VALUE OF FRESH AIR.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 1632, 2 November 1916, Page 4

VALUE OF FRESH AIR.

DOCTOR'S ADVOCACY. In the course uf an address ip Dunedin Dr. Bowie, of (he Dunedin Hospital, highly commended openair classes for children and open-air accommodation for sleeping out. Our whole modern system of life, lie added, Avas lending to compel childrey and adolescents to spend a very large part of their life indoors, and that was absolutely and essentially wrong, if we Avere to make our children the best and healthiest and bonniest possible 1 avc must gel back at Nature's methods. Our organism had marvellous powers of adaptation, ami we gradually became used to the conditions of our dwellings, but tin* struggle against these, conditions left the organism, on account of reduced resistance, an easy prey to germs of disease. In conducting an open-air class he admitted the teacher Avoald have some little trouble at the beginning, but the criticism would soon die down absolutely. At first, in their unaccustomed environment., the children, would Avalcli the birds and ilowers, and their attention would be taken off the immediate lesson to some small degree; but; the lessons they would learn from A\ - atelling the world around them would be of infinite A’alue. The teacher would find that the mentality would become more acute, the replies smarter, and the children would lake up a lesson more quickly and retain it mor* firmly. The. child would have joy and pleasure in the lesson, and would not have to yawn ami stretch at the end of I lie day, as in an inside school. The teacher herself, instead of wanting a cup of lea to freshen her up, would he ready ami eager for a game of tenuis. The lines 1 tiling that could he conceived for the lives of these girls was to have them accommodated on balconies open to the Avinds of heaven. Children Avere often hea\ - y and hard to rouse in the morning because they were living in an atmosphere Avhich was not supplying them with sufficient, oxygen. Those who slept with their windows Avide open morning, noon and night in all weathers wakened AviUumt yarning, fresh fur their work.