The Adair County news., 1914-12-23
To the Adair Fiscal Court.
Gentlemen

AS one of your county officers, L
have been in the habit of making an
annual report, to show you what l
have been doing, and to show you es-
pecially as to the condition of the
public schools. The law requires the
Health Officer of each county to visit
the school each year to look after their
sanitary condition, the condition of
the school houses, and the children, to
look after the health of the teachers,
and the children, and especially as to
the ventilation and water Supply-to
see that no epidemic disease is lurking
around, and aiming to seize on the I'M
suSpecting children. The schools this
year have been singularly fortunate in
freedom from epidemic disease. Not
a school has been suspended on &C.
count of measles or mumps, or scarlet
fever, or diptheria. The plan has
been. to send the sick children home,
and let the school 60 on. L cannot
tell as TO the death rate, until the
registrars of vital statistics have been
made at the end Of the year. Very
few school children have died. Very
few of the teachers have been sick.
The teachers and the children have
very much improved in sanitation,
and the children can teach their par
entS very much on that subject.
Quite number of new school houses
have been built ia the year, but not
one CT them has been built in accord
ance with the law of ventilation.
None OF the contractors or builders
ever consulted me on this subject
There is not one of the new houses
that would not condemn as to their
ventilation. There is absolutely no
way for the poisoned air to escape
from the school rooms, except through
the stove pipes at the top of the
houses. As to attendance at the
school this year. it is bad. Only So
per cent, have found in attendance
this year, without any explanation as
TO the whereabouts of the other AZ
per cent. The attendance this year
fell 20 short of the attendance last
year, and 1000 short of the attendance
the gear before. Now there was one
reason for the non attendance this
year that did not lie against the non
attendance last year, and that was a
change OF school books which ought
always TO take place, if Il
take place at all, before h e
schools begin. The superintendent
told me on several occasions that he
would not undertake to enforce the
compulsory school law, while the chill
dren could not get the books that the
law required them to have. Taking
this book question into consideration,
the schools have done better this year
than they did last. But that compul-
sorry law should be rigidly enforced,
and l have no doubt but it will be
hereafter by the superintendent, with
the cooperation of the teachers and
trustees. The trustees of the schools
have been conspicuous by their alb.
sence from the schools when L have
been present. [ don't know what the
law requires of the trustees, but i
have an idea that it requires them to
visit the schools occasionally at least.
L spoke while ago of very few of the
school children having died. That is
true. And yet many of them have
been sick, without knowing it. A
campaign for the eradication of the
hookwOrm in Adair county was made
partially, and the fact was discovered
that more than one-half of the people
o. our county are sick without know
ing it. In 1900 cases examined, il va!
found that 456 were infested with hool
worm, 90S with round worm and IS
with stomach worm, ard 81 Will
dwarf tape worm;and scarcely one o
these 1900 people was complaining o
being sick. Many of the children
lack the rosy cheeks and the spark
ling eye which we are in the habit o
seeing among school children. Nam
of them on the ether hand have ;
pale, dull, haggard look, which is mo-
common, and not natural. The worm,
are sucking the life blood from then
and leaving them in no condition tt
study, and in no humor for play.
In the last weeks News there is ar
editorial speaking in high terms o.
-Adair county'S attendance at The
schools; makes it the second in the
State, and lauds the county for it.
fine showing in the public schools
Says the county had an average at
tendance of 68 per cent. This was il
1912 when the people thought they
had a compulsory school law. If tn,
editor had looked at the ATTENDING,
in 1911, he would have seen that tn,
per cent, was only 81 And if he hac
looked at the year 1913. and the Yea