The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-03-27
BOOKWORM IS WORSE
THAN THE HOOKWORMI
Original and Unique Treatment of Interesting Subject
by Superintendent of Public instruction
|. d. Eggleston, Jr.

(The following original and unique
treatment OF the "Hookworm and
Bookworm,' from the pen of the YER
satile superintendent of public in
struction OF Virginia. ]. u. Eggles-
ton. Jr., Is taken from an introauc-
ton to pamphlet treating of the
County school Fair. prepared by L.
S. Settle, supervisor OF Rural Ete-
fnentary Schopls of Virginia. While
the terrors or the hookwornl have
been frequently dwelt upon, the curse
of the bookworm has not been gem
orally appreciated
Two OF the greatest drawbacks 10
real education In Virginia are the
hookworm and the bookworni.
The hookworm Is q physical bandi-
cap. weakening the booy, producing
an anaemic condition. and sappins
the energies of the person affected:
1t thrires through Ignorance OF, ana
carelessness in regard to, certain
simple laws OF health and sanitation,
and Is running mate with the
typhoid germ. Its divinity. like that
the god OF Nth. which fatally Shapes
the ends of thousands.
The Rockefeller Commission, with
the hearty cooperation and assis-
lance OF tho State Board OF Health
and the State Board of Education, IS
eliminating the hookworm and Incl
dentally making life a burden to the
TYPHOID germ. instead OF allowing
the latter to be a burden to life.
The bookworIn il a mental and
spiritual handicap. II sometimes
stiles. and often causes a misdirec-
ton of, the mental energies. one
Of Its most dangerous tendencies Is
to GAUGE the mind to magnify un-
essentials, while imagining these to
n htM lly
fects tho character. inducing moral
astix,nattsm, as the mind and heart
thus aIlected are unable 10 function
properly.
Bookworm Wares Life.
Along with the hookworm. the
bookworr. tends to warp and destroy
the three funda meItals of education.
which are a healthy body. properly
directed energies of mind and Wall,
and An unselnsh outlook on life.
2 This tendency sometimes causes fhe
victim to neglect 10 cultivate. the So
cial and spiritual energies latent in
every human being. This neglect Of
ten results In spiritual and social
myopia, which prevents foresight and
limits the spiritual and social energies
to an attempt to cure evile. which. with
the bpokworrn eliminated, might cas-
ily be prevented. For example, the
hookworm, the natural any OF the
hookworm, having produced condi-
ton OF mental and spiritual inyopia.
and i, Iaissez faire attitude toward.
life, causes It's victim to wait for the
hookworm. and the typhoid and other
germs. TO aff1ict people before an at
tempt IL made to cure these terrible
scourges OF the human race. Its vic
tims look upon typhoid, diptheria,
tuberculosis, pneumonia. grippe, and
other preyentahle diseases az vista
lions OF a mysterious Providence. in
stead OF yisttations, " natural causes
clearly ureventsble.
Hoekworm Not So Bad.
AZ bad as the hookworn1 IL. its eff
fects are small compared to those pro-
fuced by tho hookworm. The book
worms worst effect Is the attitude to-
wards life II produces In Its victims.
One strange delusion 1t produces is
that cu,ture--pronounced "culchur' by
its victims--consists In book knowl-
edge 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 SEN
tence, He that knoweth Will do Its
practical effect has been tn teach how
to know 40 ~ To "do"-others. This
!. a,ametrically opposed 10 the stand
point or Jex6s Christ. whose entire
life and TEACHING was. "He that wills
to do. shall know" Another effect Of
The bookworm in its capacity to rem
der the mind and soui imperytoua to
new ideas and new Ideals. 1t.producea
q marvellous capacity TO reslst the
entrance Of simple truths. Il de-
strOys teachAhlenese and openmtnded-
ness. II encourages complicated Hfe
and divided aims. and rejects that
spiritual simplicity which wonld show
In - o. "a ATvaSa nrnySorlxr H.