed by the sentence, True
education consists in teaching n child
that which lie cannot use In everyday
life" or, IF IL is useful. 1t Is material
education and destructive of high
ideals: If useless. 1t is pedagogical"
1t Is so fearful that the biblical In
junction. Let not thy right hand
know what thy left hand doeth," may
be disregarded. that 1t prevents either
hand from doing anything. This de-
fusion has grown from the hell-born
idea that honest work OF some kinds
is degrading. while honest work of
othor Enthusiastically classed as the
"professions'-is highly honorable In
Its acute form 1t regards work with
ones own hands as lacking In good
FORM" while work with other peoples
hands for ones own personal profit Is
thought to be the hallmark which
distinguishes the class from the mass.
The General Education Board
through the United states Department
of Agriculture. the United Agricultural
Board OF Virginia. and the State Board
of Education. in cooperation with
each other, are eliminating. tho book
worm. The Boys Corn Club and tho
Girls Garden and Poultry Club. or
ganized and conducted through the
demonstration work. is the best known
trna tho dian