OCR Text |
Show b h A MATTER WORTH WHILE Tho Logan City School Hoard is a splendid organization. It Is mado up of men who appear to bo eminently qualified for the work which they havo in hand, and what Is more they seem to enter en-ter Into tho work with n truo spirit of educators. As a result tho public school system of tho city has been brought to n high stato of perfection, one that has won It tho high praise from peonip com PL-tent to speak with authority upon such matters. Uut there aro yet some serious defects In tho system nnd among these Is the practice on tho part of too ninny of tho teachers of sending tho children chil-dren home londcd with studies to prepare for the following day No child between tho ages of six nnd twelve yenrs should be compelled to put In moro than five hours a day in school work. From nlno o'clock In tho morning to threo o'clock In tho afternoon, with ono hour taken out for dinner and tho brief rests given at recess Is all tho tlmo that should bo required re-quired of any child during UiIb period of Its growth Ono of tho serious defects of our present education al system is tho practice, amounting almost to a crazo of cramming tbo llttlo immaturo minds with so-called intellectual facts. Tbo result is that the physical standard of American school children l bolng gradually lowered. Too many young bojs leave school Innguld nnd listless with their health oftentimes seriously Impaired, nnd too many yonim women nro llttlo better than nervous wrecks, by tho tlmo they havo finished up their work In the eighth grade of tho public schools. In Bomo cases llttlo eight and nlno year olds uro required to work out fifteen nnd twenty problems prob-lems In nn evening, as well as other studies In the course, with tho result that glasses aro becoming altogether too common nnd the period of childhood Instead of bolng largely a period for play.jls taking on much of tho responsibility of moro mature man hood and womnnhood. ' Now wo do not place tho blame for tills coiuli tlon of things directly on tho school hoard of tho city, but tho fact remains that someono Is responsible respon-sible nnd whether It bo tho teacher, who In too mnny cases is nmbitlous to push her pupils nheal of tho other class, oftentimes overlooking tho more essential requisite, namely, that of preparing the child to meet life. In the telling demand, which tho present strenuous llfo Is making on tho Individual, Indi-vidual, health should bo tho first consideration of nil persons responsible for tho oducaloh of the .child. This fact, however is too often! lost sight of and tho unwlso prnctlce substituted nf tending puroly to tho Intellectual development of tho Individual, Indi-vidual, oftentimes nt n cost that entirely incapacitates incapaci-tates tbo Individual for future- usefulness. Tho practice should bo absolutely abolished. Wo look forward with confidence to the time when homo study will bo entirely eliminated from the children In tho grammar grades. In too many enses tho study proves llttlo less thnn n force nnd nn ex-cuso ex-cuso for tho growing girl or boy to get out of tho llttlo Items of houso work thnt would contribute largely to tho relief of the over taxed mother or tho tired father, and only n few conscientious ones of tho class nro mado the victims of the practice Nothing can take tho place of perfect physical honlth. Without health tho Individual cannot rlso to his highest posslblltles, and health undermined In tho yenrs of childhood Is bound to prove n serious seri-ous handicap throughout tho wholo future life of the Individual. "v,T7j Wo trust this matter will bo taken up nt or.co by tho school board of tho city nnd so vividly Impressed Im-pressed upon tbo minds of tho various school principals prin-cipals and teachers In tho different classes tnnt tho practice will bo entirely nbollshed now and for ever from tho public school system of Lngnn. |