USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > Quincy > Inaugural address of the mayor, with the annual report of the officers of the city of Quincy for the year 1908 > Part 18
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The matter of the addition to the Lincoln School has been in abeyance for some months. On June 3, 1908, the
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School Committee received the plans of the several archi- tects and, on June 12, the plans submitted by Mr. Charles A. Brigham were approved and accepted by the School Board. This completed its part of the work. Since that time the matter has been before various committees of the City Council and was finally disposed of when, on De- cember 24, an appropriation of $12,000. was approved by His Honor, the Mayor. It is reasonable to suppose that work on the Lincoln addition will be actively begun with the ad- vent of the new year.
It is now an acknowledged fact among educators and medical men of the country, that the intellectual and moral development of the child is largely dependent upon his phys- ical condition. Under the supervision of Mr. Ernst Hermann the public school course in physical training is one of pro- gressive physical development from the lower grades through the High School, adapted to the age and physical need of each pupil. The supervisor is ably assisted in this work by the regular medical inspectors, who, fully appreciating the importance of such a course, have volunteered their services and are giving their time and skill to promote the public health. The adoption of the one session in our first and second grades has met with general approval, and will aid materially along these lines, as it gives young children more time for out-door play and bodily development. The citi- zens also have recently voted to provide public playgrounds as required by Chapter 513 of the Acts of 1908. With such co-operation from both city and state the children of Quincy have indeed every opportunity of becoming strong men and women, physically, mentally and morally.
The introduction of the savings bank system in the schools has met with success even beyond the most sanguine expectations. About 57 per cent. of the pupils are now tak- ing advantage of this latest innovation and have deposited to their credit in the Quincy Savings Bank over four thou- sand dollars. A word of thanks is due to the Civic Better- ment Committee of the Quincy Women's Club through whose
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good offices the system was installed without expense to the city.
The above report presented by a special Committee, consisting of Mr. Charles H. Owens, Mr. Arthur W. New- comb and Mr. John A. Duggan, was adopted as the annual report of the School Committee Tuesday evening, December 29, 1908.
FRANK E. PARLIN, Secretary.
Report of the Superintendent
To the School Committee of Quincy :
Herewith I submit my ninth annual report which is the thirty-fourth in the series of annual reports by the super- intendent of public schools and the fifty-ninth of the print- ed reports of the School Board of Quincy.
Physicial Education
The aim of all education should be life, power and effi- ciency-life, broad, deep, full and rich; power of body and of mind; efficiency in thought and in action-these to the ca- pacity of the individual. Thoughtful persons who have care- fully considered the matter seem thoroughly convinced that the right development and education of human beings cannot be secured from books and by schoolroom methods alone, that man is more than intellect and that the fundamental laws of growth and education require some quite different agencies from those in general use. At all periods of school life, phys- ical education-the appropriate, systematic training of all pupils, girls as well as boys-has been unknown in the public schools of this country. Many competent judges are con- vinced that gymnastics, as usually practiced, are a positive injury to many pupils and of little benefit to the rest. They lack nearly all the elements of good physical
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exercise. They certainly are not generally enjoyed by the children and frequently are as severe a tax upon the brain as the studies from which they are supposed to fur- nish relief. The very close relation of mind and body is on- ly beginning to be appreciated by educators. They are now learning that without physical activity mental development is impossible, that the first and best tutor of the mind is the body. Brain and muscle instead of being mutually antago- nistic are mutually complementary and form an indispensa- ble union in the complete development and education of man. When men were taught to neglect and despise their bodies, not only physical but mental degeneracy began and the dark ages naturally followed. In the development of the race and of the individual. mind and body have always served and taught each other, and the work of one has been equally as necessary and important as that of the other. Without the mind, the body is useless : without the body, the mind is helpless in hu- man affairs, at least. It is only when both receive appropriate care and training that man appears at his best, as the crown- ing glory of creation. Poets and artists have not been wont to clothe their gods and heroes in physical weakness and ugliness but in strength and beauty, and the modern psychologist knows there is in this more than a poet's fancy.
In this country, physical education has never been taken very seriously. Until recently, we have been satisfied with the name without the substance thereof. Fortunately for the rising generation and for the nation, our eyes are opening not only to its vital but to its intellectual, moral and social importance. If there are to be strong and completely developed men and women, there must first be well developed children. As Ja- cob Riis said recently. "You can never make more than half a man out of half a boy." He might have added that a boy without physical education is never more than half a boy. The salvation of the boy has been that he has usually in- sisted upon considerable physical exercise, even if secured in unwise and troublesome ways. In our anxiety to produce
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learned little men and women we have forgotten the physical basis of intellectual and moral strength. It has been the cus- tom, whenever education has yielded unsatisfactory results, to add new subjects to the curriculum, to send the children a little earlier to school or to require a little more home study. We seem never to have been impressed with the fact that the child's chief business is to grow and that , during the years before entering school, he acquires several times as much prac- tical knowledge as he ever does during the same length of time at school, that few children leave school in as good physical condition as when they entered and that many teachers are nervous wrecks after a few years in the profession. Education need not and ought not to be such unhealthy business either for teachers or for the taught, and it will not be when the body is properly trained and the physical needs of all suitably rec- ognized. It is a sad reflection upon civilization that it so often tolerates, if it does not demand, conditions which produce men physically inferior to their barbarous ancestors. It is neither wise nor necessary for the methods of education to conflict with the natural laws of development. All legitimate de- mands of modern life, of the highest civilization and of the greatest individual efficiency, may best be met by an educa- tion which conforms to the fundamental needs of the growing child.
The law requires that tuberculosis and its prevention shall be taught in all grades of the public schools of this state. It is a wise precaution, provided the teaching is made concrete and effective by appropriate physical training. Aca- demic instruction alone will accomplish little. Upon the minds of children in the elementary schools, such instruction produces only vague and unmeaning impressions, until the precepts are enforced and vitalized through practice and the formation of hygienic habits, until an interest in their own physical development has been aroused and an ambition to possess a strong, active body has been awakened. Boys and girls, who have been thus taught and trained and inspired, are most loyal to instruction and to the laws of health. They
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will do more to reform their parents and to improve the home conditions in regard to food, cleanliness and ventilation than all other agencies combined. But, if pure air and nourishing food are to yield the full measure of their benefits, children must develop large lungs, good digestion, strong circulation, steady nerves and sturdy muscles. To produce strong, ac- tive, disease-resisting bodies, regular physical exercise in the open air and sunlight, especially during the growing period, is absolutely indispensable. To complete the education of boys and girls and to give them the best possible preparation to meet the stress of life in every field, intellectual and mor- al, as well as physical, the playground and gymnasium are needed to supplement the school and books. At no period of life can so much be done to check "the great white plague" as during school days, but it will be through wise physical education rather than through classroom instruction. If the body is given an equal chance with the mind, it will fortify itself against disease and greatly increase happiness and use- fulness. The youth who has learned to love health and strength, pure air and sunlight, is likely to respect the laws of life and to demand clean and wholesome surroundings. Man is a unity and he who would make most of him, as an in- dustrial factor, as a social influence, as a citizen and as a man, must lay the foundation of his hope and effort where God and nature have laid it, in the body.
"Send the whole boy to school" has been a popular phrase in recent years, but, as the schools have been con- ducted, it has been impossible to send the whole boy to school, because no adequate provision has been made there for his physical needs. By fully recognizing the importance of phys- ical education, by employing a thoroughly trained and ex- perienced director, and by authorizing a more careful phys- ical examination of the pupils, the School Committee has inaugurated one of the most needed and far-reaching re- forms that have been made in the schools of this city for many years. The citizens by adopting the playground act have also greatly aided the movement and enlarged its possibili-
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ties. With the co-operation of parents and medical inspect- ors the benefits to the children and the community will be incalculable. By removing physical defects and checking in- cipient disease, by securing a healthier growth and a better development, by awakening wholesome interests and by pro- viding safe places for legitimate exercise, we render the in- struction of the schools more effective, minor delinquencies less numerous, and the sum total of human happiness and usefulness much greater. It is in play alone that the whole child may be seen in action. The playground and the schoolhouse, being complementary factors in education, be- long together. In Germany, the attendance at play is com- pulsory, the same as attendance at school, and the play time is as carefully planned and supervised as is the schoolroom work. The excellent scholarship and the exceptional physic- al development of the German youth prove the wisdom of the system. Well graded and properly directed play, games and athletic sports, supplemented by gymnastics, in the opinion of the most competent directors of physical education, constitute the best possible system for pupils of all ages. The out-of-door recesses, devoted to games in which both teachers and pupils join, have improved the work and spirit of the schools. All, returning to their duties refreshed and thoroughly awake, work much more effectively and enjoyably. The twenty-five minutes a day thus given to vigorous play in the open air, instead of diminishing, actually increases the ef- ficiency of the school.
The tests of sight and hearing required by law have been made in all the schools with the following results : Number of pupils enrolled 6075, number found defective in eyesight 832, number found defective in hearing 164, and number of parents or guardians notified 569.
After it was decided to establish the Department of Phys- ical Education, it required a long and careful search to find a man for director, whose views and training prepared him to do the kind of work desired, but such a man was found in Mr. Ernst Hermann who was unanimously elected. Mr.
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Hermann has created unusual interest and enthusiasm in his work and has fully demonstrated his qualifications for the position. Your attention is invited to his report which fol- lows :
To Mr. Frank E. Parlin, Superintendent of Schools :
On account of the recent establishment of the Depart- ment of Physical education and on account of the necessity of studying the school system, I feel that I shall better serve the purpose of my report, if I speak of the object of this de- partment and incidentally relate what has been done towards inaugurating an efficient system of physical education in the public schools of this city.
A careful analysis of physical education shows that it embraces a rather wide and important field, permeating the whole educational curriculum. This is due to the fact that the school has largely taken the place of the home as the guard- ian of the health of the child and, by doing so, has accepted sociological duties. Since it takes children at a tender aga and keeps them during the best hours of the day, at the time when it is their principal business to grow, it should see that they reach, first of all, a perfect physical manhood and womanhood.
Yet our modern school life rather tends to hinder perfect physical growth. This growth depends mainly upon all-round and diversified physical activities, upon much fresh air and sunshine, and upon absolute avoidance of mental and physical overwork. But since our school life practically stands for physical inaction, for sedentary occupations, for mental strain, for diminution of pure air and sunshine, for exposure to dis- ease, nervous exhaustion, in short, for interference with all the natural functions of the body, it is evident that one of the main offices of this department must be to bring into the school life such measures as will not only prevent, as far as possible, any interference with perfect physical growth, but add that which will stimulate and enhance physical develop-
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ment. Thus the first object must be to improve the health of the pupils.
To promote a better understanding I will briefly point out some of the main physical needs of a growing child and how school life interferes with these needs.
The muscular system is the principal agency through which the growth of heart and lungs, the intestines, the kid- neys and all other organs essential to life, are stimulated and strengthened. The normal circulation of the blood and lymph, which carry the food to all parts of the body and re- move certain waste products, depend upon all-round muscu- lar activities. The interference with the elimination of waste products alone is a very harmful result of sedentary work. The lungs, best health insurance and our greatest danger, cannot get their full growth without plenty of exercise in pure air. If, therefore, the muscular system fails to secure sufficient exercise, all the organs must suffer and, if this neg- lect continues, one or more of the organs, if not the whole body, remains undeveloped. The nervous system and the brain, too, are absolutely dependent for their growth upon muscular activity. Thus, as Professor Tyler says, "The muscular system is at once the key to the development of the brain and the strategic center of the body."
From this it is evident that sedentary life and the lack of physical education is the greatest handicap to growth. And, since growth is not completed until the close of the ad- olescent period, physical education must go hand in hand with all other parts of education. Under physical education I in- clude plays and games, gymnastics, athletics, dancing, all the fundamental manual occupations, real nature study, etc.
Up to about the eighth year physical education is the best means of promoting not only physical but mental and moral growth, and it should be directed principally towards the fundamental muscles. During the period from eight to twelve physical education should occupy the major part of the child's time. But, since at this time the child's brain has
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practically reached its full dimensions, the training in the three R's may be undertaken, provided that the very great need of physical exercise is properly met. From twelve to fourteen, mental and physical education should still receive equal attention.
It is a mistake to believe that during the next cycle, the adolescent period, children may be safely subjected to se- vere mental training. This period usually falls into the first high school years. This is the period of most rapid growth of the vital organs, which annually grow several times as much as in previous years. It is also the period of the development of very important functions, also the storm and stress period of mind and soul. The immense growth of heart and lungs alone during this period demands that phys- ical education retain an important place in the student's life. It is surely not a period for prolonged nervous and mental strain.
It might seem that thus far I had dealt only with the need of physical education as an hygienic factor. But, since brain and muscle cannot be divorced in the actions of healthy persons, it is clear that all these measures must affect the in- tellect also. The fundamental centers of the brain are the motor and sensory areas. Upon the development of these de- pends the growth of intellectual powers, which are later evolved functions of the brain. It is just as impossible to de- velop strong intellectual powers in a child who has only mea- ger motor and sensory brain development as it is to add suc- cessfully a second story to a building having a foundation only strong enough to support one floor. Not only must we build up strong motor and sensory areas and allow the maturing of these areas, which are the very foundation of endurance and resistance, before we add to the superstructure but we must ever keep these powers in perfect repair. They require the closest attention throughout childhood and, if they are neg- lected, the whole brain structure will collapse sooner or later. Sometimes the neglect of this fundamental framework becomes apparent only in the succeeding generation.
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Physical training is mental training. Motor education is the foundation of all other education, and without constant and varied muscular activities the brain cannot develop, and health and efficiency are impossible. By closely attending to the physical needs of the child, we not only promote its growth and efficiency but we increase many fold its capacity for future intellectual growth and moral development. In doing this we follow more closely the laws of nature, and the outcome will be a sturdier manhood and womanhood which will endure the strain of modern life, meet emergencies with a cool head and a ready hand, and will strengthen the social fabric with the tough fibers of a robust character.
The necessity for motor education and for giving more attention to the physical needs of the child are admitted by our leading educators and physicians. These needs have been met to some degree by many public school systems, both. foreign and domestic. The private schools of our country, on account of their dependence upon patronage and because of the competition of rival schools, have rapidly accepted these teachings and have provided for the motor education and for an efficient hygienic routine. They have gymnasia, play- grounds, athletic fields and provisions for all-round manual occupations. The training of mind and of body go hand in hand.
Such equipments are of course necessary, if we are to meet the needs in a thorough manner. The public schools, al- though some of their superintendents have long recognized these needs, are handicapped by antiquated buildings, lack of competent instructors and adequate funds. This handicap, which must continue for some years has forced the physical education specialist to institute emergency work in the public schools, and has led, for instance, to school room gym- nastics, which are only better than nothing. It should be clearly understood that this is only an emergency system, which the school authorities should try to remedy by provid- ing the proper places for physical education. A gymnasium and playground should be provided with each school building
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and, when new building lots are selected, they should be large enough to allow for these needs.
In the Quincy schools the existing conditions, as far as school-yards are concerned, are fairly favorable. In some instances, where the yards are rather small, we are favored with some open private land. which we have been permitted to use. If such lands could be permanently secured, and if they were put into proper condition and their equipment started, we could soon meet our most important needs. Some buildings have entirely insufficient yard space and no privi- leges of adjoining land.
The grass plots and flower beds should be done away with, and instead rows of shade trees should be planted. These should be so arranged that they furnish the largest pos- sible amount of shade with the least sacrifice of space. Grad- ing and proper surface covering are essential to good play- grounds. In some localities it would be well to surround the yards with fences.
A few of our buildings have halls which could be changed very easily into gymnasia. I would respectfully recommend that these halls be finished for the use as gymnasia, and that an appropriation be made for starting their equipment. These few gymnasia would soon prove their great education- al and hygienic value. and I am convinced that our people would soon see the need of providing similar halls in other schools.
On account of the more favorable conditions as to vards, and because outdoor plays and games are our funda- mental means for meeting the physical and motor needs of our children, a graded schedule of outdoor plays and games and sports was introduced into all the elementary grades in October. For this purpose an outdoor recess of fifteen min- utes in the morning and of ten minutes in the afternoon was started. Each teacher was provided with a set of plays and games suitable for her grade, and a simple set of play im- plements were furnished. The games are minutely de- scribed and general instruction as to the physiological and
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educational value of games was added. This first step has been successful. A review of our children after an outdoor recess with active games must at once impress an observer with the hygienic value of this work. A great many of our teachers have given evidence that it results in brighter mentality and better conduct in the class-room.
Plays and games have a definite educational value and, hygienically considered, are the best form of exercise for body, mind and soul. Fundamental social relations are es- tablished, such as devotion to a cause and loyalty to the community. Physical health, strength, endurance and skill are developed, habits of rational recreation are formed, judgment is developed and chivalrous virtues are fostered. The spirit of fair play is a mark of the highest morality. Whenever we insist upon fair play in all difficult situations, we are teaching loyalty for loyalty's sake, of which Profes- sor Royse says: "In real life this form of virtue is at once the most valuable and the hardest."
For educational as well as hygienic reasons, and for the purpose of gaining time for outdoor work, a change was also made in the manner of entering and leaving the building by the children. They now enter and leave in a natural fashion, without forming lines and marching in lock-step. Although this change was somewhat revolution- ary for present day school discipline, I am glad to report that the new way works splendidly in most schools. At the sound of the bell, without further instruction the children put their desks in order and leave the room and the build- ing without crowding. Much time has been gained by this change, and the moral effect of such free action is very marked.
An exhaustive physical examination of all the children has just been completed. Special thanks are due the Med- ical Inspectors of our schools who have so generously given their valuable time. I have taken complete record of the physical development of the children and further individ- ual records were gathered by the teachers. The medical ex-
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perts examined heart and lungs, mouth, throat and nose. I shall prepare a statistical review of this examination, which will undoubtedly furnish most valuable records of the health and physical development of our school children. This will provide us not only with the necessary data as to the comparative relation of physical health to scholarship and deportment, but will also furnish for the future com- parative records of the growth and development of the children while they are passing from grade to grade. It will also serve as a guide to the Physical Education Depart- ment in its future policy and will provide a great stimulus to the children in attending systematically to personal hygiene. In guarding the health of the children such an annual physical examination is of great importance. In de- tecting early signs of tuberculosis, spinal troubles, deformi- ties, heart disorders, adenoids, malformation and decay of teeth, etc., these examinations will richly repay for the time and money they cost.
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