Occasional Notes.

Otago Witness, Issue 1585, 8 April 1882, Page 26

Occasional Notes.

By Colonus.

ATHLETIC GAMES.

I do not think there is any reason for discouraging the athletic sports and games, and feats of skill, strength, and agility, which take place in various parts of the country on Boxing and New Year's Days. These affairs bring neighbours together, and promote social intercourse, and to many people are a pleasant sort of diversion, after a long period of hard toil. As, however, it is young people who are the principal performers at these public exhibitions, might be as well that the athletes should be cautioned, in the ardour of competition, and their desire to excel, not to overtask'their strength or powers of endurance ; or they might possibly do somo mischief to their bodies of an organic or irremediable sort. It is well known that by sudden or excessive oyertasking of the body, there is a degree of danger, especially among young people, of some injury being dono to the heart., Foot-racing appears to be productive in' some cases of groat exhaustion, and I am not sure whether it is well for quite young people to indulge much in that sport. Even ypung men should be careful not ,to overtask their strength in such races, and I question whether it might not be as well to stop small children running in public races altogether. To the elder spectators at a public race of this sort between a lot of little boys and girls, auch an affair may not seem of much consequence, but to the little ones engaged in ifc, it is probably a very serious and important nialtor, and they probably exert all their strength and energy, and the running is a greater strain on them than their elders might suppose, even when they see the young competitors arrive at the goal, puffing and blowing like young stoam-engines.

MYOPIA.

That, to which scientific men appear to have given the name of myopia, or short-sightedness, is not a very prevalent infirmity — that is to say, it is rather exceptional for people to be shortsighted. In a lirgo class nf school-children, probably there will be only one or two who arc jhortsightod. As, however, I believe the blackboard in ii.sp.rl generally in ove Government schools, 1 think it would be as well if teachers always uado a careful investigation as to whether any member or members of the class

were short-sighted, and" unable' to" 1 * see"" quite easily any writing or figures chalked on the board ; and in case they found any shortsighted children, either to place them near the board, or require them to wear spectacles. Shy children (and I suspect short-sighted children not uncommonly are shy) do not like to complain of not being able to see as easily as their fellows, and while in class suffer a considerable amount of distress, and have not a fair chance of instruction. I have heard of a case where the parents of a little boy attending one of our Government schools found ho was absolutely making no progress at school, and they attributed it altogether to his incapacity to see properly what was written or described on the blackboard. A school-child may appear dull and backward, and the cause be only his short sight. School-children do not like to wear spectacles, for fear of being chaffed and made fun of by their associates ; but there is much in' habit, and if a young one would persevere in wearing spectacles while in olass for a' time, the chaffing 1 would probably soon cease. It would seem that sometimes the general health may suffer through the trduble occasioned by the continual' straining of the sight. In an instructive book published a year or two since on the subject of myopia, or short sight, the' author describes tho case of a 'student whose health was suffering by close attention to study. It appears he could not read much without suffering from giddinegs, headache, and general prostration of strength. He had to give up study for a time, and tried various remedies without avail, till at length ho was advised to wear spectacles, the use of which completely cured him, and he was able to read and pursuo his studies without any of tho symptoms of weakness and exhaustion ho had before been subject to. The author of the same book also mentions the hard case of artificers and workmen who, getting on in years, suffer from the weakness of sight of old age, being an inability to see things near, at hand plainly. It appears many masters have an absurd, objection to their workmen wearing spectacles, ( and the consequence is that elderly and skilful men are unable to profit by their long experience as they should do, and are put to trouble, loss, and inconvenience ; while, if allowed to wear spectacles, they could work with comfort to themselves and. with more advantage to their employers". >The author also confutes the 1 popular belief that reading small print, or at any rate looking at small objects, is injurious to the sight.' Watchmakers, he says, who are constantly engaged in looking at small objects, have generally Very 'strong and good sight. ( _ .",,'"