Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-01-26
CH|LDR EN- 'REPEATERs"
At PUBLIC SCHOOL
Detectives Who Stay is Same Grade
Year After Year An Expense
On County and State
SCHOOL wASTE--NOT GRAFT.
Night Session Of Conference Of Char
tiles and Correction---Noted Speak
ers Make Stirring Addresses.


The evening session of the Confer
ence of Charities and Correction was
opened with prayer by the Rev Or.
Jos. p. McComas, Rector of st. Anne's.
DR.. c. Hampson Jones, chairman of the
Committee on Health. presided.
The principal speaker of the even
| ing was DR.. Taliaferro Clarke. sur
geon in ~the United States Public
Health Service, who is conducting a
| school survey in Maryland His re-
marks related to the work which he is
now carrying on. DR.. Clark said that
the work extended to a thorough ex-
animation of the sanitary conditions
surrounding each school. the illumina-
| ton, the humidity and other qualities
of the atmosphere and the medical and
mental condition of each pupil The
examination into the sanitation of the
school, he said, included that of the
water supply and sewerage
The health survey work, DR.. Clarke
said. had the broadest governmental
basis, as the better health of the pupils
made better students, and the progress
of government and civilization depend
ed upon the education of its citizens.
The survey. he said, determined The
mental defcients and made it possible
for the special degree of instruction
necessary for them to be given. thus
making II unnecessary foi the teachers
to keep back the whole class in efforts
instruct those who were incapable OF
receiving It.
Or. Clark said that the survey work
was most valuable to the community
Us it was often, through this means.
that the sources of infectious diseases
We're ascertained. 1t was often found
also. that defects and weaknesses of
children were being improperly treated
there being, in particular. piany cases
where children were not fitted with
proper glasses. 1t has been found. he
said that many children We're kept
from school for reasons which could
be prevented, and one OF the activities
of the survey was &c reduce these
causes and also to lessen truancy By
making schools moro attractive.
Miss Persis X. Miller gave ali inter
esting account of the work which is
being done in School No. 76. of Balti-
more, an open air institution TIL
school. she said had been in existence
for three years and results were being
shown. She said that simple and in
expensive equipments were all that
was necessary the school having work
ed effectively in an ordinary tent. The
other speaker was Edward A. Moree of
the State Department of Health of New
York. VINO spoke on General District
of County Hospitals for Advanced
Cases of tuberculosis.
DR.. Moree's paper was the gem of the
evenings program but the hour was so
late tht many were Obliged to leave
to make outgoing cars. and his effort
was lost on but handful of auditors
The paper was so complete in de
tail and comprehensive so forceful
and convincing it should be read before
the joint body of the Maryland legis-
lature. To some of the laity, Or. Moree
said tuberculosis is only word, and a
tumble of letters, and he cited a forci-
bic incident by way of illustration He
said we are prone to think our legisla-
tors and officeholders and "our SER
wants" to do our bidding, and run
ffaround with our card tray.but We find
out the difference after time He ad-
vocated responsiveness and tact in
dealing with lawmakers, rather than
the copper toe boot forcefulness.
Miss Miller said trained nurse
| is an absolute necessity as a school at
tendance officer with progress along
this line of work. She stands for econ
omy and efficiency, she keeps in touch
with the home, the mother and the child
| and the nurse is an absolute essential.
Miss Miller told OF the children re
peaters" those who stay in one grade
two and three years instead of one,
and are barriers to the school, besides
| waste from an economic standpoint.
She said there is not graft in public
/ school monies, but waste due to school
| not turning out the product for which
! the State and county pays
Statistics show that seventy per cent
| Of children who are "repeaters' is due
| to sickness. They are sub-normal.
! Make the children healthy and give
! them proper food and there is not
HAUSA uaiSCA VI uiSSdSe OF CO0IdS1On.
She told of how she had taken a cen
sus of ''repeaters' in a Baltimore
school mad and found in the school
system five hundred years were lost
by these children repeating the same
grade. and the State was not getting a
! product for $4,000 1t is a matter of
dollars and cents and civic economics
and upon this was based the need OF
open air schools for defective children
and the result has been wonderfully
| successful
DIR. Clarke struck the keynote when
he said "illiteracy is a great drawback
TO democracy. and TO representative
government" NO sick community
can be wealthy community. Poverty
is no mean thing in a community, and
| this is why the Government is con-
| cerned. By taking note when we are
young we can raise the standard of