Overworking School-girls

A judicious physioian was not long ago consulted by an anxious mother (wnose daughter's health was impaired by overwork at school. "There is just one thing to do," he said. "Reduce her studies, and keep on reducing tliem Mntil she can easily master thera. A girl cannot learn everything before she is eighteen years oíd. Tnis was sound advice. The ten„.j-i- _.„,],, „U nf our gevolg for girls and young women is to cruwci 'work enough for a lifetime into a few years. Studies in languages, literature, (science, philosophy, as well as those in the plain "thrce R's," are piled upon 'the unfortunate student, until the days, Jlengthened far into the night, are too ;short for acquiring even a superficial íacquaintance with any of thera. In the case of boys, such unreasonable reiquirements are apt to find a healthy counterbalance in the exuberant animal ppirits of the sturdy lads, who will have physical exercise, whatever becomes of their studies. With girls it is different. Generally more conscientious in study than boys, they really try to master the prescribed course, in spite of the warning of paling cheeks and decreasing strengtb. We have known school girls to have no fewer than ten or a dozen .studies in hand at once, in all of which ithey were ambitious to excel. But the effort left scarcely time for eating or necessary sleep. Nor is this unusual. A similar state of things exists in hundreds of schools for girls. In one of the leading colleges for young women in New England the curriculum is said to be more comprehensive and dimcult than in any college for young men in the country. Happily, mauy of the students do not attempt to swallow the full prescription. But many do, to their oOSt. Two or three years ago one of these ambitious young women graduated with bonors from a seminary of repute. Sho bad maintained a high standard of excellence through her entire course, and was warmly commended for her isuperior scholarship. But the moment the unnatural strain was removed, she sank into a mental lethargy from which for months nothing could arouse her. Sradually perfect rest and judicious entertainment restored her exhausted vitality, and she recovered. üther nrls have not been so fortúnate. The uaughter of a poor clergyman, who was Assisted through the college above re'erred to, graduated with credit, but ilmost completely broken down in health. She was sent to a wateringjlace to recupérate, but soon heard of in opening as a teacher, and at the earnest sohcitation of those who had aided her feit constrained to take the ilace, in spite of physical unfitness. Jut her constitution was so weakened y long and severe study that in three or fotir months sho died, a victim to conscientious overwork under a bad system. These are but two out of many instances; and the foliy is constantly repeated, right in the face of varnings and examples of its danger. But hard study is not the only way in which school-girls are overworked. A eacher in a well-known school recently nformed us that she had had frequent occasion to remonstrate with parents or allowing their daughters, while puruing their studies, to engage freely in arious evening dissipations, such as Utending parües, dancing till a late ïour in the night, going to the theatre and opera, etc. The livid faces and untrung nerves of the girls showed lainly the pernicious effect of these ïight pastimcs; which untitted them, morcover, to carry on thoir studies with uccess. Against all this overworking of chool-girls, whetherby inordinate study ir inordinate amusement, we enter our ïearty protest. The bodily vigor of the uture wives and mothers of the Nation s a subjeet of profound public interest, jire the girls enough to do, but stop here. Don't over-tax their minds by enseless mutiplication of studies, renembering always that "a jjirl cannot earn everything before she is eighteen ears old;" and do not let untiniely imusements sap the foundations of ïealth, on which so niuch of their uture happiness and usefulness depend.