26 PHYSICAL TRAINING 



ing, may make such absurd mistakes, by mis- 

 pronouncing easy words, omitting others, and 

 adding still others, that instead of condem n ing 

 the child for carelessness, it would be well to have 

 the vision tested; for some fault is likely to be 

 at the bottom of the bad reading. 



So much depends upon the well-being of the 

 eyes that too much care can hardly be used in 

 observing them. Eye defects are common causes 

 of headache, nervousness, irritableness, or down- 

 right bad temper or incorrigibility. They are 

 very often the cause of a seeming backwardness 

 or dullness. The writer has examined many 

 children supposed to be abnormally backward 

 who were able to distinguish words or even letters 

 only with the greatest difficulty. Proper treat- 

 ment, or proper glasses, may make a seemingly 

 stupid child into a normally bright one, or a 

 cross, irritable child into a happy, cheerful one. 

 Such treatment will frequently alter a child's 

 whole disposition for the better. Badness is quite 

 often the result of some physical strain, and 

 among these there are few more common than 

 that caused by defective eyes. 



We need hardly mention the teeth specifically. 

 It is well known that decay affects the digestive 

 organs not only through the constant swallowing 

 of the products of the decay, but also because, 

 ultimately, the food is improperly and insuffi- 



