Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, MAY 22, 1914. THE OVER-STRAINED CHILD.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLVIII, Issue XLVIII, 22 May 1914, Page 4

Nelson Evening Mail. FRIDAY, MAY 22, 1914. THE OVER-STRAINED CHILD.

RECENTLY Dr. Grace Boelkc, who is wall known in tjie medical branch of the New South Wales Education Department. gave an address in Sydney to school teachers upon th-e over-strained (Siild. Though her remarks on some points were based on experience in that State, there are portions cf tho address which are of general application and interest. The doctor took for her text that famed passage from "The Pilgrim's Progress"—"Bj.it the children began to bo sorely weary, and they cried out to Him that loveth pilgrims to make the way more comfortable." The over-strain-ed child, she said, was known to every teacher, and greater responsibility was being daily incurred to carry out the department's syllabuses. What effect such effort had upon the pupils was an essential subject of inquiry, and it was very necessary to observe how much the educational system was (pressing upon the infant brain and the adolescent boy and girl. For five years Dr. Boelke has closely studied the children of daily schools, and she affirms that they are being overstrained. While the system is yet .plastic there is opportunity for revision and excision o-'f unnecessary exhaustive 'work. The syllabus was designed for intelligent, robust children, living under good hygienic surroundings. But the mentally dull and .physically below normal child was utterly unable to cope with the task at the ago required. Hence "retardation" —the word so much now heard in the schools.

"Such children," said Dr. Boelke, "are much more common in our schools than anybody outside the depart-.ncnt would credit, particularly in certain districts." Ye t the children of all districts were all required to attain the one standard. All v.-ho v.cro engaged in teaching should comprehend fully the physiology of fatigue. Our modern life, the increase in our insane, the increasing concentration of ipopulation into confined areas, threw a strain on to the adult Mhich reacted back upOn the child, and numeious cases of "nerves" were common amoll a: children. "Nerves" in a- child ! Tho jsymptoms of strain were easily nntetl —the tirdd look, dark circle under the eyes, restlessness, no appetite, chronic fatigue, settled weary old look, sunken distciulco pupils. awkw.nd

movement, twitching, no complaining,

but listlessness. Fatigue, continued daily, produced lasting damage. Ihe hours of sleep were recorded on. the medical cards of children examined by Dr. Boclke. but she looked doubtfully upon lruch of t lie information. In one suburb children were reported to be in bed by 7, but hundreds of them were in the streets at 9 and 10 p.m. In this district she more believed the father who wrote of his son, "Goes to .bed. when he likes, gets up when he's pulled out. '

Enforced attention was widely known to teachers. The child of six could attend only for 15 minutes, the child of 12 to 14 only for 30 minutes. Where teachers enforced attention beyond these limits! the child protected himself by idleness and other interests. In a graduated table of hours a week for eachchild s Avork, children of five and six years were allotted six hours' work, and the scale increased to the ages of 15 and 16 years with 40 hours a week. Dr. Buelke regretted that scientific investigation of the phenomena of 'fatigue had not been made by the medical branch of the. Education Department. She gave some outlines of investigation made in Europe. Physical tests and medical tests were made. Of mental tests, a column of figures 'was added, and a mark placed at the point reached at the end of the minute. The rapidity due to practice was found to be counteracted ; by the loss from fatigue. A piece of dictation was given, and another piece of equal length and difficulty at the end of the fatigue period. The I errors exemplified tire effect and measure iof fatigue. Memory tests were also given. In the order of fatigue producers in the school curriculum, the investigation "showed (highest first), gymnastics and physical exercises, mathematics, foreign languages, religion, native tongue, science, geography, history, singing, drawing.

The lecturer had herself entered upon a course of experiments proving these conditions. They were not complete. "But, - ' she said, "it is clear that after 12 o'clock kindergarten children are nnished physiologically for the day, and so on upwards in the scale, until at 3 p.m. all children who come to me for inspection show unmistakable signs of strain andj fatigue. Indeed, "so apparent is this that it is . shown by the greater amount of hearing defects and sight defects due to brain anaemia and mental indifference." The high place (the topmost) af physical exercises as a fatigue producer called for a warning against exercise after 11 a.m. The bad effect of the system of education upon the adolescent girl was summed up in the statement that "the mental and .physical over-pressure to which these girls are being subjected tinder a system of education dominated by men without any regard to the physical .pecularities which sway the girl at that age will, in my opinion, cause serious future trouble." Finally Dr. Boelke urged the abandonment c'f driving the unstable mental child and the earnest study by teachers of the mental conditions which they have to handle.