Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1916-01-20
DIR. R. W. GAY LECTURES.
To The Ladies of the Mothers and
Patrons Club
WE NEED MORE SCHOOL ROOM.

$3.50
remember the time when l was not
in favor of it.
You may ask, "What has that to
do with School Hygiene ?" l answer
you that it has a great deal to do
with it. l have always thought
that our women should have a
voice, especially in u public schools
have always felt that our schools
needed them and would be better in
every way if we had them. Most of
our fathers are too busy with the
bread winning phase of life to
stop and consider carefully, the, So
called, small things, that go to
make school life as pleasant, health
full and profitable as it should and
could be made.
1t is usually the mother who
looks after the health and hygienic
life of the child; she is the one who
is first to notice the symptoms of
any commencing trouble. This be-
ing true, she naturally is more care
full about the things that safeguard
her children. When we stop to con-
slider that we have over 100000
school children in the United States,
that this number of children spend
an average of six hours a day in the
school room, or taken as a whole,
11,415 years in a single day, isn't it
fair that they should have every
thing done to make the life as
healthful and as free from danger
as possible .? The ideal school can
not be maintained in all localities, we
know, but it is only by looking for
improvements, setting u standards
high and working up to them, that
our ideals are reached in anything
One of the first considerations and
really the most important one, is
that of not overerowding our school
rooms, and of supplying plenty of
fresh air all the time. If u school
is overcrowded, it is impossible to
get good results, even with the best
system of ventilation. 1t follows
hat the place to men is in pro-
viding room for all with an adequate
number of teachers. The results
which are being obtained by the open
air shcool method are really marvel
Gus, and this method is rapidly gain
ing ground over the entire country.
Of course we can not attribute these
results to fresh air alone, as these
schools not only have the open air.
but they are provided with a good
corps of competent teachers who
have been trained in nursing.
The children are given a daily
shower bath, daily feeding and a
proper period Of rest, etc.
Disease is no longer considered as
the penalty or consequence of a poor
inheritance, but rather that of igno-
rance If a child develops tuberculo-
sis, it is not because it inherited the
disease, but because it did not have
the proper food, air and protection
against the infectious agent; the re-
suit of carelessness and ignorance.
The period Of life generally desig-
mated as childhood is between three
and ten years, and is from a hygienic
standpoint the most important OF
any of the life periods. 1t is during
these years that there is a greater
tendency to catarrhal conditions and
a susceptibility to tuberculosis infec-
ton. 1t is now generally believed
that a large majority of tuberculous
people are infected in childhood
This is accounted for by the fact
that during early childhood, we have
the, socalled, eruptive diseases, such
as measles and scarlet fever, throat
diseases, ETC., all of which make a
fertile field for tubercular troubles
if not taken care of and properly
treated. If these things be true, and
they are true, is it right, is it Just
to take a child, compel it by law tc
attend school six hours a day, shut
1t up In an overcrowded, poorly venti.
lated room with other children suf.
fering with all manner of diseases
and not try to make things better
if it is in our power to do so ? How
often did l hear, years ago, of the
number of children Miss Fanny
Markham had crowded into her pr.
mary department. Children just al
the age when such things should moi
be. When we look at the financia.
side of childhood, when we think Of
all the worry, sorrow and suffering
attending the birth and growth Of
of u children, does it not seen
strange that we should be SO slow ir
providing them with all the things
in III schools that are necessary Il
prepare them in the best manner pos.
sible, both physically and mentally
for the long battle through the rest
Of their lives ?
The matter of PREVENTION and by.
giene is going to be a greater factor
in os4f lives as time goes on. / an
confident that the time will come
when such diseases as scarlet fever
typhoid fever, measles, diptheria
etc. will be almost unknown; in fac
we will hardly hear Of them at all.
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