The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1924-07-11


ground, each carefully covering his
head or putting himself so that his
face was in the shade, but exposing
the rest Of his body to the rays of the
noon day sun. After half an hour they
gathered in a line, still in the open
air, and trooped under the primitive
little shower bath which made a
constant cooling, cleansing stream
about their bodies.
1000 Cured.
Then dinner, and rest, and an ex
c6rsion into the woods. It was well
worked out program for making weak
children strong. These children have
tuberculosis in its earlier non-infeo
tious stages. They stay for six months
in this forest school in the woods and
are then returned to their homes. One
thousand children have already passed
thru this single school.
But do you not find that they grow
Ill again under the old conditions oil
home and SCHOOL," asked the Amer
lean visitors.
I'VE follow them UP rather care
fully" was the answer. while they
are here in the forest school they not
only are we'll cared for, but we teach
them the rules of hygiene, how tc
breathe, how to care for themselves
generally. We also teach them how tc
study, so that their school work will
no longer be so difficult for them. Ant
we have conferences every Sunday
with the parents, insisting upon the
need of clean surroundings and fresh
air.
Few slip Back.
"Then when the children are ready
to leave, they are given little record
books. They are graduated as Fores
scholars. The idea is instilled int
them that they are the pioneers in thu
children's health Of all Russia, ant
that wherever they go, must stand fol
the principles Of hygiene they learned
We explain to them also how II
practice these principles under diff
ficult conditions.
mo, we do not find that many o.
them slip back. On the contrary, We
feel that most of these children came
to us at turning point in their lives
when they were slipping down intC
tuberculosis, and that now, after these
six months, they go back with habits
of living which will keep them grow
ing stronger and stronger"
There are eighty forest schools IL
Russia now, thirty OF them being II
Moscow alone. Forest School No. Il
the model to which other teachers ant
doctors come for instruction and train
ing. 1t not only cares for children, bu
makes scientific Investigations into
the whole question of child care IL
the early stages of tuberculosis, and
is making discoveries which will give
it scientific standing in this subjec
turnout the world.
Discover New Mental Result.
One very interesting discovery
which they are not willing yet to re
gard as final, but which is based on q
thousand cases, shows relation be
tween tuberculosis and various men
tai conditions in children. These chill
dren are on the one hand more emo
tional, less able to concentrate, more
hot tempered than the average child
on the other hand, they show greater
artistic talent. Teachers from the
public schools who have handled
normal children, have noticed the diff
ference in the work here. It is at
tributed to the slightly feverish con
dition and the stimulation which this
gives to the brain, and which leads on
the one hand to the instability and on
the other hand to the imaginative ex.
preston.
They were a happy little bunch
there in the woods near Moscow. They
themselves do not claim to have
started anything new, but merely to
have taken the ideas known about
forest schools and to have applied
them to Russia. The form of organiza
ton, and the methods will bear com
parison with any work anywhere;
while the spirit is something freei
and more joyous than in most schools
ALL - ed