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out the slums; moreover, slum children, if removed, in time may become 
desirable citizens. 
Why is it that “human weeds” are given such an undue amount of 
attention, asylums are erected for them where they have the best of at- 
tention, where they live on to old age? Why must a man wait until he 
becomes insane or a pauper or a criminal before being housed under 
sanitary surroundings ?' 
Why does ill health flourish so widely? Why are there so many 
quack remedies, as those advertised in newspapers? The newspapers of 
some small towns are overcrowded with nostrums for common ill health. 
Where should the attempt to make a change begin? 
One day I was telling a teacher that in Germany children are taken 
out into the country on certain afternoons to study nature, the valleys 
and streams and underlying rocks, the plants and animals; that boys 
make collections of plants and bugs, etc. Perhaps later when as adults 
they go out into the country they really “see’ something. He admitted 
that that was all very tice but that it required the teacher himself to 
know what to point out. 
He mentioned that some of our teachers had the pupils to study news- 
papers. But that occurs only in isolated instances; when we investigate 
we find that the editorial page only is read and studied. 
Now the editorial page of large city newspapers as a rule is the 
only page free from offensive advertisements and reading matter, of ac- 
counts of murders and all sorts of things that do not elevate mankind. 
Likely the back of the editerial page is full of murder news and crude 
pictures of the murderer, his victim and the places where the deed was 
committed ; or the page is full of quack advertisements, of medical pariahs 
who claim to cure what no conscientious physician can cure; or of de- 
ceptive patent medicine advertisements for ills that no physician can 
cure, because they are a reaction to an unsanitary environment. 
Now it weuld be a good thing for schools to study the newspapers, 
all their pages and all the papers. the high toned ones that leave com- 
paratively little to be desired nnd the other kind called yellow. The re- 
1This is not to be ccnsidered a criticism of our benevolent institutions; they 
are doing a good work, one in harmony with the spirit of the age. It took a long 
time to reach a high plane. Our leveling should be upward. As matters stand, the 
amount of attention given charitable institutions is wholly out of proportion to what 
is given worthy people not in institutions. 
