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Show I Coming From Ends of the Earth To Discuss Welfare "nmwmm' TPtlSm ' I . "1 CHOOL CHILDREN TAKING OUTDOOR EXERCISE CHARLES W. ELIOT, PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL IN-TERNATIONAL SCHOOL HYGIENE CONGRESS. OLKS with children of school i if'i'M Ls ngc, with those who are ln- H i 1 terested In nu"h children and these two "laiHfffl include H about all of us ought to follow closc- H ly the proceedings of the coining In- B ternatlonal congress on school hginc H ! to be held In Buffalo Aug. f rom H 1 It we shall learn much about the prop- H j er treatment ot our own children, and H I other people's children in thv. forma- H tlvc period of their lives, that they may H ii begin their active careers with the H greatest of all boons, "sound minds in H j sound bodies." H 1 The congress will be tho fourth gath- H erlng of the kind and the first held in H America To It will go delegates from j every slate In the union and from H every Important nation on earth. The 1 subject is one that is attracting ever HHEa tt rowing attiiition in civilized coun tries, and tho nations and states are sending some of their greatest scientists scien-tists nnd educators to the congress-President congress-President Wilson recently accepted, "with real plea-sure," tho honorary presidency of tho congress. The ac-! ac-! live president Is Dr. Charles V. Eliot, president emeritus or Harvard university uni-versity The program of the congress Is very ; long and covers about every phase of i the welfare of tho child while he Is In school. Light wHl be thrown on the homo conditions of the world's school children, since lljey have a direct bearing bear-ing on his welfare elsewhere, and file ph steal condition, food, training In hygiene, the training of his teacher, i he inspection of his eyes, ears, nose, j throat, his proper ClO thing, the ventl-j ventl-j laiion of classrooms, etc, will come in for thorough dlacussiun. Among the attendants at the congress con-gress will be fifty public health officers, who will discuss and hear discussions on the following topics: The organization of health departments depart-ments In schools, the relationship of the school to the board of health, the equipment training and compensation of school physicians: school nurses, school clinics, relation of health supervision super-vision In the st hools to the practice of the physician, the dentist and the hospital, hos-pital, the relation of medical and hy-, hy-, gienlc supervision In the schools to health supervision In the homes, sanitary sani-tary supervision of schoolrooms, locker lock-er rooms, swimming pools, school books and school furniture supervision super-vision of disease carriers, prevention of epidemics, 'follow up" methods and results, medical Inspection and treatment Even the lay reader, with only a general gen-eral interest in the subject, can see how bis and important the work of tho congress will be It affects not merely the child of the poor, with insufficient in-sufficient care and medical treatment at home, but the children of tho well to do and the rich since the latter are subject Just as much as the former to the attacks of children's diseases. Dr. E. O. Jordan of the University of Chicago said In a recent Issue of the Journal of tho American Medical association: as-sociation: "The school playground, as well as the schoolroom, must be considered in Its bearing on the subject of school diseases. dis-eases. The significance of school attendance at-tendance on the public health side lies not only In the assembling of children in a room, but also In the bringing Into more or less Intimate association a number of children who would otherwise other-wise not have met rtt all. Increasing the number of associates must necessarily neces-sarily Increase the chances of Infection. Infec-tion. Dlphthr-r'.a and acarlot fever show a marked increase In the autumn when the schools open and an equally definite defi-nite decrease in the summer when the achools are closed. Set rotary Blakeslee of the executive committee of the congress said recently that at least 75 per cent of the school children of the United States are physically phys-ically defective A recent inspection made In a typical achool shoWed that 26 per cent of the pupils suffered from eye strain, 6 to 12 per cent from enlarged en-larged tonsils, 12 to 2i per cent from nasal obstruction a:,d " t" ' per cent from bad teeth. One to 1 5 per cent of the school children were found to have some form of skin diseases. 10 to 30 per cent suffered from nervous disorders, dis-orders, 5 to 20 per cent had some deformity, de-formity, and 2 to 0 per cent suffered from defective hearing- It Is to the elimination of such conditions that tho work of International congresses on school hygiene Is directed. ARTHUR J- BRIXTON. WOOD TURNED TO OPAL. Wood under the chemistry of time and the elements of nature has often turned to atone, but It does not often turn Into precious stones, as in the deposits de-posits of the western parts of the United Slates. There are deposits of wood turned Into opal in Nevada, which Is manufactured Into Jewelry, specimens of which aru on the market In New York and other cities. The new Jewel consists of petrified wuod. tho fiber of which has been gradually replaced re-placed by particles of the silicate called call-ed opal. It is of dark red and blue shades, with many Hashes of color through It. In tho sunlight the stone has a fascinating play of hues. Opalescent Opal-escent wood is used for pendants, rings, etc In appearance it rivals the precious opals that have been found in Hungary. Christian Herald. |