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SH0ULD5CH00L CHILDREN STUDY LESSONS AT HOME
Eh Divergent Views of Four
tors and a Physician Who
Has Had Much Experience
With Children
Tfcere are many hundreds of school
nnSdreri in the city of St Louis who
caxjy their books to their homes at
taigas and study from one to two hours
to the- evening says the St Louis Post
Dispatch
this home work good for the pu
SOT Does it impair the merital and
nT5ical development
3any St Louis parents believe there
ft- too much home study in the schools
Efcge of these are convinced that the
jccactice is harmful The majority
wwcJd like to know if it is harmful The
BosS DIspatch has investigated the
It has secured statements from
joss qualified to know how much home
y22i is done by the school children of
St 2Ouis what are the effects of it
stfiat is the need of it and whether or
at it should continue
Bs P Louis Soldan Superintendent
S tbs- public schools of St Louis The
Xjssstlon of home work for school chll
S3 Is old as the public school system
En the public schools of St Louis the
jaipils do considerable home work
fcheagh not permitted to do so during
tie first four years of school After
h fourth year we consider that the
and is sufficiently developed to un
Jfcitake some study at home and this
nark increases up to the High school
iSsszs where home study is under
snod to be limited to two hours
2 do not believe there is any danger
p harmful overstudy among school
sSfJdren the Inclination is more to un
ferstudy and It Is to overcome this
that we encourage some study at home
are believe that the boy or girl from ten
la- sixteen years ought to be learning
axraething of voluntarily doing things
tor himself We consider that this will
develop independence in the pupil and
prepare the child for the serious things
t Bfe
2 Trould be very quick to condemn
ything tending toward harmful home
posh It I thought a pupil could learn
pzagh during the regular school hours
fc would not add any home work But
pfc children must make much of the
tew years in which they are receiving
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mm
jf er
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H Lgpii tJ fpifii
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 students studied
much and too hard dwarfing mental
development and physical health Ath
letics in colleges have largely remedied
this
We often see a precocious child He
can do things at 3 years that other
children cannot do at 6 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 Within a few years the preco
cious child has become forgotten He
is paying the price of a too rapid de
velopment in his early years
There are exceptions in all 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 We
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
cation In my opinion home study forf
children of the lower grades is not
beneficial Boys and girls of 12 years
or more may do some studying at home
without injury but they should not be
forced nor should they nave certain
tasks set before them
When study is irksome it becomes un
wholesome and useless
Education only follows conscious men
tal activity When a child looks out
of the window study stops and the
child should rest
It is the most vicious doctrine on
earth that educational growth can be
measured by hours alone and that
children can get twice as much develop
ment in six hours as in three
A child must have change and re
creation The manual training school
gives this For ten years I worked for
the establishment of the manual train
ing school and the adoption of the recre
ation idea in education When the
mattle was won I quit fighting
By 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 school 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 wcfcjd 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 utterly valueless to
the child
The task Idea of study Is execrable
When a bright child voluntarily studies
at 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 at night but not by require
ment of their teachers
In my opinion the present daily school
session is too long instead of too short
For the kindergarten children and those
of the lower grades at any rate the
session should end at noon The chil
dren would learn more than they do un
der the prevailing system of both morn
ing and afternoon sessions
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fj
thy development cannot be forced
to education They must be urged to
Zi 33 much as they can I do not be
fieve there is any danger that teachers
mSt zoahe the tasks harmfully heavy 3
save- uot seen any indication of any
men injury to pupils in St Louis and
saany of them are doing some of their
sroci at home
The children of the public schools
uce in school five hours and one half
fc this time they are principally en
jged in recitations There is not a
peat deal of time for study and this
tats resulted in the work at home I
S not consider that this is Injurious to
lie girls and boys I rather think It
kelps them It trains them in industry
tnd voluntary work while the teacher
t Mt around and nothing but good
sa come from this I like the homil
irark I like the way it Mpins young
people to make the most of their early
tpportunitles to learn Excess In the
practice would make It harmful but I
eno danger that any such excess will
result from the little work carried home
fcy the children of the public schools
pf St Louis Adding the hours of reci
latlon with those of study and it is but
i short day The young people will
have much longer and harder days of
vrork as they attain their growth and
they will be fortunate if in their school
life they were trained to promote their
rwn development when the teacher or
raperior was not watching
By Br Edward W Saunders spe
cialist In childrens diseases I have
been a close student of this subject of
borne study in the public schools It is
to old subject concerning which the
patrcators of Germany have made some
valuable observations The Germans
have proved these things
A young pupil is mentally at his best
pa Monday morning after two days
kf rest
He is at his worst Friday afternoon
xfier five days of work
He Ss brighter in the morning than he
fcr In the afternoon indicating lessening
Grain power as the day progresses and
the body tires
In the face of these well established
Zfeets it is very wrong to let a young
psraon study at home at night Such
feudylng would not likely Injure a High
school pupil if not overdone but it is
harmful to pupils under 14 or 15 years
21 is well known that pupils who
rry off class honors often do so at
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V j
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 he 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 force
education upon a child
By Charles P Curd principal of Smith
Academy We have 400 boys at Smith
academy The majority of these do
some studying at home The very lit
tle fellows are exempt Home studying
is necessary at Smith 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 phys
ical 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 o
early in the morning
I do not believe young people ar
ever harmed by home study I nevej
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 notpermit that at
Smith We would be able to tell if a
pupil were overstudying and would
stop it
a a
How People Lose 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 dentists office
I want them all pulled out she said
beginning to weep bitterly When 3
come to dis country what with th
loss of her teeth and her faulty Eng
lish it was not easy to catch her words
I hat all fine white teeth not one
bad Now all like dis I never corned
If I know
Do you Tcnow said the dentist after
making an appointment with the girl
that Is only a typical case There are
thousands of servant girls who come
from the farms of the old world less
than five years ago with perfect souad
white teeth and now have only back-
ened stumps like this poor girl
The reasons Only twochange of
food and lack of exercise At home
these girls ate little sugar A conti
nental housewife locks her sugar bowl
up with her spoons and doles it out so
many lumps a day Here sugar is as
iree as water in most households Su
gars a good food mind you but theyre
not used to It and they overdo it
Besides their diet is utterly changed
In other respects Instead of vigorously
chewing coarse rye bread they have
more messy foods easily swallowed
without chewing
Then theres exercise You nevei
heard that exercise had anything to do
with teeth Well there may be othei
things you havent heard of It does
though Take a man out of an office
and set him traveling six months U
hes wise he gets his teeth fixed up be
fore statvting Hes out of doors a lot
walks climbs mountains eats heartily
His teeth will be ia much better shapi
when he returns
Exercise enables one to digest bit
food better Bad digestion Is both t
sacrifice of a complete mental andj Education la development and heal J cause and a raettlt of bad teeth
another son was born Rachel died a
broken nearted woman but told Jason of
his fathers acts Jason swore to kill
him and if not him then nls son In the
meantime Orry had deserted his ship and
sought refuge in the Isle or Man and
was sheltered by the governor of the
island Adam Fairbrother Orry went
from bad t wnrse and marled a disso
lue and their child called Michael Sun
iocks war born The woman died and
Orry gave their child to Adam Fair
brother who adopted him and he be
came the playmate of the governors only
daughter Greeba Time passed and the
governor and his wife became estranged
their five sons staying with their mother
on account of their jealousy of Sunlocks
who had become i favorite with the gov
ernor Finally Stephen Orry confesses
his misdeeds to Sunlocks who promised
to go to Iceland to find Rachel if possi
ble and care 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 journey
Meantime Jason had started on his
Journey of vengeance and his ship was
wrecked on the Isle of Man He saved
the Hie of his father unknowingly Orry
died and on his death bed was recog
nized by Jason
CHAPTER in
THE WOOING OF JASON
Now the one thing that Jason did not
tell to Adam Fairbrother was that on
hearing from Jacob as spokesman of
his brothers the story of their treat
ment of Greeba and their father he had
promised to break every bone in their
six worthless bodies and vowed never
to darken their door again His vow
he could not keep if he was also able
to keep his word with Adam and he
deferred the fulfillment of his promise
but from that day he left Lague as a
home and pitched his tent with old
Davy Kerruish in Maughold village at
a little cottage by the Sundial that
fsrsl V Thr rrr hnc ef LYn ry itVt Trv
old for the sea and now too saintly for
smuggling Davy pottered about the
churchyard as gravedlgger for Maug
hold had then no sexton with a living
of three and sixpence a service and a
marvellously healthy parish So the
coming of Jason to share bed and
board with him was a wild whirl of the
wheel of fortune and straightway he
engaged an ancient body at ninepence
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 cage his fowling piece stood
in the corner and few were the birds
that hung at his belt He was never
aeen at the Hibernian and he rarely
scented up the hcuse with tobacco
smoke On his first coming he lay two
days and nights In bed without food or
Bleep until Davy thought surely he
was sick and willy nilly was for hav
ing his feet bathed in mustard and hot
water and likewise his stomach in
rum and hot gruel But he was only
Bottling his plans for the future and
having hit on a scheme he leaped out
of bed like a grayhound plunged his
head up to the neck In a bucket 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
bold with both hands of a chunk of
the last hare he had snared and
mcuhed it In vast mouthfuls
Davy he cried with the white teeth
still going are there many corn mills
on this side of the island 7
Oh no boy said Davy but scarce
is fresh herrings at Christmas
Any mill nearer than old Moores
at Sulby and Callows wifes down at
Laxey7
Aw no boy the loke of them isnt
mM
Any call for them nearer Davy
Aw deed yes boy yes and the
farmer men alwis keen for one in Maug
hold too Aw yes keen boy keen and
tf a man was after building one here
theyd be thinking diamonds of him
Then why hasnt somebody set up a
mill before now Davy
Well boy ye see a Manxman is just
the cleverest of all the people goln at
Itakin things alsy Aw clever at it
boy clever 1
There is a full stream of water that
tumbles into the sea over the brows of
after singing Us way
down from the heights of Barrule Ja
Bon had often marked it as he came
and went from the hut of Stephen Orry
that contained his stuffed birds and
told himself what a fine site It was for
anybody that wanted to build a water
mill He remembered it now with a
freshened interest aid bowling away to
Mrs Fairbrother at Lague for the pur
chase of a rod of the land that lay be
tween the road and- the beach to the
Bailiff for the right of water and to old
Coobragh for the hire of a cart to
fetch stones from the screes where the
mountains quarried them he was soon
In the thick of his enterprise
He set the carpenter to work at his
wheel the smith at his axle and the
mason at his stones but for the walls
and roof of the mill Itself he had no help
but old Davys Early and late from
dawn to dusk he worked at his delving
and owalllng and when night fell in he
leaned over the hedge and smoked and
measured ou with his eye the worlr be
mwmr JSwiiSaiiySiSSS
WV
X5he Boadmaa a
CMflDMd
tlf
By HALL CAINE
SYNOPSIS
Rachel Jorgenson was tne only daugh
ter of the governor oi Iceland She fell
In love with and married an idler Ste
phen Orry Her father had other hopes
fo her and in his anger he disowned her
Then orry deserted her and ran away to
sea Of this union however a child was
t born and Rachel called him Jason
phen Orry was neara rrom in the Isle of
J Man where he wis again married and
meant to do next day When his skill
did not keep pace with his ardor he laj
a day In bed thinking hard and then goi
up and worked yet harder In less than
two months he had his first roof tim
bers well and safely pitched and if he
went no farther it was because the
big hope wherewith his 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 Lague Aw deed yes and
clever too and steady still The way
he works them walls Is grand Ill go
bail the farming men will be thinking
diamonds of him when he makes a
start
And then I wouldnt doubt but hell
be in the way of making a fortune too
said Mrs Fairbrother
I wouldn trust I wouldn trust
said Davy
And hell be thinking of marrying
I suppose Isnt he Davy said Mrs
Fairbrother
Marrying is it said Davy aw
divil a marry maam The boys in
nocent Aw yes innocent as a baby
Mrs Fairbrother had her own good
reasons for thinking otherwise though
Jason came to Lague but rarely So
with hint and Innuendo she set herself
to see how Greeba stood towards the
future she had planned for her And
Greeba was not slow to see her moth
ers serious drift under many a play
ful speech She had spent cheerful
hours at Lague 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
ers hints touched her not at all for
she only laughed at them with a little
of her old gayety but one day within
the rst weeks she met Jason and then
she felt troubled He was very serious
and spoke only of what he was doing
but before his grave face her gay
friendliness broke down in an instant
Hurrying home she sat down and
wrote a letter to Michael Sunlocks
Never a word had she heard from him
since he left the island four years ago
so she made excuse of her fathers go
ing away to cover her unmaidenly act
and asked him to let her know if her
father had arrived and how he was
and where with somepartlculars of
himself also and whether he meant to
come back to the Isle of Man or had
quite made his home in Iceland with
many a sly glance too at her own
condition such as her modesty could
not forbear but never a syllable about
Jason for a double danger held her si
lent on that head This she dispatched
to him realizing at length that she
loved him and that she must hear
from him soon or be lost to him for
ever
And waiting for Michaels answer
she avoided Jason If she saw him on
the road she cut across the elds and
if he came to the house she found
something to take her out of the kitch
en He saw her purpose qufckly and
his calm eyes saddened and his strong
face twitched but he did not flinch he
went on with his work steadily ear
nestly only with something less of
heart something less of cheer Her
mother saw it too and then the play
ful hints changed to angry threats
rrWhat has he done said Mrs Fair
brother
Nothing said Greeba
Have you anything against him
No
Then why are you driving him from
the house
Greeba made no answer
Are you thinking of someone else
Again Greeba was silent
Til beg of you to mend your man
ners cried Mrs Fairbrother Its
full thne you were wedded and gone
But perhaps I dont wish to leave
home said Greeba
Tush said Mrs Fairbrother The
lad is well enough and If he hasnt
land he has some money and is likely
to have more Ill give you a week to
think of it and if he ever comes and
speaks for you Ill ask you to give him
his civil answer You will be three and
twenty come Martinmas and long be
fore your mother was as old as that
she had a couple of your brothers to
fend for
Some of my brothers are nearly
twice my age and you dont ask them to
marry said Greeba
Thats a different matter said Mrs
Fairbrother
It turned out that the week was more
than enough to settle the difference be
tween Greeba and her mother for in
less time than that Mrs Fairbrother
was stricken down by a mortal illness
It was only a month since she had
turned Adam from her door but her
time was already at hand and more
than he predicted had come to pass
She had grown old without knowing a
days illness her body like a rocky
headland that gives no sign of the sea
sons had only grown harder every
year with a face more deeply seamed
but when she fell it was at one blow
of lifes ocean Three little days she
had lost appetite on the morning of the
fourth day she had found a never in a
neglected cattle trough that had drain
ed Into the well and before night she
had iaken her death warrant
She knew the worst and faced it but
her terror was abject Sixty five years
he had scraped and scratched hut Iter
time was cumn ante nua Juuutju 0
nothing save her treasure and thera U
lay yet it brought her no solace
Two days she tossed In agony re
membering the past and the price sh
had paid and made others to pay fos
all that she had held so dear and must
leave so soon for now it was nothing
vorth Then she sent for the parson
Parson Gell who was still living but
very old The good man came think
ng his mission was spiritual comfort
jut Mrs Fairbrother would hear noth
ing of that As she had lived withoul
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
lfter riches she was minded to set right
before her time came to go In lending
she had charged too high an interest
In paying she had withheld too much
for money in seizing for mortgage she
md given too little grace So she would
repay before it was too late for Ueszn
was opening her hands
Send for them all she cried there
s Klnvig of Balagwne and Corletts
widow at Ballacreggan and Quirk oC
Claughbane and the children of Jou
ghan the weaver at Sherragh Vane and
Tubman of Ginger Hall and John-Billy-Bob
at Cornah Glen and that hard
bargainer old Kermode of
You see I remember them all for I
never forget anything Send for them
and be quick fetching them or itll ho
i waste of time for them to come
Til do it Mistress Fairbrother
mumbled the old parson Ihrough his
toothless gums for right is right and
justice justice
Chut said Mrs Fairbrother
But the parsons deaf ears did no
hear And ah he said the thlng3 of
this world seem worthless do they not
when we catch a glimpe into eternity
Less cry and more wool said Mrs
Fairbrother dryly I wouldnt trust
but old as you are youd look with more
love on a guinea than the Gospel calls
for
The people answered the parsons
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 Fairbrothers room
whispering among themselves some in
a 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 but they could
see Mrs Fairbrother propped up by pil
lows whereon her thin pinched face
showed very white She had slept never
a moment of the night and through all
the agony of her body her mind had
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 thir strong odors
of health around her
Wheres your brother Liza Joughan
she said to young woman at the foot
of the bed
Gone off to Meriky maam thl
girl faltered for he couldnt live aftef
he lost the land
Wheres Quirk of Claughbane ask
ed Mrs Fairbrother turning to th
parson
The poor mans gone sister sali
the parson in a low tone Hedied
only the week before last
Mrs Fairbrothers face assumed a
darker shade and she handed the papei
to Greeba
Come lets have it over she said
and then one by one Greeba read out
the names
Daniel Klnvig twelve pounds
read Greeba and thereupon an elderly
man with a square head stepped for
ward
Klnvig said Mrs Fairbrother fum
bling the neck of the linen bag yoti
borrowed a hundred pounds for two
years and I charged you 12 per cent
Six per cent was enough and here Is
the difference back to your hand
So saying she counted twelve pound
notes and held them out In her wrin
kled fingers and the man tools them
without a word
Go on she cried sharply
Mrs Corlett two pounds reafl
Greeba and a woman In a widows caj
and a long cloak came up wiping hei
eyes
Bella Corlett said Mir Fairbrother
when I took over Ballacreggan fol
my unpaid debt you begged for th
feather bed your mother died on and
the chair that had been your fathers
I didnt give them though I had enough
besides so here are two pounds to yon
and God forgive me
The woman took the money and be
gan to cry
God reward you she whimpered
Its in heaven youll be rewarded
maam
But Mrs Fairbrother brushed heJ
aside with an angry word and a fret
ful gesture and called on Greeba toi
the next name on the list
Peter Kermode twenty four pounds
ten shillings read Greeba and a llttl
old man with a rough head and a grim
hard ugly face jostled through th
people about him
Kermode said Mrs Fairbrother
you always tried to cheat me as yon
try to cheat everybody else and whea
you sold me those seventy sheep for sia
shillings apiece last back end you
thought they were all falsing the rot
and you lost thirty pounds by then
and brought yourself to beggary and
serve you right too But I sold them
safe and sound for a pound apiece three
days after so heres half of the dif
ference and just try to be honest foj
the rest of -your days And it wont
be a long task either for Its plain U
see youre not far from deaths dooi
and It isnt worth while to be a blood
sucker
To be continued -
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