The subject of the number of students who are obliged to leave school on account of ill health is worthy of thoughtful consideration on the part of both students and teachers. How many young women, especially, entering the higher schools apparently in perfect health, are, after an attendance of a year or two, compelled to lay aside their studies, and return to their homes. Others, perhaps, struggle on through the course, and at last receive their diplomas, but at what a cost! Health is gone, and many weary months, and even years, must pass before they are again able to take their places in the busy,

active world.

The question naturally arises, Why do students break down? No doubt they themselves are much at fault in the matter, their failing health being often. directly traceable to ignorance or carelessness on their own part.

In the first place, they have inherited the tendency, common to all Americans, to rush through everything in as short a time as possible; and they try to do work in a year and a half or two years, which should properly occupy at least three years. Thus they find themselves cramped for time, and consequently do not get the amount of exercise and recreation necessary to the preservation of health,-the time that should be given to this being devoted to study.

Then, too, the student may not possess even average ability. How often we find pupils trying to do work, which, perhaps through lack of previous training or natural ability, they are really. unable to do in the time given them. Some in the class may do the work easily, while others require much more time, and must do harder work in order to accomplish the same results. The consequence is, the poorer pupils, if they are ambitious, are overworked, and soon break down under the constant strain made upon them in their efforts to keep up with the class.

Worry and nervousness have more to do with failure of health than we would at first think possible. When promotions are made to depend wholly upon examinations, the student has constantly before him the dread of failure; this induces nervousness and worry on his part, resulting, in some cases, in actual illness.

Perhaps a more important cause of failure in health is the carelessness of

pupils. They are constantly disregarding the most common hygienic laws.

Some one has said that it is almost a sin to be ill in these days, for almost every case of sickness is directly traceable to the violation of some of nature's laws.

Insufficient exercise, tight, or otherwise unsuitable clothing, insufficient or improper food, irregularity in eating and sleeping, careless exposure to cold and wet, these are but few of the ways in which these laws are constantly being broken. Perhaps a part of what we attribute to carelessness may be due to false ideas of economy. Some students seem to think that they are gaining by stinting in the way of food and clothing; we often find them unprovided with even such necessary articles as overshoes and umbrellas, forgetting that their gain in this way is over-balanced by the loss of health that is sure to follow.

What can be done to change this condition of things, is the question that naturally comes to us. The movement that has already been made to do away with examinations is a step in the right direction. Since the plan his been tried in our own schools the students have been doing much less worrying than under the old order of things.

As a rule, but little is being done in our public schools in the way of physical culture. More time should be devoted to this kind of work, and the student should be led to see the importance of this physical training. It should be impressed upon him that the true aim of education is to develop the physical, mental, and moral powers into one grand harmonious whole; and to do this, each power must receive its proper amount of attention and cultivation.

The student should be taught to treasure health, this greatest of God's gifts to us; and, if he have it not, let him strive to attain it, that he may successfully accomplish his mission in life, and truly merit the "Well done" of the Master, at the close.

ALL SORTS.

Who was to buy a marriage license?

A Sailor's Dream-To-land is O, so sweet. O-neal no more Holland; those days have passed.

Who is the Y. M. N. D.'s poet? Brudder Preston.

Ask W-about the President's incumbrance, he knows.

Mr. H. is still engaged in his old pursuit of a Farmer.

It's S-queer but Will makes a splendid school-master.

We had quite a number of animals and inanimate objects in the drama. Drake, Leach, Stone, Beall (bell), Hart and "Moore" than tell.

What made the boys down on the month, Friday night, Nov. 13?

"Not that I love you less but I love Will Mo(o)re."

What age does a certain Middle Br young lady most admire? Parsonage.

What kind of a metal insects did they have in the drama? Nickle bees.

Senior girl-"Excuse me this morning, I not read because I have no pencil."

Is it possible to buy anything for cents and sell it for dollars? Yes, real estate.

The Middle B3 young ladies will never again use "when" when they should use “if.”

The Middle B3's are very proud of the honor of making shavings for the Governor. Brilliant General History pupil-"Cleopatra was contemporary with Shakespeare."

Drawing teacher's advice to his class-"Go to the Book stores and ask for fifteen cents.

What did that Junior AI young man mean, when he remarked, "I knew it would come?"

At recess Friday, Miss T. threw a bean bag which Addi(e) caught (cott) most gracefully.

A certain Senior A can't understand what the young lady means by “Meditated Villainy."

When Normal boys go serenading they should take care to sing under the right window.

Some of the Middlers were very much hurt to find their manual training exercise in the rubbish heap.

Anyone wishing to know the cubical contents of a graduate, inquire at the chemical laboratory.

Who is the Senior young man who finds it difficult to "get" the word when talking to his Darling.

The Senior B's feet are growing large from too much exercise. If you don't believe it ask Prof. Elwood.

Mr. P. certainly reminds one of a fairy visson as he floats through the laboratory in his chemistry gown.

Training School pupil speaking to Middler"We are doing finely in Geometry. Our teacher says that we don't get any farther from the answer than you do."

"What is home without a mother?"
What's a Senior without a motor?

Ask Miss Armstrong what the principal grains of California are.

"When is cake red?" "When the sun's rays strike my head, and are reflected upon it."

Why did Smike seem to enjoy the latter part of the drama? Because his H(e)art was in it.

One of the Senior B boys constantly murmurs, "How i(e) did it, How i(e) did it, she can only tell."

Much to the disparagement of the girls, we must acknowledge that the Be(a)ll(e) of the Normal is a boy.

One teacher was heard to say to a class-"I wish you conld all write shorthand and I could read it." We don't.

Middle A2's are well supplied. They have a Cunning-ham and a Wood-ham. The worst of it is they are Rawdon(e).

The Middlers rejoice in the fact that although their singing is not of the finest quality it is superior to that of the Seniors.

One of the Middle A2 young ladies has evinced a sudden interest in Zoology; at present she is studying the Drake.

Who is the enthusiastic History student that has transferred her interests from the Stone Age to the Stone year (ier.)

The Normal premises are said to be haunted. Prof. H. has proven that this is true as ghosts have appeared in his photographs.

A certain girl in the Middle B drawing class admitted that when she wanted a house she would not put her intentions on paper.

Manual Training Room benches in great disorder. Teacher-"Who do you suppose has been here?" Students-"O, the Seniors!" “Right."

Slang is a monster happy-frightful bird That to be hated needs but to be heard, But heard too oft, familiar with its sound, We first endure, then like and then expound, It was remarked in one of the classes that some people always grow sleepy when reading "Paradise Lost." One young lady said that she thought it would be too warm to sleep comfortably.

Who can account for the peanut shells around the piano? Those girls who lunch in room R. Monitor-"Present forty, left class one, total thirty-nine." The Juniors have a new Arithmetic.

Who is the Senior B young man who has gained a Normal wide reputation by his ability to fillibuster?

Who is the Junior B young man who can't make his exit from Botany without the assistance of Miss D. ?

The Y. M. N. D. S. better pay more attention to their quotations, for instance;-"What is so fair as a day in June-Byron."

Although a Middle B2 young gentleman has not a record in Physics, he fully realizes the fact that two bodies can not occupy the same space at the same time.

Will claims to be counting shooting stars, but he seems to be fascinated with the haunted house on Tenth atreet. If he isn't more careful, by George, he'll get Prest-on.

Small boy-"Say, there was a most terrible noise over in the Normal this evening; it sounded as if the janitor and his wife were having a fight." Normal girl-"Why, the idea, it was the students practicing for the drama."

Wanted-A few Normal boys to catch frogs and sell their hops to the brewery or, if they do not care to pursue this line of work, they can find pleasant and profitable business putting tomatoes on the railroad track for the late train to catchup.

A Zoology student is putting her work in that subject to good use. Instead of hackneyed exclamations, she now exclaims Aspidiotus perniciosus or Icerya purchasi. It relieves her feelings, fixes the words in mind and lets her pet by-words remain in innocuous desuetude.

Some time ago, four of our worthy Juniors went botanizing in the suburbs of San Jose, and, among many other specimens, they found four they could not classify. They, therefore, considered them new plants. Acting on the suggestion of one of the party, they decided to name the plants for the members of the party. We give this because it may be interesting to our future Juniors to know the history of such names as, Hancockia, Brownia, Harrisonia and Hudsonia.