close of every hour, in which the scholars should be allowed to go out of doors.

A short sitting of three hours may require only one pause, which should, however, be of twenty or thirty minutes, in the case of children.

Clothing should at all times be easy and allow full inspiration by chest or abdomen, without any sense of pressure; the feeling should be nearly the same as when no clothes are worn. The so-called "dress reform" for women effects this by making most of the weight depend from the shoulders.

One of the chief faults of feminine attire - the pinching of the waist where the skirts are fastened is imitated by boys with a leather strap. It is dangerous to exercise with a tight strap or string around the middle.

The feet are often neglected. Children (old enough to "study philosophy") will come to school in thin, wet shoes from simple negligence, or because they have "lost" their overshoes. They should be sent home by the teacher for dry shoes and stockings. On very wet days it would not be amiss for the pupils to bring at least a dry pair of stockings to school with them. This is especially important for older girls.

CHAPTER VII.

CARE OF THE EYES.

HERE is no hygienic point where the teacher

THERE

can render more distinct service than in relation to the eyes of his scholars. The functions of this organ are so dependent for their perfection upon a thoroughly sound condition of health, that a complete account of their relations would bring us in contact with most points of hygiene. But, of all public servants, the teacher ought to be best informed of the dangers, and best able to assist the child in avoiding them.

In the valuable little treatise on the "Care of the Eyes," by Mr. Brudenell Carter, we find these words, which may be laid to heart:

"It is very worthy of note that, in the experience of ophthalmic surgeons, it is exceptional to meet with a child suffering from defective vision who has not, before the defect was discovered, been repeatedly and systematically punished by teachers or schoolmasters for supposed obstinacy or stupidity. The very reverse of this practice is what ought to obtain,

and apparent obstinacy or stupidity should lead, from the first, to the question, Can you see perfectly?""

It may be added that deafness, due to causes easily removed if taken in time, is often misunderstood in the same deplorable way, Deafness, however, cannot be considered a "school disease" in the same sense in which many diseases of the eye are such. Both the eye and the ear, however, are peculiarly the instruments of school-education, and a teacher who is ignorant of their essential construction and laws knows not the tools of his trade.

There is one affection which is so common, and so directly dependent (in many cases) on school-life, that it may well occupy our first attention. I refer to short-sight, near-sight, or myopia.

A child with normal eyes ought to be able to read this page, in a good light, at the distance of forty inches, and at all intervening distances down to four inches: this is a very moderate test for young eyes. Any child who cannot read it as far as fifteen inches off should have his eyes examined by a competent oculist. No disease is more certain to increase if neglected, and none is better understood by scientific experts, and more susceptible of exact statement and ready correction.

The near-sighted eye is one which has too great a diameter from front to rear, so that the retina-which lies at the rear-is beyond the point at which pencils

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of rays from far objects are focalized. This condi tion is illustrated by the following diagram from the primer in the Long Life Series on "Eyesight, and How to Care for It," in which the whole

lines represent the outline of the normal eye with the lens, and rays of light from a distant object coming to a focus on the retina; while the dotted lines represent a near-sighted eye, with rays from a very near object coming to a focus. In near-sightedness, rays from distant objects may be represented by the whole white lines, which are focalized before reaching the retina, giving a diffused image, in which each point of the object is seen as a larger blurred point and each line as a wider blurred line.

This defect is irremediable when it exists as an anatomical fault; but very much may be done to prevent its increase when discovered, especially in children. It must be remembered that some children are looked upon as near-sighted because they have the habit of holding their work too close to

their eyes. This habit may arise from the very opposite cause, namely, far-sight; it may originate in sheer indolence, a faulty desk or seat, or poor light, and may be continued merely as a habit. And the degree of near-sight is easily over-estimated by those not able to apply the scientific tests of the professed oculist; for in many cases there exists a temporary exaggeration of near-sight, due to the strain entailed by the effort to read or see fine objects, which easily passes away with change of occupation.

In order to prevent, we must first understand something of the causes of this complaint.

There is a strong tendency for the malformation, once developed, to be transmitted to children. In all probability, near-sight begins, in many children, at a very early age; but in most cases a great deal can still be done to prevent its increase.

It is believed that an eye which is predisposed to near-sight has naturally a more yielding and delicate envelope, which, under the influence of close application to near vision, yields to the compression which that act necessarily causes (and causes, also, in a sound eye); and as the yielding occurs chiefly at the rear of the eyeball, that portion is very gradually pushed back, and the whole globe becomes elongated.

This tendency to yield may exist as the result of three causes: first, as an inheritance from near-sighted parents; second, as a characteristic of weakly, flabby