Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-23
Prof. Wood Tells Educational
Convention Stun Children
Have Advantage.
THINKS MILLIONS WASTED
IN CARE OF DETECTIVES
Believes Money Spent for Teaching
Backward Ones Could Be Saved
if Spent for Prevention.

DETROIT. Mich February "a
Among the notable statements made at
the forty-sixth annual meeting Of tn.
National Education Association was the
one that the slum children of the large
cities are generally more healthy than
the pupils in rural schools. The au-
thority for this was Prof. Thomas r.
Wood of Columbia University. New
York. Improvement of rural school
conditions and dividing school courses
into two six-year periods were the
principal questions considered.
Discussing the latter problem. Charles
H. Judd, director of the University Of
Chicago's School of Education. said.
in part:
The upper elementary grades are he
ing departmentalized and the courses
are being greatly enriched. Within
the high school there is also urgent
need for reorganization. The four
years of high school work as at pres
ent arranged are inadequate to give
the student a general survey of human
experience.
For Junior High School Plan.
conditions are ripe for a general re-
organization through the development
of the junior high school plan, which
will provide continuous rational
scheme of education for the individual
student"
Dean S. S. Marquis. head of the So
Geological department of the Ford MO-
tor Company. outlined the Ford idea IN
education.
Delegates to the annual meeting OF
the National Association of Teachers
Agencies were warned by Charles n
Judd that the rise of teachers agencies
was explained by the fact there is lack
of public control of appointments, and
that misuse of the service which the
agencies offer would result in legisla-
ton making their function part of the
public educational system of the
states.
More than 1000 delegates thus far
have been enrolled with the prospects
that the attendance would pass the
5000 mark. Omaha, Kansas City, Min
neapoiis and Milwaukee are contenders
for the next meeting.
Slum Children More Healthy.
School children of the city slums are
healthier as rule than those who
attend rural schools. was the startling
declaration made by Mr.. Wood. who
is professor of physical education at
Columbia University. Mr.. Wood urged
that school authorities in the country
districts devote more attention and
money to the physical welfare OF
school children. He suggested that
the preservation OF pupiPs health Is
a problem which seldom has been
properly dealt with in the country.
THE general death rate in rural New
York has for FIVE years been greater
than that of New York city" he said.
Apparently within the last decade or
~f ~tx,a has
declined below that of the cities or
perhaps 1t is truer to say that within
this period the standards of living and
health of the cities have risen above
those of the rural regions.
Healthy Are Moving to Cities.
Much of the best human stock~par-
ticularly within the last half century.
has moved from the farms to the
cities.
Our schools are spending millions
in educating or trying to educate chill
dren who are kept back by i'll health.
The expenditure of thousands in
judicious health program would pro-
duce an extraordinary saving in
economy and efficiency.
Mr. Wood recommended that rural
schools adopt general health rules IN
GLIDING regular examination by health
experts OF all SchOOl CnhuTeH. eAdfliHd-
ton and care of scholars teeth; serv-
ice of a school or district nurse; warm
lunches; effective health instruction:
sanitary buildings: generous space for
outdoor recreation, and better trained
and better paid teachers.
Rapid Reading More Retentive.
A report on results Of the studies or
the reading. carried on as a part of
the Cleveland school survey. was given
today to the national council Of educa-
ton by Charles H. Judd. The disrinc-
ton between oral and silent reading
was shown in Prof. Judd's report by
means of a diagram which exhibited
the fact THAI oral reading is slower
than silent reading.
Another diagram indicated that the
slow readers are. in general. inefficient
in the reproduction of what they have
read, while rapid readers, in general.
are able to give an account of what
they have read. The report further in
dictated that in the early years train
Ing is most effective on the formal side
of reading, while in the upper years
emphasis should be laid on the inter-
probation Of passages