Woman's World

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 223, 20 March 1914, Page 6

Woman's World

A GREAT EDUCATOR.

Dlt MARIA MONTESSORI IN AMERICA.

(Boston Clobe.)

The recent appearance in Boston of Dr. Maria Montessori, the Italian Countess whose methods in the teaching of young children have become worldfamous, will without question be one cJ the most important educational events of the year.'

Boston is one of the twelve cities included in Dr. Montessori's tour of the United States, and she reached there early in December, giving two lectures. Her life and works have been given wide publicity in America, and her revolutionary methods of instruction have been found to accord so well with the most advanced educational ideas here that great interest has been aroused in the personality of the woman herself. Committees from a number of American universities had at different times been sent to Rome to persuade Dr. Montessori to visit America, but they had failed, and it was Mr. S. S. Jf'Clure, to whom she gives the greatest credit for having introduced her methods here, who, at the request of the Montessori Educational Association in America, finally induced her to make the trip.' Dr. Montessori had accomplished much before her name was known even in Italy. When she broke into fame she was already completing the studies which were soon to, make her a world , figure, and was at the same time worki ing out some of her ideas in the teaching of weak-minded children, in hospitals, in the University of Rome ami finally as directress of the first "ChildIrcn's House" in Rome. -

Her great chance came in 1898, when, as a physician , graduated from the University of Borne, she attended the first Italian Pedagogical Congress at Turing At that time the union of medicine and pedagogy was a thing undreamed of by those most concerned with the care of deficient and backward children.

On the third day of the Congress came the announcement that the beloved Empress of Austria had been assassinated, and by an Italian. Amid the intense silence following the announcement the great Bencivenni arose and delivered a discourse upon the reform of educational methods in the schools. The next day Dr. Montessori answered that address, and the answer, in which she spoke as a physician, was a memorable one.

Reform of methods of moral education is vain, she declared, if it fails to reach certain individuals who are most capable of committing such deeds as assassination. The abnormal children. in various categories, go through the same grade time and again, unchanged and serving only to disturb class routine and discipline. "What,'? she asked, "will become of these individuals who even in childhood reveal themselves ag.the future rebels and enemies of .siociety ?" In this speech Dr. Montessori virtually laid the first stone toward the education of mentally deficient children and the. foundation of special schools for them. She herself was hailed.,by the educators as a prophet, and when a State school for the feeble-minded was speedily established she was appointed director. '

The success of her. methods jn the instruction of deficient children led her to study the possibilities of applying the same methods to the'teaching of 'normal children and increasing their efficiency in even greater ratio. A course of hard research work and studies in philosophy at the University of Rome convincedher that she was right. Thereafter she bent every effart to make herself a reservoir of knowledge on the teaching of children, and rapidly she came to be recognised as an authority. Her work in 'children's houses" for the big real estate concerns that were building community tenements, and the success of the teaching methods used in them filled parents of all classes with interest in her ideas.

She was even astonished herself at the results she secured with normal children, and in consequence she delved deeper into the works of her predee-;* ;sors in the old original pedagogy thin before. Soon Home and the educational world of Italy came to know-something-new had been found and to-day, from the homes of the wealthy to the slums, the Montessori methods arc known and followed. k

JAPANESE WOMEN WANT FREEDOM.

An interesting symposium has been arranged by a Japanese magazine on the subject of women's position, as the result of which leading Japanese ladiis have expressed their views with considerable frankness. While all condemn the suffragette movement, as seen in the West, they are unanimous in wishing for greater freedom than they at present enjoy.

One of the writers says that it is disgraceful that women should not be allowed* to attend political meetings. Women have instincts better developed than men and there is less danger of them acquiring dangerous thoughts than men. Besides, as they are the' educators ■of the rising generation, they should not be treated as "juniors." On the subject of the suffragette movement the writer said that Japan did not require such a movement at present. Another lady writer asks that woman should be given absolute liberty to protect her own interests, to express her own thoughts, to choose her own pursuits in spite of her husband. Thtjn she recounts her own home experiences, lnough she has no complaint against her husband, she expresses her dislike of his friends, who think that it is the duty of a wife to wait upon her husbands friends.

The fact of the wife being the mistress of the home, she writes, is no mson why she should sacrifice her time and congenial avocation for her husbands friends. So long as there are such uncivilised men in the country, the task of procuring true liberty for women will be difficult. A third lady writes that the independence of woman m the noblest sense is to be desired, out at the same time the indifferent spirit of self-sacrifice in woman should not be impaired. A fourth lady writer takes a gloomy view of woman's position. She says: "Small, helpless things are the Japanese women of to-day. Before talking of giving the suffrage to women they should give us the right of self-government at home. We groan in domestic bondage."

BAD TEETH AND CANCER. That defective teeth are sometime* connected with cancer was recently brought forward at the International l/ongresa of Medicine by a dental surgeon whose experience is gained in several hospitals. His researches have just

been , ; : .;i:-;!u-il in full, and :';;'.u-ar to suppor- ii.s 1) ■)><■: that poiso:: swal'o.ul dail;. b./ posse ;! k:} teeth aiusl have a serious .-.!.:■ ..:■ ,in

stom:- ".. : ..I .ir.e-tiiies. Jn ! proportion of cancer cases it is the alimjiifai\ trail which is'the seat of ....<■ diseiurl;. It is well-known that the constant swallowing of pus often brings on chronic gastritis, and that chronic inllammalion of certain parts of .-.hi! body will predispose to the development of cancer. Most patients who suffer from cancer of the stomach are found to have had chronic gastritis for many years before the malignant disease declared itself. The result of Dr. Ste.nlman's investigations lias been to prove that the majority of persons suffering from cancer in the alimentary canal have periodontal disease in an advanced stage, and that this inflammation of the jaw bone is not nearly so common when cancer is not present. He thus concludes that the connection between cancer and a defective condition of the teeth that leads to a constant passage of pus directly into the stomach, is clearly established.

USEFUL HINTS. Few people, except trained nurses, know -that a restless patient is made much more comfortable if the corners of the undcr-sheet are carefully pinn:'l to the under side of the mattress with safety pins. Draw the. sheet tight and pin it securely. It will be a relief to nurse and patient. Bad cuts and burns sometimes happen in the kitchen, so it is well to know of handy remedies. To stop the Wedding of a bad cut, apply finely powdered rice or flour to the wound? if soft soao is to be had, it will ease the pain of a burn at once. For burns and scalds apply glycerine and flour, the latter heaped on the affected part to keep off the air. On ■this put a good pad of cotton wool and bandage. Warts are very disfiguring to the hands. They will sometimes yield to the touch of a lump of soda, which must be moistened at one end and rubbed on the wart damp. The soda treatment must be repeated day by day.