Part 5 (2/2)

The principal results of such experiments have been: theattention; that is to say, they reveal the weariness, the degree of fatigue, in children

This gave the alary was concerned solely hat children ought to do The idea that their nervous energiesnote of science

Researches into the causes of fatigue became more and more frequent, and coupled with such researches was the less iue could be ”co to the question were studied: age, sex, the degree of intelligence, the type of individual, the influence of the seasons, the influence of the various times of the day, of the various days of the week, of habit, intervals of relaxation, interest, variety of work, the position of the body, and, finally, position in reference to the cardinal points

=Science is confronted by a mass of unsolved proble mass of unsolved problems It has not been established whether ued than feue than the unintelligent With regard to the individual type, Tissie's conclusion seeued or not according to his degree of will” In connection with the seasons it appears that fatigue increases from the first to the last day of school, but it is uncertain whether this is due to the influence of the seasons, or whether, as Schuyten affirradual exhaustion is due to the scholastic systeard to the tiue produced is less when the pupil works spontaneously, but this problem is a difficult one to solve” The days of the hen fatigue is least evident are Monday and Friday, but researches made in this connection are not definitive; as to habit, intervals of rest, interest: ”in connection with these factors which are antagonistic to fatigue, it has been questioned whether they actually diue, or reat variety of interesting researches have been e of ith identical results--naue than continuous work of one kind, and that a sudden interruption isexperiirls were required to add up figures for twenty-five es for another twenty-five minutes Another day they performed the same work, but it was differently divided; they had to add for fifty minutes and to copy for another fifty ave results infinitely superior to the first And yet it is well known that, in spite of such results, constant interruption and change of work are commonly practised in schools, as part of a scientific plan for co to schools is that of the ponogenic co-efficient of the various subjects of instruction, that is to say, of the degrees of fatigue induced by these Wagner is of opinion _a priori_ that one hundred, the ned to enic co-efficients in schools, for each subject:

Matheraphy 85 French and Gerion 77

Wemanner in which such results are established; nevertheless, in the name of ”experimental science”

it is possible to :

”It would be interesting to enquire if the order of the ponogenic co-efficients varies with the age of the children, which would enable us to know on the one hand when the brain is best fitted for the study of any particular subject and when therefore it would be raement of the daily ti subjects at the beginning of the day” (Claparede, _op cit_)

Another order of recent researches is that ue; Weichardt succeeded in isolating these toxines, and in fabricating anti-toxines hich he experimented successfully on rats The experiard to the appearance of the toxines, it was found that they were abundantly produced during the performance of ”wearisome” work, whereas there were only traces of thehout this science so packed with researches which give as their result unsolved problems, we perceive that not one of the factors taken into consideration can alleviate fatigue; interruption and change of work e_ (exhaustion due to overwork) can be eliive joy in work rather than pain

”The necessity ofeducation and instruction attractive has been propounded by all pedagogists worthy of the name, such as Fenelon, Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Herbart, and Spencer,”

says Claparede, ”but it is still unrecognized in the everyday practise of the schools” (_op cit_)

”By co no harm: first do no harm, a precept also accepted in the practise of medicine To obey it to the letter is, indeed, _impossible, because every method of scholastic education is in some way prejudicial to the normal development of the child_ But the educator will seek to _alleviate the injury which instruction necessarily entails_”

(_op cit_)

This is indeed cold comfort, after all these studies and researches! A confession that problele one has been solved! Indeed, underlying all this is the _problem of problems_: how to make that place attractive and joyous where hitherto the body has been tortured and contorted, and the blood poisoned by weariness! It is i harive pleasure! This is truly an e of notes of interrogation serves as the decorative ht be norabimus_

And it is for this reason that the considerations indicated by hygiene and psychology now tend to do away altogether with the su the sentence,” that is to say, abbreviating hours of study, cutting down the curriculunorance, and henceforth the abandonreater part of the day, present themselves as a substitute for the specter of destruction Meanwhile our epoch deeneration, and the preparation of a culture ever vaster and more complex

True, it would appear that to-day a way of escape ue ”Just think!” exclaiue How valuable this would be!” Froenic co-efficients ht find a more practical and rational application than that of the revelation of ”progra the production of toxines would appear destined to determine the dose of anti-toxine necessary to nullify the evil effects resulting from each different subject of instruction In the not far distant future, when these auxiliary sciences of the school and pedagogy shall have ress, we shall perhaps see, side by side with the orthopaedic ward, a physio-che the pupils, as they leave the beneficent suspensory apparatus which counteracts injury to their skeletons, ulated by the teaching they have undergone, and receive an injection which will deliver theue!

This reads like an irony of the worst kind, perhaps; but this is not the case Where the orthopaedic institution is already an accomplished fact, we may very soon see the chemical clinic established If a problem of liberty is to be solved with arded from the cheical end of sciences developed upon such errors

It is obvious that a real experiuide education and deliver the child from slavery, is not yet born; when it appears, it will be to the so-called ”sciences” that have sprung up in connection with the diseases of martyred childhood as chemistry to alcheone centuries

I think it will be of interest here to record the i the field of y and experilish engineer, who had evidentlymy method for two years, returned to the universities of his own great country as a student of biology