Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-02
HEALTH LEAGUES
ny n. ADDINGTON BRUCE.
Copyright, 1912

Education for health is now recog
nized as q vital national need. T.
promote it health leagues have beeI
| organized in many schools. The!
should be organized in every school II
,, the country.
1t has already been found that whel
| properly organized the children re
spond heartily to the appeal of thu
league They quickly learn its rules
for hygienic living. willingly compl!
with them, and soon begin to show
good results in the way of improved
health.
The experience Of group of schools
| in western Massachusetts, is typica
| Of what may be expected from q wei
organized health league.
esta blished last year, with the fol
lowing simple rules, which the chill
dren were urged to observe as faith
fully as possible:
keep clean. Wash face. hands.
neck and ears every day. Battle
once a week; better. every day. Do
not use common towel
'wash hands and clean finger
nails before eating. Do not bite
your hngernails. Do not put in
your mouth fingers, money. paper
or pencils. Do not put in your
mouth fruit. candy or chewing
gum used by another.
Clean your teeth every day. AL
ways use your own brush.
sleep eight hours, better ten
hours. Sleep with windows open.
"sit and stand. erect. Practice
deep breathing. Breathe through
| nose. keeping mouth closed. Stand
DO not drink tea or coffee. Drink
milk and cocoa.
Never cough or sneeze into an
other persons face. Use handker-
chief. Do not spit on floors or
sidewalks.
Never work in poor light or
with light shining directly in eyes.
Keep out of doors. Let sunshine
into your rooms"
In these brief rules a tremendou:
amount OF sensible advice is packed
And they are so simply worded' tha'
That the children in the western
Massachusetts schools have grasped
and profited from them is evident
from their teachers reports now
available. One teacher notes:
Mornings we ask questions con
sleeping with windows open. ETC.. and
give credits to those who have KEPT
the rules. Averaging UP the marks
after this mornings report, we have
found that the average is over IS pei
cent. There has been a marked i'm
provement In their appearance"
Another says:
81 am glad to say have seen
great Improvement in nearly every
child's appearances. / know they are
interested in the league, as each one
is anxious to get as many credits al
possible"
And still q third:
att has been rather difficult to get
a certain and true report as to some
facts, but Knowing the families qui.e
we'll, and judging from my own OBJ
servation as to cleanliness OF clothes
hands, face. nails, etc, 1 would say
that two-thirds of my number have
heen trying quite faithfully to give
special thought to the rules In gen.
.They have thought more about
their teeth especially, and, trusting to
children's truthfulness, they have all
been using a brush once day a,
least. We have had special talks on
the set of rules aside from our regular
hygiene lessons"
AS this last report suggests, much
depends on the enthusiasm OF teach-
ers and the cooperation of parents
The more these factors are secured
the greater will be the gain to the
children enrolled in the school health
league.