The log cabin Democrat. [volume] (Conway, Ark.) 1908-current, 1912-11-11
PROF. BRENNAN
ON SCHOOL NEEDS
ANSWERS SUPT. CANNON
SAYS INSPECTION SHOULD NOT
BE MADE AT EXPENSE OF
SCHOOL DISTRICT.
Editor Log Cabin Democrat:

EdltOf Log CaDln Democrat:
In recent issue of the Log Cabin
Democrat appeared an article by Su-
perintendent Cannon advocating med
ical inspection in the schools of Con-
way. This contains startling table
of defects found by the teachers in
the children of their respective
grades. These defects seem to be al
most altogether adenoids, defective
teeth, defective vision, and defective
hearing the last named probably aris-
ing in many, if not in most, cases
from the first Now the symptoms of
these are sa apparent and the test so
simple that they may be made by any
intelligent person, certainly by any
person of sufficient intelligence to be
a teacher. And this is evidenced by
the fact that the table given by Mr..
Cannon is compiled from the examin-
ations and reports made by the teach
ers. Have these individual reports
been sent to the parents of the af-
ficted children, advising them of the
conditions found and urging them to
seek expert medical advice? If so,
what more can medical inspection do
in the matter? This is all that is
done in Little Rock, where they have
a medical inspector. l presume it is
not expected that free treatment is to
be provided by the school board of
Conway for this host of defects.
But before Little Rock provided
for this medical inspection it provid-
ed schools of II grades running nine
months in the year and a whole day
session. "These things ought ye
to have odne and leave the others
undone," seems to be the policy of the
Little Rock school board and it might
not be amiss if we took a lesson from
them.
Superintendent Cannon seems to
think that the defects he enumerates
are sole cause of the fact that many
children are one, two, or more years
behind the grades corresponding to
their ages. But | hope he does not
overlook the fact that grade here
means as much, on paper at least, as
! it does in Little Rock, and that here
tofore Conway children have had on
ly eight months in which to do the
work as against nine months in Lit
tie Rock. Moreover, several of these
have had but half a days work
Again, may not much of the list
lessness, Indifference, and event stu
pidity, noticed be as much owing to
the fact that more than half the chill
dren, and these the least able to bear
it, are driven for three consecutive
hours trying to do whole days work
in half a day? Is not this fact as
much responsible for the conditions
noted as are the defects named? Will
not this condition have the effect of
aggravating the defects already ex-
isting and making even the healthy
children fall behind what is expected
of children under favorable condi-
tions? Children are not plants; they
cannot be forced in their physical and
intellectual growth without serious
and permanent injury to both.
But where is the cost of this med
ical inspection to come from? Shall
we cut down the remaining element
ary grades to halliday sessions in or
der to provide for it? Or would it
not be well to cut out the elementary
grades altogether and run a high
school only? Then we could build
from the top downwards and per-
haps in a generation or two we might
be able to resume elementary work
in our schools! 1t is true that our
constitution and our statutes, as well
as our common sense, if we have any,
require that we should provide for the
elementary work first and then add
the other as we can afford it. But
what are the constitution, and the
statutes, and common sense among
friends ?-and schools boards?
f. A. BRENNAN.