Year: 1874

Schools and Eyes.


The Philadelphia Ledger has recently


been calling attention to the strain


necessarily placed upon the eyes of the


public school pupils In that city, and
sharply criticises the want of adapta.
tion in the structure of the buildings
to the heath of those ornamental and
useful organs. Themain point of these
criticisms Is by no means exclusively
applicable to Philadelphia. The
public schO0l-hOuses there are, on an
average, better arranged in this re-
spect than they are in many other
places. At all events, the fault is far
from being a peculiar or uncommon
one. If there is any part of the earth's
surface where schools are to be found
at all In which the same deficiency
does not exist, we must acknowledge
our ignorance of even the name OF
that happy locality.


The increasing prevalence of GER
tain defects of the eye has been for
many years subject of serious con-
sideratiOn and investigation i'm Ger
many. Cases of near-sightedness es-
pecially have i'm that country been
found to be becOmingmOren numerous.
Similar Investigations would un-
dOubtedly develop something like
this state of affairs here, though not
to the same degree. But however
our country may in regard to these
points compare with Germany or
any other nation, there is quite
enough here to demand the earnest
attention of parents, teachers, ply
sicians, and all others who take an
interest in the welfare of the boys
and girls who are growing up. A
disease of the eye, it is true, does not
often endanger life; nor is near
sightedness as serious a calamity as
the loss Of limb. But man, and
especially an educated man, who on
account of chronic inflammation of the
cOnjunctive or incipient amaurOsis is
forbidden by his physician to read or
study, except perhaps for very short
time by daylight each day, is de-
prived of privileges for which to
many individuals no amount of
money, however great, would be
substitute. The inconvenience to
which near-sighted man is subject
ed, whether he wears spectacles or
goes without them, are often no
slight matter. Nor are they always
mere Inconvenience. There. are
many:emplOyments from which he is,
where the defect exists in serious
degree, either practically excluded,
or in the exercise of which he is SUBJ
jected to great impediments and diff
culties.


The question of the condition of
school pupils eyes relates not only to
the manner but to the extent of their
use. Many children, particularly
those under ten or twelve years of
age, are required to keep their eyes
upon the pages Of books fully twice
as much as they ought to be. Excess
sive labor of the eyes is one of the
ways i'm which schOol-bOys and
schoolgirls, through the misdirected
zeal OF their parents to give them
good education, are often i'm n grand
measure deprived OF the power of
enjoyment or using that education
after they have got it. Unhappily, it
is not the only way.


1t would be an exceedingly valua-
bic investigation If medical gentle
men of skill and reputation should be
employed to make u careful examin-
alton of the eyes of the pupils of the
public schools of our large cities.
This could probably be done with lit
tie expense. There are scientific men
of high standing who would, we
should imagine, be glad to assist in
the work for little compensation.
The results of such an investigation
would, unquestionably, startle the
community. Whether the work
would Immediately accomplish any
thing more than merely to create q
sensation on the subject, we do not
know. But i'm any, case it would set
some people thinking about the mat
ter who never gave it any attention
before, and would ultimately, if not
at once, produce beneficial effects.
There is scarcely any branch of hy-
giene i'm regard to which so much def
mite and tangible knowledge could
be obtained by scientific examinations
and investigations of the kind of
which we are speaking as that which
relates to the health and preservation
of the organs of sight. Indeed, some
OF the defects to which they are liable
Noh bC WIFI CtI-
tainty, but defined with almost math-
ematical exactness. This is especially
true.Of the important and, as we have
already intimated, increasing defect
of near-sightedness. 1t. is almost as
easy to know how near.sighted an in
dividual is as how tall he is or how
many pounds he weighs. Any good
optician or oculist could i'm a couple
of hours or less find out the exact con-
dition in this respect of every lndi-
vidual in pretty large school.


We have had room In this article to
do nothing more than call attention
to the general subject of it. Particu-
lar illustrations, however, of the evils
to which we have been alluding will,
we doubt not, at once occur to many
Of our readers, especially those Of
them " @hO are the parents of children
attending either public or private
schools. These illustrations would,
we fear, present themselves still more
numerOusly and fOrcibly If parents
and others interested in the educa-
ton Of children would more general
ly than Is now the case take the in