The Home.

White Ribbon, Volume 17, Issue 199, 18 January 1912, Page 14

The Home.

Out-door Schools. One of the most recent manifestations of what may he called the “ out-door movement ” is the out-door school, which seems rapidly to be growing in favour as a method not only of improving the health of the children subjected to injurious home conditions, but also of maintaining the health of normal pupils. The following forcible reasons in favour of open-air schools are quoted from an article in The Survey, New York, by Dr Thomas Spees Carrington, who writes : “ The school children of to-day are the men and women of to-morrow. There is at present a strong movement to discover and prevent physical defects among them, and one of the most insidic is causes of deformities and ill-healtL is tuberculosis in its many forms. Children seem more susceptible to it than

adults It often attacks their glands, hones, and heart and lungs. It would seem heat to remove from a child’s environments anything which lowers the vitality of the body and handicaps nature particularly during school hours. “ Out-door schools are an experiment of only two or three years’ standing, but already they have shown that the childred who attend them, although tuberculous, are, after a few weeks in the open air, in better physical condition than many children in the public schools. This is shown bv their appearance, by a comparison of weights, and by other tests. The children of the out-door schools usually have a healthy colour, while many school children appear pale and weak. “ One cause for the anaemic condition of school children is the warm, dry air of the schoolroom, which lowers their vitality. “ Had air kills interest in work and gives such diseases as grippe, pneumonia, and tuberculosis a chance to overcome the natural resistance of the body. Children have to spend three to six hours a day in the classroom, breathing air that may be laden with germs; for the ventilation of a school building is seldom good.” Schools of this kind now exist in many of our larger cities and in some small towns, and they seem to have justified their existence in all cases. Where the children come from tuberculous parents and live in crowded quarters, the improvement in their physical condition from out-door schools is marked. The results—physical, mental, educational, moral, and disciplinary—have all been good. Resistance to infectious colds and influenza is increased, and eves and voices improve. The writer, however, urges that normal children, as well as sickly ones, be given the benefit of these invigorating methods. A mother in New Jersey writes to the New York Sun that she recently visited her hoy’s school and found the windows shut and the air stifling. The same town is building an open-air school for weak children ! The mother suggests that they should build it large, as the regular school will supply plenty of weak children under the conditions she discovered. The Literary Diyett,

Home Treasures. Another year is lieginning, The ol«i one is with the dead ; So a page of Time is ended, Another l>efore us spread. Now the New Year’s dawn is peeping, And we’ve heard the merry clang Of liells, in the steeples pealing. As their message out they rang. “List to the tale we are telling ; We have rung the Old Year’s knell Tis past, hut with New Year’s Morning We ve another tale to tell.” Methought as I heard them sounding They seemed to speak unto me, And they said, “ Come, tell the children What the past has done for thee So I thought, “ I w ill hid the youngsters Sit round, while the tale is told Of my ow n, my darling children, More precious than gems or gold." For amongst our priceless treasures We reckon those children three. Whom Hod, in His love and goodness Has given papa and me. They came to us when the others \\ ere to men ami women grow n ; And they slay in the nest Inside us Now the elder birds are flown. Molly, and Kuth. and Charlie; You'd say they are Saxons true, By their faces fair and their curly hair. Ami their eyes so clear and blue First comes “ Ministering Molly ; Twas a friend who named her so, Because her hands are so willing, Her feet as ready to go. Just say you want something fetching ; She listens, so eag»T-eyed, And almost ere you have finished You find it is by your side. Our thoughtful Ministering Molly Looks after the younger pair, in a little motherly fashion, With a grave and serious air. She’s a bookworm, too, is Molly, Would r*-ad through, the livelong day ; Yet—how strange it seems to tell it! She’s the merriest romp at play. Her face ? Never mind tin* outside ; This much 1 will say to you—(lood hearts are In-fore fair faces ; She’s honest and brave and true Ami a kindly Scottish neighbour Has said of our girlies twain, That “ while little Kuth is bonny, Our Molly s a wise like wean.”

We call little Hath our “ Birdie,” For her nature teems with song. And her thoughts are full of sunshine As she gaily trips along. She is gifted with the power To see that (iod’s world is fair, To find sweets in every flower, And hear music everywhere. How a tale sorrow stirs her, And her blue eyes till with tears ! Or they light with glad emotion When a merry tale she hears. She shares with us when in trouble, She rejoices in our joy ; And w hat a wealth of affectiou She lavishes on “ The Boy ” ! For The Boy ”is what we call him, Our dear little four-year-old ; The tale of that short life, you’ll think, M ill all of it soou he told. And this is Ruth's opinion, M hich ever the same has l»een “Our (’harlie's the dearest, bonniest boy That ever the world has seen.” Then w hat must he l>e to “ Mother ” ? O, children, if ye but knew \N bat rivers of love keep flowing From your parents' hearts to you. I think you would hardly wonder 1 hat oft there comes to my breast A great, glad sense of riches, 1 ill I m almost with joy opprest. But 1 lift my voice to Heaven In thanks, for that priceless Word, M hich tells us the little children Are the heritage of the Lord. Ye ask, “ Are vour children faultless?” Ah, no ! But we’ll let that be ; 1 only started to tell you How precious they are to me. I have a mantle to cover 1 heir faults, save from One above ; l is a simple but certain shelter. And the name is “ A Mother’s Love.” 1 look at our children growing. As the years still onward roll, And 1 know how solemn a work it is To train an immortal soul. So 1 cry from my heart. “ () Father How vast is this trust to me ! \ et help me to nurse these children, And to rear them, Lord, for Thee, ‘‘l feel that my strength is weakness, But O, let T liy grace lie mine ! And as for our precious children, O number them, Lord, as Thine !”