NEAR SIGETEDNESS IN SCHOOL CHILDREN. 595 



of the pupil's vision. 2. The position of the body. 3. Illumination of the 

 school room. 4. Relaxation of the eyes or body for long or short intervals. 

 5. Hj'gienic conditions. 



In the city of New York the percentage of the children was recorded 

 with regard to nationality. The nationalities represented — C-rcrman, Amer- 

 ican, and Irish, and with the following results, viz : G-erman, 24 per cent., 

 American, 19 per cent., and Irish 14 per cent. 



Dr. Peter A. Callan examined 457 , colored pupils in schools Three and 

 Four of the city of New York, and found but 2.6 per cent, of the puj^ils 

 near sighted, although their ages were from five to nineteen. 



The first and second divisions may be condensed into the following ex- 

 tract from the November number of the Popular Science Monthly: 



"Resuming now the cOLsideration of near sight, we proceed to suggest 

 some of its principal causes, as follows: 



1. Too early use by school children of books, slates and writing paper, 

 or copy-books, when black-boards and models would be better. Tj^pe and 

 script letters and figures and their primary combinations, at least, should 

 never be taught from books, but from large and perfectly formed models, 

 printed on cards and hung on the wall. When the eye and the memory 

 are sufficiently trained to easily recognize and name each letter and figure 

 at sight, and when some knowledge has been gained of the power of let- 

 ters and figures in combination, then the same forms in books will be at 

 once familiar as old acquaintances, and may be studied without straining 

 the sight. To train the hand without straining the sight presents a great 

 practical difficulty. In the large schools, of course, all the children can not 

 go to the black-board ; but a considerable f)ractice in drawing large lines 

 and simple objects on good sized slates, in a sort of free-hand style, should 

 precede the formation of letters and figures, and when these are begun 

 they should be made of generous size. A correct position, meanwhile, 

 should be an imperative requirement; and, until it becomes habitual and 

 easy, good work should be held to be of secondary importance. Hard 

 slate-pencils and greasy slate surfaces should not be permitted; both should 

 be subject to systematic inspection. 



2. Ignorance or laxity on the part of parents and primary teachers in 

 permitting faulty positions of the head, body and book during reading, 

 study and writing, and in not seeking early to secure the intelligent co-op- 

 eration of the pupil by simple and appropriate physiological instruction, 



3. A prolonged and steady looking at an object or at objects near the 

 eye, though at proper distance, without rest or frequent change of the vis- 

 ual focus, as in long and absorbed novel reading, intense study, or persist- 

 ent diligence in needlework. 



4. The practice of reading or otherwise using the sight at too short 

 range. This results in part from insufficient light, or from its faulty direc- 

 tion, so that the hand or body throws a shadow on the page , or so that the 

 direct rays fall upon the eye, causing undue contraction of the pupil, while 



