The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1912-08-07

tons for crimes show a marked de-
cline.
e. Children with physical defects
cannot make satisfactory progress III
their studies and are therefore, a Sc
rious impediment to Il school, mas
much as under our system the average
progress is considered the normal
progress, and with the high percent
age of children suffering from Defects
the average is necessarily low.
Z. School room duties to a child
suffering from a physical defect arc a
bore and often a punishmcnt-thc re-
| suit being that such poor progress re-
| suits that the child falls out discour-
aged, prejudiced End an enemy TO the
! school. Such a child goes out into tho
world %unprcparcd to meet its exactinS
duties and is doomed to d!sappoint-
ment, bitterness and failure.
8. Medical examination OF school
| children banishes from the schoo!
room truants and laggards and makes
efficiency the standard.
9. Under this system each individ-
| ual child is s..,n the opportunity to
make the best of its life.
~. HS oil cCOIlOlilS loh ~
| should appeal to every taxpayer, as
t takes less money to educate healthy
children than to attempt the impossl-
| BILE and try to educate nnsound child
rem. The State gets q dollars worth OF
| education or each dollar it spends.
II. This system gives all of the adj
| vantages to the children OF the pool
| man, that the money OF the rich man
| can purchase for his children.
II. No injustice is done either the
| child or parent by any simple system
| that can make the child healthy and
happy.
There are some who, for various
reasons, oppose the passage OF this
bill. We wish to state, however, that
il is generally because they misunder-
! stood It's objects, and we have care
| fully noted the reasons assigned and
present them below with our answers:
Probably the most frequent obJec-
ton is, that the time is not ripe fol-
| such advanced legislation and the Ru-
| raj Districts are not prepared for 1t
! The time seems to have arrived in
practically every civilized land to OK
tend the helping hand to an unfortu"
nate or suffering child, and we believe,
| that az the Raral Districts are most
| in need, there being a proportionately
| greater number Of children having de-
| iects there than elsewhere, it is our
| duty to make whatever efforts we can
to relieve their Affections. Moreover,
| we are not willing to acknowledge
that we believe that the children oil
| South Carolina are less deserving Il
should have fewer advantages than
| children elsewhere. The Rural Dis
tricts are prepared to take advantage
| Of every opportunity that is available
| for the welfare and happiness OF its
children.
The next most frequent objection Is,
Its life, nor has he the right to deny
| the parents their rights and the family
physician his prerogrative. We submit
| that neither position ia tenable. No
| sarent has a right to deny his child
is life, nor has he the right to dney
his child the opportunity to spend a
| Useful and happy life. We further sub
nit that each parent has a distinct OBJ
LEGATION TO himself, his child and the
| community, and that this obligation
sequires that he give his child such
opportunities as well as make him a
GOOD citizen and not a drunkard and
.erhaps a criminal. II a parent would
! leny his child these simple opportuni-
.es, then that parent is so obviously
".irclict in his duty, that the State for
IS own welfare and protection, should
insist upon saving the child from such
/ moral pervert. The family physician
8 usually a high type man, and above
al unselfsh. His daily duties bring
| aim in constant contact with suffering
children and he, most Of all, would
~elcome any system that would free
their little bodies from pain and would
raise up for the State strong men and
Tomen to solve her serious and per-
picking problems.
Let US presume, however, that he.
the physician) is a selfish man. The
bill specifically provides that the ex
lmincr shall not treat any defect
found, nor even report it to the child
,r parent, but he shall report it to
the teacher, who in turn, re-reports
it to the parent, and the parent, alone,
determines whether the child shall d.
treated.
The third objection urged is that
the State has no right to pass such pa
ternal legislation. Most states seem to
think that they have this right, since
most OF them have passed similar
bills. All states have the right to pass
laws for it's own protection and for the
up-building of its citizens.
The fourth objection is II seldom
urged. but dangerous because Of the
base insinuation that is conveyed by
those evil minds that suggest it. We
refer to the manner and mode OF eX-
animation as conducted by the exam
liner. In the first place, the examina-
tons are invariably conducted in the
presence of the teacher and several
the child, the examiner asks certain
children, no clothing is removed from
questions, none of them ever creating
the slightest embarrassment, and then
tests the hearing and the eyesight, eX-
amines the skin of the face and the
hands, the mucus membranes OF the
mouth, nose, throat and finally the
teeth. The efficiency Of the eXamina.