The Randall County News. (Canyon City, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 43, Ed. 1 Friday, January 21, 1910 Page: 1 of 8
eight pages : ill. ; page 22 x 16 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
THE RANDALL COUNTY NEWS.
V
Vol. XIII.
Canyon Randall County Texas Friday January 21 1910.
No. 43
SCHOOi. HYGIENE AND EFFICIENCY.
Read before the Randall County Teachers'
Institutf Dec. 22 1909 by F. M. Wilson
Pre Canyon City Public School Board.
School hygiene seeks to unite
nature and nurture in the task
conserving the child's powers
development of his potentiali
ties. This involves the consid-
eration of both physical and
mental hygiene. While they
are correlates both nee.d to be
studied that these relations may
be . harmoniously continued.
The mind must not be forced at
the expense of the vegetative
processes. The hygiene of the
body has received more atten-
tion than the hygiene of the
mind. In a practical way it
has been demonstrated that the
efficiency of the school largely
depends upon the character of
the school plant. The location
and the structure of the school-
house; its seating heating light-
ing equipment sanitation and
care have received attention in
our more progressive coin muni-
nities. This is one of the sanest
steps of advancement in the ed-
ucational progress of the last
few years. Courses in school
hygiene are being offered in
teachers' colleges and the phy-
sical welfare of the child is re-
ceiving consideration commen-
surate to its demands.
These courses in .hygiene
should be so extended as to in-
clude the study of children's
diseases; the symptoms period
of incubation duration and
methods of dealing with school
infections; spread of contagions
should be given attention.
Time may also be well spent in
covering the field of the preven-
tion of accidents and the appli-
cation of first aids in injuries
and accidents. In brief all that
bears upon the individual physi-
cal well being of the student
contributing toward his growth
development and resisting
power belong to such courses.
This implies also an acquain-
tance with the value and forms
of physical training; the place of
play manual training gymnas-
tics and athletics in the field of
education. Physical health is a
good asset and all that con-
tributes toward efficiency.
There is a growing interest in
the study of mental hygiene as
an economic consideration in
school work. This has been
i.vakened by the study of over-
rressure and fatigue. These in-
vestigations have given us in-
sight into the complexity of the
problem involved in the educa-
i tion of a human being. Pedago-
gy has been advanced to ' a
science. The child -study move-
ment aroused interest every-
where in that concrete thing
the child. Parents took up the
discussion and teachers have
profited in the criticisms made
upon the work of the school.
It has been found that school
conditions rather than over-
stndv are responsible for the
- ' v
child's diminishing returns.
The steps are unhygienic con-
ditions overfatigue strain dis-
ease or organic defect.
Mental hygiene involves the
hygienes of school control. The
government may contribute
toward thinking efficience or it
may retard if not quite prevent
thinking. The factor which de-
termines wholesomeness or un-
A-holesomeness is the personal-
ity of the teacher. The worth
of the school is measured by the
worth of the teacher. His per
sonality dominates its spirit in
fusing bouyancy of tone and
working interest or reducing it
to a monotonous routine of. re
pressive exercises. The teacher
will inspire or repress sooner
than anv other factor. If he be
noisy irritable petulant nag
ging overbearing or mechanical
the effect is at once apparent.
His quality of voice his mental
emotional and physical move-
ments are interpreted and felt
by the school. Dr.' Ludwig's
experiment in the Teachers'
Training College at Dumstardt
led him to conclude that it is not
the instruction but the instruct-
or which produces the burden-
ing of a school hour.
An authority implied not self-
imposed; an attitude of express
ive endeavor instead of repress-
ive effort; the feeling of a friend-
ly sympathetic personally in-
terested helpfulness go far
toward producing working ef-
fectiveness. The school is a
working organism and the less
the friction between its parts
the greater its potentiality. It
is a spiritual as well as a tempo-
ral democracy. Its government
and control should be participa
tive rather than prescribed. It
must be set up in the hearts of
the pupils. The child must be
brought into right relations
when it is found that he lacks
the free spontaneous attitude
so essential for good work. Tn
so doing the process should be
orderly naturally and sympa
thetically carried out. Threat
ening the promised and post
poned punishment add insult to
injury arousing base contem-
plations poisoning the mind and
the body diverting channels of
energy from work to worry
from the spirit which quickens
into life to the spirit which ran
kles and kills. Working effi
ciency implies harmonious
schoolroom activity.
School efficiency is promoted
by the adaptation of the curricu
lum to the needs and capacity
of the pupil. Causes of break
down are found in the tendency
to push children through a
school prescription for which by
nature and training they are
mentally unfitted. The subject
matter should be neither too
hard nor too easy. The former
confuses; the latter stultifies.
Hut the mind should be stimu
lated to activity by the next ap-
propriate object of thought dif-
fering in content in that it
should repuire effort and yet so
related to past thinking that
useless confusion and expendi-
ture of energy is not lost upon
it. Activities shosld be exer-
cised in the order of their de-
velopment. In nerve impulse
from lower to higher levels of
functioning; from fundamental
to accessory in motor activity;
from sense perception through
memory and imagination up to
reason in mentation. Genetical-
ly considered the educational
value of the curriculum depends
upon the degree to which it
ministers to the growth of the
child's activities in keeping
within the order of their evo-
lution. Maximal working effective-
ness is secured through effort
with interest. Imitation in-
terest and effort are the three
impelling forces which direct
the energies in the successive
stages of the maturing process.
They are supplemental and com-
plemental forces. Imitation with-
out interest is blind non-select
ive. Effort without interest is
wasteful. Interest without ef
fort is playful. Interested ef-
fort is economic efficiency.
The method of presentation
objective and illustrative teach-
ing variety and zest in treat
ment appropriate emotional
stimulus and the variation of
the subjects of study to corres-
pond with the seasonal changes
are valuable consideration. A
very important element in men
tal hygiene is the variation of
the school exercises in the form
ulation of the daily program
It has been estimated that a
saving of one school year in ten
The First National Bank mov
ed into its new bank building
Wednesday afternoon and the
boys were so anxious to get into
their new commodious quarters
that they worked nearly all night
to get their books furniture and
fixtures in position so that their
large business may not be inter
rupted. Some of the old fixtures
in the school life may be made
by this means alone. The va
rious systems of fatigue meas
urements and the facts more or
less observable in teaching ex-
perience a study of the localiza-
tion of cerebral functions and
the daily rhythm give evidence
of the value of arranging an
economic working relationship
between the several subjects
of study. Recuperative studies
are those which go to extremes
in activity. The stimulation of
any given area tends to call into
activity correlated areas. The
teaching of algebra immediately
after arithmetic stimulates the
same cerebral activities so that
recovery from fatigue must
come from involving extremes
such as going from mathemat
ics to manual training or from
language training to drawing.
Non-writing subjects should
come between two which re
quire written treatment. This
prevents the overfatigue of lo-
cal areas allowing the pto
maines to become dissipated and
elimated before the organism
suffers in consequence of the
overtaxation. I his fact consti
tutes one of the fundamental
arguments in favor of motor ac-
tivities in school education not
alone that mental and physical
reactions are mutually educa-
tive but within normal limits
they are mutually recuperative.
A study of the daily rhythm
and of the fatigue content of .the
several subjects of study unites
in placing the more difficult
studies in the foreroon and the
less difficult subjects in the
afternoon. The vital processes
reach their highest tonicity at
about ten o'clock in the morn-
ing. Thereafter is a gradual
decline with a partial recovery
at four o'clock in the afternoon.
When the child comes to school
at nine in the morning his vital
forces are on the ascendency
and at their best to undertake
the more formal and exacting
studies of the curriculum.
From nine to eleven o'clock in
the forenoon are the best work-
ing hours of the day. The
formal study of grammar and
arithmetic should come between
these hours from the fact that
they are the least interesting in
per se and the mind is freer to
direct the attention toward their
mastery. This leaves the less
fatiguing subjects to articulate
with these the more mechanic-
al exercises following in the
afternoon.
School hygiene condemns the
formal examination in the ele-
mentary school. Tests as a
part of the regular school ex-
ercises are desirable and neces-
sary. But there is no exercise
more oppressive and exacting
as the formal test. The worry
of anticipation and the conse-
quent cramming and restless-
ness are devitalizing in the ex-
treme. Promotions may be
made upon criteria just as valid
and reliable and not so taxing
-(
were installed on accout of the
manufacturers failing to place
the elegant new fixtures and fur-
niture contracted for. So it was
concluded that it would be better
to occupy the elegant new build-
ing with part of their old fixtures
than to wait for the contractor
indefinitely to install the same.
upon the pupil. Emotional na-
tures are wrought to such a
pitch as to incapacitate for think-
ing. It is only the child of ex-
traordinary ability that is not
over depressed by such exac-
tions. The mental and emotion-
al strain is so great that medic-
al authorities declare that less
than ten per cent of pupils after
such tests are in a sound and
healthy state.
Teachers demand too much
written work from pupils under
twelve years of age. While the
new-born infant may sustain its
own weight by the hand grasp
for some minutes that does not
argue that the pupil of eight can
learn to write as easily or con-
tinue to write for so long a peri-
od as a pupil of twelve. There
is a wide difference between the
use of muscles of the funda-
mental system and the use of
those fine recently acquired ac-
cessory muscles weighing not
over two ounces by which the
penholder is held. The plan of
beginning with large letter
forms and of having these re
produced with the whole-arm
movement is to be commended.
But to require so much written
material often under the guise
of "busy work" is productive
of nervous tendencies of the
most aggravating sort.
The materials with which the
pupils work should be properly
selected. Wasteful tension is
wasteful energy. A "scratchy"
pen is irritating and metal pen-
holders connot be easily held.
Pencils with soft lead give the
best working results. The text
book should be printed so as to
relieve eye-strain. The use of
block type and additional load-
ing is desirable in book making.
The organization the manage-
ment and the equipment of our
schools must be judged by the
supreme test efficiency. The
great question is: What is best
for the child' School hygiene
insists upon the child's highest
good as the wisest economy.
Time and means instrument and
occasion must be measured by
the fact of the needs of the
child. The function of the
school is to lead but not to pull;
to assist but not to remove; to
feed but not to gorge; to inter
est but not to amuse; to inspire
but not to intoxicate; to counsel
but not to worry; to condition
but not to force; to nurture but
not to supplant; to environ but
not to mechanically nor dispro-
portionately encompass.
The possibilities of the child
naturally and philosophically
have their limitations. But the
school should give him every
assistance in actualizing his po-
tentialities and conserve his en
ergetic latencies for effective
activity.
The three correlated consider
ations of. school efficiency are
the school plant the teacher
the child. These three; but the
greatest of these is the child.
Dawson-Allison.
Last Sunday in the city of
Arkedelphia Arkansas R. W.
Dawson one of the proprietors
of the Canyon Meat Market was
united in the holy matrimouy to
Miss Ethel Allison. Bob sur-
prised his friends a great deal
for when he left the Wednesday
before he did not mention his
reasons for going only that he
going to visit friends. Mr. and
Mrs. Dawson returned to Can-
yon Tuesday where they will
make their future home Mr.
Dawson remaining in the butch-
er business. The News joins
with their many friends in wish-
ing them a long and happy life.
6. G. Foster for Assessor.
Most everybody in Randall
and adjoining counties know or
have heard of G. G. Foster who
has served for some time in the
capacity of Suveyor in and for
Randall county. His record as
a citizen and an official is well
known hence it is useless for
the News to attempt a repetition
of the complimentary things
that are said of him.
We are authoroized to an
nounce the name of G. G. Fos
ter as a candidate for election
to the office of Tax Assessor of
Randall county subject to the
action of the Democratic pri
mary in July. The office of
Assessor is a very important
one both from the standpoint of
the citizen and the county but
there is no doubt in our mind
that Mr. Foster can perform its
duties with credit to himself
and to the county.
Prizes to be Given at Ft. Worth Fat Slock Show
Some cattle feeder with the
right kind of handling can make
a bushel of money at the Ft.
Worth Fat Stock Show next
March. Here is a showing of
his possible winnings.
Say he sends in a car (15 head)
of 3-year-old steers (or 2s. or
yearlings for the premiums are
the same) on which he wins the
first premium which is $200;
and the grand championship $100
and if they are good enough to
win in these contests they are
pretty sure to come out ahead in
the killing and dressing-out con-
test which will bring 100 more.
And if they are Ilerefords or
Shorthorns and are good enough
to win in all these contests they
will get the $500 that these iisso-
ciations offer for the champion
carlot of their breeds. That
makes a total of $900 to be won.
And then there is the selling
of the cattle. Prize winners
bring a fancy price. Last year
they sold at $"."() with an aver
age weight of 149 pounds mak
ing $112.:;.") ier head. The beef
market is higher now than it was
then and the winners will prob-
ably bring more. If they bring
only as much and are of the same
weight as last year's winners
they will make their owner a total
of $172. per head for the pre-
miums will total $00 per head.
That is a pretty good price
for a beef steer. It shows the
liberal encouragement that the
National Feeders and Breeders
show is giving stock the South
west when winnings are pos
sible. This show is held March
14th to 19th and deserves the
reputations it has of being the
greatest stock show in the coun
try outside of Chicago.
Ladies' Book Club Notice.
The members who hold books
belonging to the Book Club are
kindly requested to bring them
to the Club rooms Saturday
Jan. 22. It is impossible to get
the books catalogued unless this
is done.
Mrs. D. M. Stewart Pres.
THE NEW DEPOT ORDER MADE.
Must be Completed and Ready for Occupancy
by August 1st 1910. Will be Made
Big Enough forTravelng Public.
The Commercial Club received
this week a copy of the order as
made by the Railroad Commis-
sion at its meeting held on Jan-
uary 14th and as was announced
in last week's issue of the News
the depot is to be a large and
commodious adequate and suf-
ficient to the needs of the travel-
ing public.
The plans and specifications
of the depot building proposed
to be constructed must be sub-
mitted to the Commission on or
before March 11th 1910 that they
may judge its adequency and for
the Commissioners' approval and
if adequate it mustbe completed
and ready for occupancy on or
before Aug. 1st 1910.
P. H. Young for County Treasurer.
P. H. Young our present
county Treasurer is a candidate
for re-election to that office. Mr.
Young has made his home in
this county and in Canyon City
for the past nine years and is
well and favorably known. He
has made a very efficient officer
giving entire satisfaction to the
public and if elected to succeed
himself Randall county will
have a good and efficient County
Treasurer. Mr. Young author
izes the News to announce him
to this office subject to the July
primaries.
Some Weddings.
Married at the residence of
W. H. Younger in this city Jan.
18 Thos. F. Christian and Miss
Inez May McCann W. H.
Younger officiating.
These excellent young people
took the next train for Paducah
Kentucky the home of the
groom's parents where they
expect to reside in the future.
They have the best wishes of
their friends here for their
future welfare.
T. V. Slack for Assessor.
Last week the News stated
that "without boasting Randall
county has some very popular
officers" and in this week's
issue we wish to add to this
another statement; Randall
county has some very staunch
prosperous and progressive
farmers too and the News will
mention the name of T. V. Slack
who resides on a farm near Can-
yon City and has been a Randall
county farmer for the past
seven years coming to this
county from Fannin county
Texas. Mr. Slack has spent
the major part of his life on a
farm and is therefore well in-
formed as to values pertaining
to that occupation. He has
never served the public nor has
he ever asked for an office.
Mr. Slack authorizes the News
to announce his name for As-
sessor of Randall county sub-
ject to the July primaries.
Change Place of Buisines.
The office of the Canyon Ice &
Light Co. under the manage-
ment of R. M. Ross moved to
the back room of the new First
National bank building the first
of the week. J. W. Hall who
was in the confectionery busi-
ness the first door east of the
old First National bank building
moved Wednesday to the build-
formerly occupied by the Light
& Ice Co.
G. Stewart and Mr. and Mrs.
John Knight went to Hereford
Monday morning. Mrs. Knight
returned Monday but the gentle-
men were detained longer on
business.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Christman, L. B. The Randall County News. (Canyon City, Tex.), Vol. 13, No. 43, Ed. 1 Friday, January 21, 1910, newspaper, January 21, 1910; Canyon City, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth322642/m1/1/: accessed May 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; .