LEARNING AND HEALTH.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5338, 7 May 1878, Page 3

LEARNING AND HEALTH.

.. . . , ~ (From the Dr. B. v >ybose ; project jofi a. City of Iffygeja,VfiQW,ia coprse of fulfilment, made'iiim suddenly famous; hps. been leoturihg , ,at the-Lopdon. Ifistifutipn/onLearning and,Health.” '' The subject is one ,upon which, as a., |s, fiyelljqualified to .speak, and, his remarks nppri qljate, characterised by the; .same. Iqqidityf simplicity,, -.and | pound commpn sente which'distinguipheaihip previous’ deliver-., ance on the sanitary’.question,::, Ifo -entirely Condemns, system pfu.mpdem .education {as,destructive'of thereby jof,! strength, pf-.mpptpl, grbwt.h,, and, his pip-,; fessiohal* ■pfaoti.ce‘.-'.ands [ 'e?;peripupe:', qualify,] ,and .impel...jth.yt/fat this, time health ‘ and euucafipp,- are not,, going haudpin.hand.fi that,the ,vyb?lpihead|i9 sick, and'the whole* heart ,fs Taint.” He sayg .be,,.oanpot,,sit,,day;’ ffylday/apdr,.observe the’, '‘‘lailure'di young brain, Pf.tbrainlappvoaob-f ing its maturity, pf.,bcaip,tbaj?.is njatured,'. neoe i s l, 'safy,"and |ia endured." To ac-., quiesce in gudlia' et^,.ot t be fo , become an alai-vv- ( murder that is' s be,ing n unipt,en.tionaUy-and up- ? . consciously,perpetrat;ed!b'y,,ma! l y> o £.-thpse who!, the,creation pf r Nprn’te’lliey exjclpsivplyitQ JjJamfr.-in, (she majt-b Richardson-, observes,; wheh^spealq'ngrpf.the, .ppfnioioup prize, system,.! agd ,tha.enfphcp4,fipnipeli,tion syhiph it involves, many excellent teacher?,•hayo.assurod him that “nothing but the-demandfqr, if pn.,tha ; part bf ambitious parents and friendp, could madethejn, permit.it as part ;.p£,,theip,wprlp” , & j ~ First and'foremost among the,evils indicated, by D?,, Bipharfiaon is, jthart, ,qf,, ppbjeotjng °hil-., dren; tq, ifljpdy they.arp properly taught. "to ,'.walkj,.ahd , long,, before, ptfiey. are taught, properly, j to! play.(-p . Nature -prompts. fhem to the latter course',,,just as she'prompts all other .yojing. .aniraalp.,,to, frisk and. gambol;,at this, ■peribd’of tHeir/liyes,; .but tp-tbe ;phild, pastime,, is only permitted ,as .a,set,. pff. against andla reward for, intellectual efforts,, fpr,..which its/ tender, brain. j \yhplly,unfitted,, and, which „ kills off'mofe’young otiildrepithan a legion of., Herods could massacre. “ffpy,phildt;en;under., seven years of age,”.pb3erves : Dj..tEichardaon, - “the whole o£ v fhe,, teaching, that,,phould he! naturally conveyed,should be,tffro,ugh play, if’, the body is tpheV trained, up, healthily;- as thle bearer, of ;the.,mind. ; ..Anddt is wonderful w hut d an amount of.learning can,,by,this,method bo. attained. 'Lettera’of langaageacap. be taught,, conversation in different languages can.be carried; on, animal 1 life can bo: classified, theisurfaoe j of^the,, earth cau,,bp;;made.i'plear,,;histp);y can' b'e'told as ..story, ;„and,,a number.’of rothar! and most useful truths,can be instilled .without! ever forcing the child, to..touch a bopk;pr read a,,formal-lesson.;.. Under; such a system the , child "grows into knowledge,, jnakes,. his own inventory of .the, world that surrounds, him and , the things '‘that are; upon , it,‘ and, growing up free to learn, learnp, well,; and, eats,, and - ; sleeps, and plays well.” . Wo need scarcely: add that this is the grouudivork-pf .thp/-Kindergarten systpip.dtfff.oducediihto Germany-j.byI Froobel, which’ under the, guise :of . play, and , by means [ of toys, teaches’children,,to ; discriminate the size, weight, color, position, shape, quality, aud all other properties of, natural, rages , theru,r to,.think, 'reflect,. 1 ; compare, and , deduce ; and giyes. them a knowledge of things which is much mofe, easily acquired and much more valuable, than hoolc learning;- We saw it recently state i that Bismarck attributed the strength of the German Empire to the Kindergarten syste.m, jusf said to havh 1 declared that' his t’eniusulaf victories were won in Datchet ’Meads 1 ;’ arid it ik-well knriwatsthat imoAmeficsi •' the brightest and quickest pupils in the various'schools are ’who! have 1 received'their preparatory'training of play in-the’Kindergkrteri; 1 cn.w' -i' j As to ‘educdtlori- infboyhpPd/ Dr;' Richard-; son asserts ;that- the prevalent methods 'err in three directions. The first-’ is'that work; the'second! is the-absehce of'any plafi of detecting and 'cultivating' the; natural ability of each individual iriind; and the third is the system of forcing the brain iutb noed-’ less and injurious competitions; and these arei productive of physical and moral evils' such as: are undreamed-of-by every schoolmaster who) does not happen • to -be well' acquainted with .'the ! physiologyh’of 1 ‘the’ hefvpua“ sys-| tem, and with the ■ vicious' - 'consequences' of its undue stimulation. "According to! Dr. Biohardsbnls experience, the educational training now in vogue -is productive 'of ,only; one' result—reduced dtatfdard ’of heriltli aud • life. “Boys and girls subjected ’to'it .are ren-i dered pale, thin, irritable, feverish; restless atj night, and feeble”; Probably-thb girls 'suffer! [from it even-more than the boys ; and’ih this' city, soon after 4 o’clock in the ; afternoon, you will meet troops of the former, with a worn l and prematurely,’old look upou theirpale, ex-: pressionless,: faces, while each carriea a load of! books painfully fif’, thp mental, tor- j tore they have been undergoing during school; hbtirs, anil which will be renewed in the even- j ing when they; get, up. their, lessons for the next morning. ' ~;i ; ;. I So, too, r as regards,!, education,, in adoleso-i ence, “young men’!and young .women who are | now presenting themselves for.the higher class t 'examinations' at 'oiir universities, and public; boards,” observes Dr. Richardson, ‘‘axe litwally • crushed ly the intensity.-,of,’ihe[ ,l It, has 1 happened. |o mo.within., the past ,year to have 1 under bbservatioh .fqhf of these Victims fp the ! inquisition of learning.” i.-Afid.!he„gqes ;on to ! describe each case in detail.’ "..Even where the competitor!? sriboessful, howyarely is he heard of in afterlife. He.rosemhles'la tree, lyhioh makes ,n tremendou3.,,effprt,.'t'p (l 'p'ut fqHb>blosbeforp/the! arriVai,.,of, l thb',springi.‘and remains'a'fruitless !ih6numont'!of, useless; precocity during 'the’ remainder iff the yehr. j The system is bad enough-fpr men,,Jjut.whattia to happen, it is’askedi’if Iworaen,emulate file robuster.sex in this respect',?,' '“tip to,, this, time the 1 itab'ility n, o£ ’ the' race ’in!,physical and mental qualities has greatly,-, 'res, teff on the .w.omon. r . s Butj”. signifioantly, addk- the Ib'cthrer/ ,{l if l in thesb' days women, catching the infection of the present., system!’ succeed in their clamor for admission-'into the, .' inquisition, and mother?’ thereupon, go ; put,,as/ they certaifily’'will, just’'in'proportion .a?,,they go in, the case will bo'hiid!indoed!fb^ l ,th'e !suQceed!ng'geheratidhß! ~i Truths of this likely to be altogether ~ palatable!,.yq-|ithe “shrieking sisterhood," in i Australia,- , -fthd'' , rilsewhere, .Bus", they yequirp;. to ■bo told for all tha<iL" ( iPr;RtohaK|sop. i i contends that it is jpearanoe t of men.,of geniu^. art, .; and'aoioriSej’'b6 'long!,as'opr, 'prosept ’ forcing . system of education' prevails. ■’ Under such - oirepmstanoes he,, sppalring as,„», physician,- ■ uhhesitMagly 11 dbolrires it to bo' ah' all ibpt impossibley n phenomenon.. ; ,j“ 'The ..men ; is hi- , reproducing them,' ’.aqd-; '-the di,yme'!'permfs3ibh "for ’their dovolopmeut is : equally good now as of yore ; but the development is checked by , human intprferonoo,, and , thereby hangs' 1 the, fCason of tho'.impossible,” '; I Ther-e will bo Briwhwood 'and under- , grdwtb;'bht'ho oaks 1 ; of pretentious ahd"htopeVficihl''mediocx!tie^ ! but' n ho really

,gveat„men,. :Ahd’fbr.these reasons, as,.well as ;for ;those,'sptsforth.above;> Dr.; Richardson pleads-earnestly in- favor of letting health and education go hand-’,in' hand, because, in: that cise, the progress of the world, both physically and mentally, .will be sound - and sure. ■ ;