River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-07-16
EDUCATIONAL TALKS
TO PARENTS
WHAT TO Do WITH OUR DULL
CHILDREN
By Prof. NJ. v. O'Shea, Department
of Education, University of Wis
consin.
Article No. 2.

1t has been found that a con-
siderable proportion of pupils are
dull because they have defective
hearing. This may be due to ac-
cumulations in the external ear, or
/ it may be due to congestion in the
nostrils. It is practically certain
that any child whose head is stuff
ed up cannot hear With distinct
ness, and it would be a safe BET
that SO out of 100 such children
/ will be more or less dull, unre
sponsive, and stupid. Such child
rem will be handicapped in this
competition with other children
| who are normal in this respect
/ Any parents or teachers who have
dull child on their hands ought
| certainly to make a test of the
acuity of his hearing. Sometimes
/ peculiar facial and bodily habits
| are due to inability to hear clear
| ly in one ear, while the other may
be normal. In such case the
child may unconsciously cock his
head in such a way as to bring
his good ear into line with the
voice or sound he wishes to hear.
When any such idiosyncrasy is OBJ
served, the parent or the teacher
ought not to delay moment in
! making a test. 1t would be best,
| of course, if such a child could bI
| taken to comp tent phy4ican VIII,
| would examine his ears thorough
| ly, and also his nasal condition,
| and who would test keenness Oh
| hearing. But test can easily be
made in the home or in the schoOi
| by putting the child in a quiet
room, blindfolding him, and not
ing at what distance he can hear
the ticking of a watch, first with
one ear then with the other. The
position of the watch must be
| varied without the experimental
walking back and forth SO thai
the child can hear him, or else the
latter will be influenced by sug-
gestion.
One of the important causes OF
dullness is the growth of super
fluous tissue in the lower part o.
breathing passages, a sort OF third
ltonsil, known as adenoid tissue.
/ il child who is afflicted with .ade-
noids always shows it in his fea-
lures. The mouth usually hangs
open. There is an absence of ex-
preston in the face. AT night
the child struggles for breath, and
never has a quiet rest. Not once
in a hundred cases will such a
child be thoroughly bright and
capable mentally. The only re-
medy is to have the adenoids re-
moved by a competent physician.
In some cities to-day, every child
is examined for adenOids, and for
enlarged tonsils, both of which
interfere with perfect respiration,
and SO produce low tone in mind
and body. This trouble is very
common among American children
In some families every child is al
flicted with both adenoids and
enlarged tonsils; and unless they
be removed, there will be dull
ness and even stupidity in every
member of such family.
/ Again, extensive Investigations
have shown that cigarette smok-
ing among boys is a very frequent
cause of dullness. In a number OF
|
| something like go per cent of the
| boys who cannot do school WORK
| are addicted to cigarette smoking
| 1t is really a deadly thing for a
| boy anywhere from twelve to
| twenty years of age to get into
the habit Of using tabacco in any
| form. 1t acts as narcotic which
/ depresses mind and body. A wise
/ parent will do everything to keep
/ his boy away from the temptation
! to use tabacco. 1t won't do much
/ good simply to command him not
/ to use it, if he associates With
/ those who do use it. Mere COM
mands are for the most part use
less. But if the parents in any
/ neighborhood. would get together
and devise practical ways of keep
ing their boys occupied and away
| from temptation, they would ac-
complish vastly more than to
threaten boys if they smoke, or to
/ give them formal instructions in
/ regard to the evil effects of smok-
| ing. Properly supervised public
! Fairgrounds in cities are accom-
plishing a good deal in this dir
ection. The danger is often great
est in small towns, where there is
/ III DOyS W w bdI ~ 49,.
around the saloon, the railroad
station, the livery stable. and the
barber shop.
There is another very prominent
cause of dullness in boys and girls,
tea and coffee drinking. Inves-
| LEGATIONS have been made in some
of our cities, and it has been found
that when children below the age
/ of seventeen and eighteen drink
| tea and coffee their effects are
more or less disasterous upon the
action oftheirminds.
Nature never intended that
| child should use any kind OF
artificial stimulant; and tea and
coffee are very active stimuiants
for most persons, and for .oracti-
caily all children. Keep tea and
coffee away from your children,
| if you want them to develop mem
Al IN fTa we,