healthy physical body in which to spend that life. Therefore during
those early years the healthy development of that physical body must be
absolutely the first consideration, and anything that cannot be learned
compatibly with that must for the time remain unlearned. The strain on
the boy's mind--and particularly on those of very young boys--is far too
great and lasts far too long; the lesson period should be broken up, and
the teacher should be very careful to watch the boys and to see that
they do not become tired. His wish to prevent this strain will make him
think out new ways of teaching, which will make the lessons very
interesting; for a boy who is interested does not easily become tired. I
myself remember how tired we used to be when we reached home, far too
tired to do anything but lie about. But the Indian boy is not allowed to
rest even when he comes home, for he has then to begin home lessons,
often with a tutor, when he ought to be at rest or play. These home
lessons begin again in the morning, before he goes to school, and the
result is that he looks on his lessons as a hardship instead of a
pleasure. Much of this homework is done by a very bad light and the
boy's eyes suffer much. All home lessons should be abolished; home work
burns the candle at both ends, and makes the boy's life a slavery.
School hours are quite long enough, and an intelligent teacher can
impart in them quite as much as any boy ought to learn in one day. What
cannot be taught within those hours should be postponed until the next
day.

We see the result of all this overstrain in the prevalence of
eye-diseases in India. Western countries set us a good example in the
physical training of their boys, who leave school strong and healthy. I
have heard in England that in the poorer schools the children are often
inspected by a doctor so that any eye-disease or other defect is found
out at once before it becomes serious. I wonder how many boys in India