Arizona republican., 1916-02-07
Mesa News Notes
LARGE CROWD HEARS
 TALK BY MISS BLAIR

was piano solo. "Au Matin." by Miss LUderman, followed with a reading by Mrs. A. M. Davis. entitled. An Order for a Picture
 Miss Blair, physical director of the Tempe Normal had been invited to address the meeting and she respond ed with an interesting talk on the Need of Physical Development in the Public Schools" Miss Blair said, ir part Health is fast becoming the most important educational feature Of the day. It is comparatively a new subject 2s introduced into the schools, but the change in the manner of liV- ing and the surroundings of the Amer ican people has of necessity brought into prominence the matter of health preservation. The complex has taken the place of the simple life of former days, and the result is more or less of depletion of nervous energy. It is unfortunate that this subject has not : received the attention in the homes which it's great importance justifies ard demands. The parent is prima rilv 'esponsi1l 1le tor the proper phYsi-
  surrounded by the multitude of duties of everyday life the parent far too often fails in this supreme respOnsi- bllitY Fortunate indeed is ii for the | future If the American nation that both parents and teachers are being aroused to the vital necessity of tn" l conservation of the physical force and 1 energy of the child. The nineteenth century marked the period of much agitation of the question of the con- 1 servation of the natural resources of our country; the twentieth is destined l to become the period of the agitation l of the far more necessary matter. viz: the conservation of the physical | resources of the boys and girls of the | land. In the pas. We went to extremes 1 in the way of mental improvement to 1 the neglect of the physical being. To- J day, education is taking into cOnsid- eration the mental and physical be- | ing of the pupil.
 Every child has the divine right to bc rightly born. The child in it's in 1 stinCts relives the lives of the past, and as this generation of school pupils become strong in their bodies and pure in their thought and clear and keen in their thinking. so will the l generations of the future profit l thereby
 We make a mistake in our classi- fication of our children. The boy or girl in school who remains unusually quiet and is inactive physically, max ing no noise, seemingly giving the | least trouble to the teacher, is apt t. | ho classified bv the teacher as the good child. More likely. it is case i of physical indifference to action. TT c ! child is not up to normal in it's physl- cal development Instead of this be- ing the natural it is in reality the un- | natural condition of childhood Move ment, activity means development no | less physically than mentally. Physi- i cal education comes in here to pro vide such artificial exercise in the school as shall take the place of the natural exercise during the vacation season. We have done this in the Kim derearten and to some extent in tho athletics of the high school, but nave woefullN neglected the physical edu- cation of the grades. Every pup: should have both physical eXamina- !; ton and dental inspection twice each year Thus would we keep in touch with ;he needs of the child Tn addi tion to this precaution it may be said that ignorance in matters of such common subjects as proper food sup
 llv and preparation is ineXcusable I Books on these subjects are too num- 1 erous to permit of any excuse foI lack of knowledge.
 The study of proper posture is an
 other important work in the physical
 development of the pupil There are
 distinct diseases which arise from inn
 proper Dosture-rOund shoulders, ardo-
 sis, curvirg in of back, protrusion o
 abdomen and curvature of the spine
 At present we are spending too mucl
 time en leavoring to correct the de
 fleets Of the carly years of untrainet school life. The child should be takel
 when first entering school, and pro
 aressive physical development b.
 given it, guarding against even in
 cipient laxity as to improper posture
 and promoting such exercises as shal serve to keep the physical being in tn
 best possible condition"
 At the close of Miss Blair's ad
 dress a vote of thanks was given. l
 was stated that the Alma school dis
 trict would probably put in list c
 books for the use of the Parent Teach
 CTS Association.