OVERWORKING THE CHILDREN.
A SOUTHERN mother, writing to the Ladies’ Home Journal in reference to the matter of overworking children in the public schools, gives her experience as follows:— I wrote to the teachers of both my boy and girl that under no circumstances would I permit any home study. The teachers came to me and explained that my children would fall behind in their studies. I told them that I was perfectly willing they should. Other mothers hearing what I had done, did the same. The teachers carried the matter to the principal, and to make a long story short, the studies were changed and a study hour introduced at school. The result is that the health of the children is markedly better; progress has been actually greater and surer, and both teachers and principals concede the wisdom of the plan. In consequence, we are a very happy little community of mothers. It simply called for some one to take the initiative. Again we say that the health of the children is of more importance than the mastery of certain text-books at a certain age. When parents and principals and teachers comprehend this and act in accordance therewith, the health of the children will be better, their morals better, and their brains brighter.