The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-04-14
MAGAZINE REVIEW
Giving Boys Passion for Bodily Per
lection and Cleanliness.

lection and Cleanliness.
In the April American Magazine, in
the Interesting People" department, ap'
pears an account OF DIR. Thomas A. Stor
ey, physical director of the College oil
the City of New York, who is respon-
sible for great system of physical
| education there. In this remarkable
democratic institution, hygiene and bod
| lily development are as important as
mathematics and history. Following is
an extract:
"The department of which Dr. Storey
is the head has full authority to cont
pei the student to attend to some OF
these matters, or show cause why he
cannot. As a result, for example, in
a recent year thirteen hundred cases of
decayed teeth were looked after by dem
fists, to whom students were sent; five
hundred and seyenty-seven cases OF de-
fective vision were attended to; two
hundred and twenty-three enlarged ton
sis were removed; eighty-two cases of
traehoma, seventy-five cases of heart
disease tbirty-nine cases OF hernia, and
ninetysix cases of incipient pulmonary
trouble were treated. The unusual thing
about this physical examination and
training is that it occupies just as inn
portant a place in the college curriculum
as any other subject. and is given the
same credit as history or mathematics.
Further if student refuses to follow
out the directions of the physical d.
rector, he may be summarily discharged.
Beginning with the third year in the
preparatory department, the boys arc
required TO do class work in the gym
nasium at least once a week. Here they
get physical exercise. and much sound
advice in the form of lectures. But they
also are required to have at least once
a week what is perhaps more important,
and that is a swima warm shower fol-
lowed by dip in the great swimming
tank which covers the whole basement
OF the gymnasium mot dark basement, |
but great well-lighted place with enor
nous windows which admit fresh air |
and sunshinel. Before boy can Ell
ter college-that is, while he is in the |
Department. is required I
to learn how to swim. He may not save |
any lives as a result, or become a hero,
but he forms the very important habit
Of bathing after exercise.
Last year there was required at
tendance Mt the swimming pool OF 81 Sis.
But the best of it is that in the sarle
period the voluntary attendance was 3D.
1874. And DIR. Storey says that at the
beginning of the fall term in these lat
n years he has noticed constantly
Increasing number of students who come
Jack to school with sunhurned shoulders
md limbs. Six years ago before this
.reat work at the college began, the !
thletic teams representing the college !
Ised to go home after their games vita
ut bathing. Now they object if tde s
Fater does not flow freely and bounti |
ully. They cannot be clean enough. {
MANY who read these lines will per- i
APPS see nothing remarkable in the facts 5
ere recorded. Perhaps it is taken for /
ranted that a young man will naturally a
leep with his window open, battle free ?
?, take care of his teeth, his eyes, his II
hroat, eat properly. and keep himself P
ean and sweet and pure. But those G
no have this illusion should travel in d
heir Imagination to the crowded dis X
lets of New York, whence a vast pro- V
)rtion of these students come. Remem p
ar that thousands of these BOYS are 4
d to take intelligent care of their boi a
$ for the first time in their lives on p
ltering the preparatory department of CO
lis institution. And is it not also easy e
see that these boys go back to their cs
,mes and spread habits of cleanliness nj
ID decent living among a multitude of a
theirs. mothers, brothers, sisters and e
lends? ee
$50 clearly is the work of vast i'm. 81
rtance that brief account OF it is eli
[ down here, first because il is inter- je
ting. and second because il is an H. nc
stration of an institution finding that I'll
great special problem lay at its door Re
d then meeting it. The fundamental co
cory seems to he that the city does co
t care to eXpend its funds in edueat tn