The Arizona copper camp., 1920-04-03

improved 100 per cent since the ad
vent of the nurse into the schools
they are more attractive and more
efficient in their work.
Speak to the children of Sonora re-
s. garding this marked change, and their
reply will indicate that they have a
nurse who teaches them to be cleanly
and admonishes that, if they fail to
practice at home what she teaches,
they will be cleansed in school, and
rather than submit to the humiliation
of being washed" at school, which at
first appeared to be real fun, they
F. now perform this ceremony at home
before their departure, having learned
that the nurse will clean them if they
come otherwise. They now under
stand that cleanliness means i'm
proved health, which means that they
will naturally feel better, think better,
act more normally, all of which re-
fleets itself in improved work on the
child's part. THAT is the ultimate goal
for which the school nurse is striving
Ito improve the children.
Recently the nurse offered a prize
to the two classes which would make
the best appearance from the time the
prize was offered to the end of the
school term. This offer has caused
friendly rivalry between the various
classes, all of whom, lie the meantime,
are doing better work as the benef.
cial results accrue from their i'm
proved general condition. To show
how earnestly and intently they be-
come interested, an instance is cited:
A boy in his teens purchased a tooth
brush and some paste. He actually
carried these two articles with him
for week to impress upon his SUI
periors the psychological effect of his
ownership. They indicated that they
We're being used just as judiciously
Time off, or absent days, which
means loss of time for the pupils, has
been reduced to a minimum. AS an
instance, during the recent epidemic
Of la grippe, as soon as the nurse or
any of the teachers found the chill
dren were in the slightest degree af
fected, the ''ounce of prevention is
worth pound of cure" formula was
applied, with the result there were
fewer children i'll.
AS regards malnutrition: This is a
disease which reliable authority tells
us today afflicts about six million
children. Is it not worth some con-
sideration? Progress is being made
in the Ray schools which is very en-
scouraging. The remedy can hardly
be applied until the fundamental
causes are determined, which, in most
instances, prove to he improperly ven
i tilated sleeping quarters, poorly pre-
pared and unbalanced meals; diseased
tonsils, bad or imperfect teeth, hur-
ried eating, improper mastication, and
various other habits, which children,
as well as grown people, are too prone
to form. The school is the proper
place to start treating the malnutri-
ton, when all else has been done to
properly nourish the child prior to
his entrance.
The parents in Ray and Sonora are
to be treated to a course of lectures
which will qualify them to properly
select the foods, ascertain the rela
tive valuel of heat units therein, and
above all, how to prepare and serve
the dishes and make them nourishing
and paltable. This is a part of the
home economics now taught in the
Ray and Sonora public schools and
those children who measure up to the
standard are reflecting the lasting
benefit in the advancement they make
in their studies. The child of today
who is the individual of tomorrow
who fails to measure up to the stand
ard of today will have a hard time
meeting the requirements of the adult
constantly being raised 1t is neces
sary, therefore, that the parents as
sumo some interest in this subjec
and cooperate with the teachers tt
learn what is necessary to improve
the mental and physical characters
tics of their children, and then pro
ceed to adopt such methods or i'm
prove the environments as will insure
the child having what is needed, in
stead of wasting energy and time il
allowing the child to drift along in al
apparently listless and undirectec
channel The actual foundation o
our future government rests upon tn,
superstructure which we today ar
preparing in our public schools, AM
if their physical and moral develop