El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-04-04
SHOULD MAKE THE
SCHOOLS HEALTHFUL
Teaching Of Hygiene Is Dis
cussed In Conference
ON SchOOlchildrPD.

South Bethlehem. Pa. April Per
cy Hughes. professor OF philosophy and
education at Lehigh university, deliv-
cred an address here before the Con-
ference on Conservation Of School chill
dren. held under the auspices OF the
American Academy Of Medicine. Prof
Hughes subject was the instructors
point OF view in the teaching OF ny
giene, and he spoke in part as fol-
lows:
What should be taught IN the field
of hygiene. IS an ideal OF complete
living, realized as far as may be under
the conditions Of the school room
During the first six years Of the school
life, hygiene should be taught as Incl
dental to the art of doing and living
efficiently, of attaining those scholastic
and social aims which a true school
life makes prominent
If the school building, the school
equipment, the school program, the per
sCnality and life Of the teacher are elO-
qUent Of health. and if the teacher is
informed and alert to make use OF the
genes of the child. and every part Of
instruction as a means of forming hs-
blts OF health. II IL is recognized that
education is at every stage a prepara-
ton for life. only in so far as IL is
itself a complete living, according 10
the stage of development OF the child
then the child viii learn in such a
school an ideal Of efficient and JOYOUS
living which viii remain with him.
Without such an ideal and such a mem
cry, hyEienic habits are unlear1ed IN
der the occasional stresses of life and
are not renewed
But I'm the seventh or eighth grade
at the dawn OF adolescence. the rules OF
health. aud some of the most evident
with special reference not so much to
the child himself. as TO the social and
civic life of the community. into which
ne must now feel he is entering"
Nusbaum Discusses Hygiene.
Louis Nusbaum. district superfnten-
dent Of public schools Of Philadelphia
oeuVered an address on Certain I'm
Trovements I'm the Teaching of Hv-
lows:
The purpose Of teaching hygiene is
to secure to the individual a sound
body. which In turn will tend to in
crease his happiness. efficiency and
icnSeElty- The subject must be freed
OF techuicalities which do not interest
and only confuse the child AS physf-
ciosy mas been taught in the past we
must avoid the attempt TO give dfdac-
tic moral instruction concealed under
cover Of technical siOlOgy-chfIdren
are Keen TO discover subterfuge and
hypocrisy We must be particularly
careful to avoid eNavgeration in our
presentation OF the subject
we must avoid arOusing the oppo-
sitlon Of the child by seeming to pre-
sent an Indictment against those in his
CWn home who may be users Of alcohol
or tobacco Such teaching creates a
community sentiment AGAINST the y1-orI-
Of the school. and proves TO be a real
hindrance TO the accomplishment ~
the desired result What we need ar
this time is to teach hygiene and SAINT
tatton with a background OF physiology
instead OF teaching. as I'm the Dasf
physiology with a foreground Of an.
atOmy
We might profitably make an in
tensive study OF a few OF the organs
easily cared for, and easily abused a.
for example. the eyes. and the teeth
so that when the rules OF health con-
corning these organs are violated the
chlld VIII almost automatically appre-
ciate the probable consequences ~ he
acts and instinctively tend to correct
them"