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About Harrison press-journal. (Harrison, Nebraska) 1899-1905 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 29, 1900)
SHOULD SCHOOL Tha Divergent Views of Four Edu cators and a Physician, Who Has Had Much Experience With Children. There are many hundred of school rhlldren in the city of St Louis who carry their book to their homes at night and study from one to two hours in the evening, says the St. Louis Post Dispatch. Is this home work rood for the pu pil? Does it impair tne mental and physical development? Many St. Louis parents believe there is too much home study in the schools. Borne of th(-se are convinced that the practice is harmful. Tte majority would like to know if it Is harmful. The Poet-Dispatch has Investigated the sub lect. It has secured statements from sren qualified to know how'much home work Is done by the school children of it. Louis, what are the effects of it, hat is the need of it, and whether or tot It should continue: , By F. Louis SolJan, Superintendent f the public schools of St. Louis: The luestlon of home work for school chil Iren is old aa the public school system. In the public schools of St Louis the juplls do considerable home work, i hough not permitted to do so during :be first four years of school. After lbs fourth year we consider that the ;hlld is sufficiently developed to un lertake some study at home, and this work increases up to the High school 'lasses, where home study Is under stood to be limited to two hours. ' i oo not iMriiew uiuv m wy sonr rt harmful overstudy among school children; the inclination is more to in ierstudy, and It is to overcome this that we encourage some study at home. We believe that the boy or girl from ten so sixteen years ought to be learning tometbing of voluntarily doing tilings tor himself. We consider that this will levelop independence In the pupil and nrepare the child for the serious things f life. . I would be very quick Id condemn inything tending toward harmful home work. If I thought a pupil could learn mough during the regular school hours t would not add any home work. But the children must make much of the 'rw years in which they are receiving M education. They must be urged to lo as much as they can. I do not bo leve there is any danger that teacher 1U make the tasks harmfully heavy. ) save not seen any indication t any such injury to pupils in St I-ouls, and nany of them are doing some of their work at home. The children of the public schools re in school five hours and one-half. "B this time they are principally en gaged in recitations. There Is not a treat deal of time for study and this tiae resulted in the work at home. I 10 not consider that this Is injurious to :be girls snd boys. I rather think It Mips them. It trains them in industry ' utd voluntary work, while the teacher m not around, and nothing but good -an come from this. I like the home a-ork. I like the way it trains young seople to make the most of their ear:y tpportunlties to learn. Excess In the. practice would make It harmful, but I Me no danger that any such excess will result from the little work carried home vt the children of the public schools ef St. Louis. Adding the hours of recl- . tation with those of study, and it is hut t Short day. The young people will have much longer and harder days of work as they attain their growth, and they will be fortunate If, In their school lfs. they were trained to promote their nr development when the teacher or superior was not watching. Br Dr. Edwari W. launders, p" stalls! in children's diseases; I have a clot student of this subject of ' study In the public schools. It is aa old subject, concerning which the duos tort of Oermany have made some rateable observations. The Germans save proved these things: A young pupil to mentally at his best aa Monday morning, after two days St to at hto worst Friday afternoon, ' sfur Ore days of work. He to brighter, la the morning than he to ta the afternoon, Indicating lessening , braia sewer aa the day progresses snd the ssfli Urea. la the faoe of these wtll-esUbUshed faais, n to very wrong to let a yoang stsdy at home at night. Bach l act ttety Inare a Sigh - ss aaatto wader 14 or U veers. ' CZJ 2 Cut often a a at ad CHILDREN STUDY LESSONS AT HOME? 1 1 I physical strength In later life. This was true In colleges and universities to such an extent in former years that it was accepted as a fact that the per sons who studied hard enough to win class honors were not going to amount to much In life. In a measure, too, i was true, for these Btudents studied much and too hard, dwarfing mental development and physical health. Ath letics In colleges have largKy remedied this. We often see a precocious child. He can do things at 3 years that other children cannot do at (. We call him a wonder, and many persons doubtless wonder to what great height of achieve ment this child will attain If he keeps learning things at the rate he has start. ed out. Wltbln a few years the preco cious child haa become forgotten. He roytnr the nrice of a too rapid de velopment in his early years. There are exceptions In ail these cases, but the rule ordinarily applies. The gradual, natural development is the best. We regard with suspicion the mind which produces what we know as genius. We do not consider It nor mal or healthy. We would rather not be geniuses, but would prefer to be normal, to be like the people around us. We want our children to be so. Ws want nothing freakish about them. And we must see that they develop, mental ly and physically, along natural lines. We must not crowd them. By Calvin M. Woodward, director of manual training school, member and former president of the board of edu- cation: In my opinion home study lor children of the lower grades ts not beneficial. Boys and girls of 12 year or more may do some studying at home without Injury, but they should not be forced, nor shouid they have certain tasks set before them. When study Is Irksome It becomes un wholesome and useless. Education only follows conscious men. ta! activity. Wbeo a child looks out of the window, study stops, and the child should rest It Is the moNt vicious doctrine on earth that educational growth can be measured by hours alone and hat children can get twice as m'jh Ovelop ment in six hours aa In three. A child :nut have change and re creation. The manual training school gives this. Kor ten years I worked for the eUihlibment of the manual train ing school and the adoption of the recre ation Idea , in education. When the ma (tie was won I quit fighting. l!y Charles L, Howard, Principal of the Columbia School: Home study by children, when required by teacher or parent I deprecate. If any teachers In the Columbia vhool require the chil dren to study at home I am not aware of It. I believe that a school system em bracing this feature would be perni cious. The children not only wot'd not benefit by it but they would be harmed. What is study? It Is voluntary ap plication under agreeable conditions. When poring over a book becomes irk some, it ceases to be study; It becomes drudgery and Is utter'y valueless to the child. The task Idea of study Is execrable. Whea a bright child voluntarily studies st home, after having had a season of rest and recreation since the school day closed, there can be no harm In It unless the strength of mind or of body Is overtaxed. In the higher grades there are pupils who take their books home and study st night, but not by require ment of their teac hers. la my opinion the present daily school session to too long Instead of too short. For the kindergarten children and tboa of the lower grades, at any rate, the session should end at boob. The chil dren would leara mors than tbey do un der the prevailing system of both mora ls! aad afternoon sessions. Kowcattoa to srvsiopaaat, gad heal- thy development cannot be forced; it must come by the natural process. Education Is not a matter of so many hours spent In the schoolroom or with the books. Many parents have the Im pression that the more hours a child spends In what Is commonly termed study, the more rapidly be will learn. This Is a mistake. When a child spends too much time at study he becomes non receptive. When the manual training and do mestic science) departments of Columbia school were established, some parents complained that their children were wasting one-fifteenth of the time spent at school The fact was thet the re creation and the change afforded In these departments made the children more receptive when they returned to their ordinary studies, and therefor they gained time. Nothing is gained by trying to farct education upon a child. By Charles P. Curd, prlncltal of Fmlth Academy: We have 400 boys at Bmlth academy. The majority of these do some studying at home. The very lit tle fellows are exempt Home studying is necessary at Htnlth. There are five and one-half hours of school. All. but one hour of this is devoted to recita tions, and the other hour goes to phyt Icat recreation, singing, etc. There Is very little time for study at the school; with the older boys there Is practically none. It is necessary that they take their books home with them and study In the evening, late in the afternoon, oi early in the morning. I do not beiie-re young people mii ever harmed by home study. I nsvei saw a pupil I thought harmed In this way. I admit that harm would result If studying at home were . practiced to excess, but we would not permit that at Smith.. We would be able to tell K a pupil were overstudying, and wouM stop t. How People Lots Their Teeth, When the beautiful Swedish girl open ed her mouth the illusion vanished. Instead of the flashing of pearly teeth there were two rows of blackened, un sightly stumps. It was these that had brought her to the dentist's office. "I want them all polled out" she said beginning to weep bitterly. "When 1 come to dls country" what with tht loss of her teeth and her faulty Eng tlsh it waa not easy to catch her wordt "I hat all fine white teeth; not one bad. Now, all like dls! I never corned If I know!" "Do you know," raid the dentist' after making an appointment with the girl, "that is only a typical case. There are thousands of servant girls who corns from the farms of the old world less than live years ago with perfect, sound, white teeth, snd now have only bark ened stumps like this poor girl. . "The reasons? Only two change of food and lack of exercise. At hems. Lbese girls ate little sugar. A conti nental housewife locks her sugar bowl up with her spoons and doles It out, se many lumps s day. Here sugar Is as free as water In most households, flu gar's a good food, mind you, but they're not used to It snd they overdo It ."Besides their diet Is utterly changed in other respects. Instead of vigorously chewing coarse rye bread they hav more messy foods, easily swallowed without chewing. "Then there's exercise. Too nevsi heard that exercise had anything to d with teeth? Well, there may be otltei things you haven't heard of. It does, though. Take a maa out of aa oAV and set him traveling si month. II he's wise he gets his teeth fixed up be fore stealing. He's out of doors a let, walks, climbs mountains, eats heartily Hto teeth will be la much better shp wbea he returns. "Exercise enables oae to digest ha food better. Bad digestion to both i cause aad a malt of bad teeth." I H6e BotdmLT A..r i 1 aVy BALL CAME BTNOPRIS RaehH J org en ion was tne only daugh ter of the governor ot Iceland. She tell In love with and married an Idler, Ste phen Orry. Her father had other hopes fa her and In his anger he disowned her. I Then orry deserted her and ran away to i sea. Of this union, however, a child was born, and Rachel called him Jason. Ste phen Orry was aeara trom In the Isle of Man, whero he was attain married and another son was born. Rachel died a broken-neartcd woman, but told Jason of his father's acts. 3 niton swore to kill him and if not him, then tils son. In the meantime Orry had deserted his ship and sought refuge in the Isle of Man. and was sheltered by the governor of the Inland, Adam Falrbrother. Orry went from had I" worse, an martd a dixso lue. and their child, called Michael Sun lovk.i, war horn. The woman died and Orry gave their child to Adam Fair brother, who djioptfed him, and he be came the playmate of the governor's only dauirhler, Ureeoo. Time passed and the governor and his wife became estranged, their five sons staring with their mother on account of their Jealousy of Htmlooks, who had become n favorite with the gov ernor. Finally Etuphen Orry confesses his misdeeds to Hun locks, who promised to go to Ireland to find Rachel If possi ble and rare for her, and If she was dead to find her son and treat him as a brother. He bid good-bye to his sweet heart. Greeba. and started on his Joornwy. Meantime Jason had started on his Journey of vetigeem-e and his ship was wrecked on the Ixle of Man. He saved the life of his father unknowingly. Orry led. and on his death bed was rocog niced by Jason. I CHAPTER III. THE WOOING OP JASON. Now the one thing that Jason did not tell to Adam Fairbrother waa that on hearing from Jacob, as spokesman of his brothers, the story of their treat ment of Qroeba and their father, ho had promised to break every bone In their tlx worthless bodies, and vowed never to darken their door again. Mb vow he could not keep If he was also able to keep his word with Adam, and he deferred the fulfillment of his promise; tut from that day he left Laguc as a home, and pitched his tint with o!J Davy KerruUh In Maughold village, at a little cottage by the Sundial that Hood by the gates of the church. Too old for the sea, and now too saintly for smuggling, Davy pottered about the churchyard aa graved'.gger for Maug hold had then no sexton with a living of three and sixpence a service, and a marvellously healthy prlh. Ro the coming of Jason to share bed and board with him was a wild whirl of the wheel of fortune, and straight way he engaged an ancient body at nlnctcnce a week to cook and clean for them. By this time Jason had spent nearly half his money, for he had earned noth ing, but now he promptly laid his Idle habits aside. No more did he go Up to the mountains, and no longer out on to the. sea. His nets were thrown over' the lath of the celling, his decoy was put in a cago, hla fowling piece stood In the corner, and few were the birds that hung at his belt He was never seen arc the "Hibernian," and he rarely scented up the house with tobacco smoke. On his first coming he lay two days and nights In bed without food or sleep, until Davy thought surely he was sick, and, willy-nilly, was for hav ing bis feet bathed In mustard and hot water, and likewise his stomach In ram and hot gruel. Hut be was only settling hie plans for the future, and having hit on a scheme he leaped out! Of bed like a gray hound, plunged his head up to the nock In a becket of cold water, came out of It with gleam ing eyes, red cheeks and vapor rising from his wet skin, and drying himself with a whir on a coarse towel, he laid hold with both hands of a chunk of the Isst hare he had snared. and mcutted It In vat mouUsuls. "Davy," he cried, with the white teeth stin going, "are there many corn mills on this side of the island?" "Oh, no. boy." said Davy; "but scarce is fresh herrings at Chrhnmas." "Any rafll nearer than old Moore's at Sulby. and Callow's wife's down at Laxey?" "Aw, no, bey, the loke of them Isn't m.". "Any call for them nearer, Uivy V "Aw 'deed, yes, bnry. yes; and the farmer men alwls koon for one In Maug hold. too. Aw, yes, en, boy. keen; and if a man was after building one hers they'd be thinking diamonds of him." 'Then Why hasnt somtbody set op a mill before now, Davy?" "Well, boy, y se a M.inxmao fs Just the cleverest of aJI the people gcln' at takln' things alsy. Aw. clever at It, boy, cleverP There is a foil stream of water that tumbles Into the sea over the brows of Port-y-Vmiln. sftw singing H wsy down from the height of Darrole. Ja son had often marked It ss he eame and went from the htit of Stephen Orry that contained Ms stuffed birds, snd told himself what a fine site It waa fw anybody that wanted to build a water mill. He leuiewibered It now with a freshened Interest, and bowling away to lfrs. Falrbrother at Dague for the pur chase of a rod ef the land that lay be tween the road and the beach, to the Bailiff for the right of water, and to old Coobraga for the hire of a cart to fetch stones from the screea where the mountains quarried them, be was goon la the thick of sis enterprise. He set the carpenter to work at hto wheel, the smith at bia sale, and the mason a hto stones, but for the walto and roof of the mill Itself ha bad no help but old Davy" a Early and lata, from dawa to dusk, ho worked at bis de'.V.ag and swalllag. and wbea Bight fed In ao leaned over the hedge and smoked aad oat with hto eye tat won meant to do next day. When hla skill did not keep pace with his ardor he lay a day In bed thinking hard, and then g)t up and worked yet harder. In less than two months be had his first roof tim bers well and safely pitched, and If he went no farther It was because the big hope wherewith hla simple heart had been buoyed up came down with a woeful crash. "Aw, smart and quick, astonlshln'," said old Davy of Jason to Mrs. Fair brother at Lugue. "Aw "deed, yes, and clever, too, and steady still. The way he works them wails Is grand. I'll go bait the farming men will be thinking diamonds of him when ho makes a start." "And then I wouldn't doubt but he'll be In the way of making a fortune, too." said Mrs. Falrbrother. "I wouldn' trust I wouldn' trust," said Davy. "And he'll be thinking of marrying. I suppose. Isn't he, Davy?" said Mrs. Falrbrother. "Marrying, Is H7" said Duvy; "aw, dlvfl a marry, ma'am. The boy's In nocent Aw, yea. Innocent as a baby." Mrs. Falrbrother had ber own good, reasons for thinking otherwise, though Jason came to Lague but rarely. So with hint and Innuendo she set heTself to see how Greebo, stood towards the future she had planned for her. And Grccb ,' t tmw tn hr moth er's serious drift under many a play ful speith. Bhe had spent cheerful hours at Iagtie since the sad surprise that brought her back. Little loth for the life of the farm, notwithstanding Ross" Judgment she had seemed to fall Into Its ways with content Her moth er's hints touched her not at all, for she only laughed at them with a little of her old gayety; but one day within the ret weeks she met Jason, and then she felt troubled. He was very serious, and rpoke only of what he waa doing, but before his grave faoe her gay friendliness broke down in an Instant Hurrying home she sat down and wrote a letter to Michael Bunlocks. Never a word had she heard from him since he left the island four years ago, so !-the made excuse of her father's go ing away to cover her unmaldejily act, and asked him to let her know if her father had arrived, and how he was. and where, with someparticulars of himself also, aad whether he meant to come back to the Isle of Man, or had quite made his home in Iceland; with many a sly c'ance, too, at her own condition, such as her modesty could not fortxiar, but never a syllable about Jason, for a double danger held her si lent on that head. This she dispatched to him, rcaJUing at length that she loved him, and that she must hear from him soon, or be lost to him for ever. And waiting for Michael's answer she avoided Jason. If she saw him on the road she cut across the elds, and If he came to the house ihe found something to take her out cf the kitch en. He saw her purpose quickly, and his calm eyes saddened, and his strong race twitcbeo, but be ulu ml !:; hs went on with hl work, steadily, ear nestly, OJily with something es .of heart something less of cheer. Her mother saw It, too, and then the play ful hints changed to angry threats. 'What haa he done?" said Mrs. Fair- brother. "Nothing," said Orecba. "Have you anything asalnst him?" "No." Then why are you driving him from the house?" Greeba made no snrwer. "Are you thinking of someone else?" Again Oreebi was silent. "I'll bejj of you to mend your man ners." cried Mrs. Falrbrother. "It's full time you were wedded and gone." "But perhaps I don't wish to leave home," said Crenba Tusbr taid Mrs. Falrbrother. "The lad Is well enough, and If he hasn't land he has some money, and Is likely to have more. I'll give you a week to think of It and If he ever comes and speaks for you I'll ask you to give him his civil answer. You will be three and twenty come Martlnmaa, and long be fore your mother was as old as that she had a couple of your brothers to fend for." "Home of my brothers are nearly twice my age, and you don't ask them to marry," said Oreeba. "That's a different matter," said Mrs. Falrbrother, It turned ont that the wfek was more than enough to settle the difference be tween Oreeba and her mother, for in less time than that Mrs. Falrbrother was stricken down by a mortal Illness. It waa only a evrnth since she had turned Adam from ber door, but her time was already st hand, and more than he predicted had come to pass. She had grown old without knowing s day's ITIncssf her body, like a rocky headland that gives no sign of the sea sons, hsd only grown harder every year, with a face more deeply seamed; but wbea she fell It wss at one Mow of Mfs's ocean. Three little days she bad mat eppetlte, on the morning of the fourth day she had found a never In a neglected cattle trough that had drill ed loto the well, and before night shs bad taken ber death-warrant Mao know the worst, and fsced It bst kor terror was abject Biaty-flve years she bad aeraped aad esratcaed. bat lor trme waa coma. She had thought at nothing save her treasure, and there li lay, yet It brought her no solace. Two days she tossed in agony, re membering the past and the price sht hsd paid, and made others to par. foi all that she bad held so dear and must leave so soon, for now It was nothing worth. Then she eent for the parson. Parson Oell. who was still llvtrg. bul very old. The good man came think ing his mission was spiritual comfort, but Mrs. Falrbrother would hear noth ing of that As she bad lived wlthoul 3od In the world, even so did she in tend to die. But some things that had gone amiss with her in her eager race after riches Bhe was minded to set rlghl before her time came to go. In lending he had charged too high an interest; in paying she had withheld too much for money; in selling for mortgage sbs had given too little grace. So she would repay before It was too late, for Death was opening her hands, "Send for them all," she cried; "there Is Klnvlg of Balagwne, and Corlett's widow at Ballacreggan, and Quirk of Claughbane, and the children of Jou- ghan the weaver at Bhcrragh Vane, an'l Tubman of Ginger Hall, and John-Bll- ly-Bob at Cornah Glen, and that hart bargainer, old Kermode of Port-e-Chee. You see, I remember them all, for I never forget anything. Send for them, and be quick fetching them, or It'll be sate of time for them to come.' Til do It, Mistress Falrbrother," mumbled the old parson through hla toothless gums, "for right is right, and Justice JuBtice,, "Chut!" said Mrs. Falrbrother. Hut the parson's deaf ears did not hear. "And, ah!" ne saia, -iie this world seem worthless, do they not when we catch a gllmpe Into eternity." "Less cry and more wool," said Mrs Falrbrother, dryly. "I wouldn t truss but old as you are you'd look with morn love on a guinea than the Gospel calls for." The people answered the parson's summons quickly enough, and came to Lague next morning, the men In their rough beavers, the old women In their long blue cloaks, and they followed the old parson Into Mrs. Falrbrothcr's room. whispering among themselves, some ln t doleful voice, others In an eager one. some with a cringing air, and others with an arrogant expression. The chamber was darkened by a heavy cur tain over the window, hot they could see Mrs. Falrbrother propped up by pil lows, whereon her thin, pinched face showed very white. She had slept never moment of the night; and through all the agony of her body her mind hadi been busy with its reckonings. These she had made Greeba to set down In writing, and now with the paper on the counterpane before her, and with a lin en bag of money in her hand, she sat ready to receive her people. When they ntered there was deep silence for a mo ment, wherein her eyes glanced over them, as they stood in thlr strong odors of health around her. 'Where's your brother. Lisa Joughan.' she said to young woman at the foot of the bed. "Gone off to 'Merlky, ma'am," th girl faltered, "for he couldn't live aft. be lost the land." "Where's Quirk of Claughbane?" ask ed Mrs. Falrbrother, turning to ln parson. "The poor man's gone, sister," saW the parson. In a low tone. "He die only the week before test." Mrs. Falrhrothers face assumed s uvlatr, -, r to Greeba. "Come, let's have It over." she said. snd then, one by one, Greeba read out the names. T'anle! Klnvlg, twelve pounds." read Greeba, and thereupon an elderly man with a square head stepped for ward. 'Klnvlg," snld Mrs. Falrbrother, fum bling the rw-ck of the linen bag. "yoo borrowed a hundred pounds for two yars, and I charged you 12 per rent. Six per cenl was enough, and here Is the difference back to yotir hand." 8o saying, she counted twelve pounl notes Bnd held them out In her wrin kled fingers, snd the man took them without a word." "Oo on." sh cried, sharply. "Mrs. rorlett, two pounds," rea Grebo. and a woman In a widow's rap and a long cloak came up, vrlping her eyes. "Bella Corn-it," said Mrs. Fairhrother, when I tor over Bullacreggan fof my unpaid debt, you begircd for the foofier bed your mother died on and the chair that hsd been your father's. I didn't give them, though I hsd enough besides, so here are two pounds to you, snd God forgive me." The womsn took the money and b gan to rry. "God reward you." she whimpered. "It's In heaven you'll be rewarded, ma'am." 1 ' But Mrs. Falibrother brushed bet aside, with an sngry word snd a fret ful gesture, and called on Greeba fof Uie neat name on the list. "Peter Kermode, twenty-four pound! ten shillings,' read Oree-ba, and a Httls old man, with a rough heed and a grim. hard, ugly face, jostled through the people about him. "Kermode." said Mrs. Falrbrother. "you always tried to cheat me, aa yoo try to cheat everybody else, and when you sold me thoss seventy sheep for sli shillings apiece last back end yoe thought they were all taking the rot and you lost thirty pounds by them and brought yourself to beggary, and serve you right, too. But 1 sold them ssfe and sound for a pound apiece Hire days after; so here's half of the dif ference, and just try In be honest for the rest of your days. And It won't be a long task, either, for it's plain ts see you're not fsr from death's doom and It Isn't worth while to he a bloodi tucker.' i (To b continued.)