Civics and HealthAllen, William H. (WIlliam Harvey)
Science
Civics and Health
Allen, William H. (WIlliam Harvey)
Hygiene; Public health
In passing it is worth while to note that in large cities teachers are
frequently forced to choose between bad ventilation and street noises.
From Boston comes the suggestion that we avoid noises and evils of
congestion by building schoolhouses for city children on the outskirts
in the midst of fields, transporting, and, if necessary, feeding
children at public expense. While it is true that the public funds now
spent in attempting to cure physical and moral ills would purchase
ample country reservations, the practical next step seems to be to
provide ample play space and breathing space within the city for every
school building already erected, and without fail for all buildings to
be erected hereafter.
9. _Hygiene should be so taught that children will cultivate habits of
health and see clearly the relation of health and vitality to present
happiness and future efficiency._ Social rather than personal, public
rather than private, health needs emphasis. Children can be shown how
their health affects their neighbor; why money spent for health boards
is a better investment than money given to corrupt politicians; that
the cost of accepting Thanksgiving turkey or a park picnic from a
political leader who encourages inefficient government is sickness,
misery, deficient schooling, lifelong handicap; that children and
adults have health rights in school and factory, on street and
playground, which the law will protect if only they know when these
rights are infringed.
10. _Central supervision of school hygiene._ In private and public,
boarding and day, country and city, reformatory and military,
commercial and high schools, the index--physical welfare of school
children--should be read and interpreted. Headquarters should learn
whether or not physical examinations are made and whether harmful
conditions are corrected. So far as public schools are concerned,
"headquarters" means for cities the fact center that informs city
superintendent or school board; for rural schools, it means the county
superintendent's office. Whether city or county headquarters have the
facts and act accordingly should be known by state superintendents.
Whether state superintendents are demanding the facts and educating the
county and city headquarters of their states should be known to the
national commissioner of education and by him published for all the
world. Some people think the state health board should be responsible,
others the state educational authority. The important thing is to make
some one officer responsible. Methods can be easily worked out if the
need is conceded. Legislatures will gladly confer the powers necessary
to reading the index of all public schools.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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