DEFECTIVE CHILDREN.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17335, 25 November 1916, Page 6

DEFECTIVE CHILDREN.

STARTLING DISCLOSURES IN ' BRITAIN. SIR'.GEpRGE"NEWMAN'S REPORT. The startling statement that of 6,000,000 elementary school children no fewer than . 260,000 are scricrjsly crippled, invalided or disabled, and no fewer than 1,000,000 are so physically or mentally defective or diseased as to ba unable to derive reasonable benefit from tho education which the State provide?, is made by Sir George Newman, Chief Medical Officer of the Board of Education, in his annual report on tho British School Medical Service. Sir George .maintains that most of this defect is preventable, and emphasises the need for an effective supervision arid-a sound nnd practical training of the body from tho end of infancy to adolescence. It is sometimes said that, in the interest of ecoJiomy, the State cannot afford such a complete scheme. "My submission," says Sir George, "is that in the interest of economy tho State, cannot afford to neglect a complete scheme." , " MOSTLY PREVENTABLE." VALUE OF SYSTEMATISED PHYSICAL TRAINING. Sir George Newman remarks, in his report, that it is now widely recognised that there.is no ultimate need of the State greater, more imperative, or more urgent than that of securing the health and physical efficiency of the coming generation, with a view to its all-round practical education. Eight years' work on the part of the School Medical Service, he says, has brought to light a large mass of physical defect and disease, varied in character and widespread, most of it preventable. Not less than a quarter of a million children of school age aro seriously crippled, invalided or disabled; not. less, than 1.000.000 children of school ago are so physically or mentally defective or diseased as to be unable to derive reasonable benefit from the education which the State provides. If, ho says, this total figure bo considered merely from a financial point of view, and quite, apart from the suffering., disease and premature death entailed,' it will be seen that the State is not getting adequate return on physical grounds alone, for a substantial part of its expenditure on elementary educntion. THE TRUEST ECONOMY. Consideration of the situation, which has become more manifest as the eight years have passed, seems to indicate that the phvsical welfare, and, in part the educntion, of the child of school age is dependent in its origins upon or, conditions— -healthy parenthood care in infancy, a. desirable home life of nurture. It is dependent in its iysues upon post-school conditions—af-ter-care, continued physical education. supervision of juvenile employment, and some practical guidance in the, duties of heakhv and responsible parenthood. In other words, if we are determined to rear a healthy and virile race ot high, capacity, we must, from a physical stnndno'int, begin earlier and continue later than the hitherto accepted period of education. What is needed, indeed, is an eff.-ctive supervision ami a sound and practical training of the body from tho end of infancy to adolescence. It, is said sometimes that, in tho interest of economy, the State cannot rfford such a complete scheme. "My submission." states Sir George. « is that in the interest of economy, the States cannot afford to neglect a complete scheme." It is satisfactory to report, that a complete scheme is in process of building. Education committees, directors, doctors', nurses, teachers, school attendance officers and thousands of voluntary workers have built up, in a handful ot vears. a co-operative systeiu of machmerv on behalf of child welfare, extending from schools for mothers and infant welfare centres, on tho on« band, to iuvenile employment committees ami continuation classes in physical education on the other. .There is much remaining to bo done, but enough has been achieved to indicate the direction of future progress. WHAT THE ARMY HAS DONE. There are now in existence upwards or 450 school clinics for the treatment of diseases of school life, and a beginning has been made in recovery and open-air schools. Special schools for tho deaf, dumb, blind and lame also exist. The scheme, is far from complete, but the building has begun. And as it proceeds it becomes more ©via en t that, the relationship between tins medical service and the national system of education is essential and vital. «Sir George emphasises that medical tientment is .not, the goal of school lngiene. Such treatment may be. noc.essarv for a. million children at, any given "moment, but the other 3,000,000 require something else, and even tor tho million aiting children medication is not a-lone sufficient. In short, school hygiene falls short of its contribution if food, fresh air, physical exercise, and a. healthy school environment are withheld from the child. These four elements in its upbringing call for careful, thorough and continued supervision, if we would train it to live well, for itself and the nation. Sir George Newman lays emphasis upon tho extreme value of an open-air life and a proper system of physical training. "We have," he says, "been the witnesses of a remarkable change |ft the health and vigour of the young men, who, after enlistment in the Army, have undergone a physical discipline in the open-air. The form of that discipline would be inappropriate to the growing and.plastic tissues of the child, but its* character—what might be called its physiology—-is of equal importance to the child as to tho man. Here, too, tho organisation is ready, waiting for adoption and a powerful impulse. Every child in the Stato should have the full advantage of the open-air and" of a systematic physical training." •&• JUYENTLE EMPLOYMENT.

"No one." he continues, "can. I think, study' the. workings of this new piece of national machinery without being impressed with its far-reaching effect. Hundreds of thousands of children havo found relief, and their feet aro to-day set on the. high road of 'recovery to health and strength. They ought, with reasonable fortune, to grow up strong men and women, the healthy parents of healthy offspring. Sir Georgo claims that the School Medical Service has given a new understanding of the child as an individual, a-! understanding which cannot, in tho future; tail to affect tho whole scheme of its education ; and that it has shown that the primary fundamental of education is physical and not intellectual, and that we cannot., as a rule, obtain au intellectually educated child until we have secured that its habits of body, its senses, its natural functions and its brain-centres are healthy, trained and disciplined. Sir Georgp .gives, disquieting figures as. to the extent of juvenile employment caused by the war. It ' would appear, he says, that in 1916 there were approximately 45,000 fewer children in the age groups eleven to twelve years and upwards on the registers of public elementary schools than in the light of the experience of the past ten rears, would have been expected. The decrease lias clticfly taken place in the age-groups 12-13, 13-14., and 14-15. This total figure refers almost exclusively to those- legally entitled to leav«

school, and does not take into account the large number of children normally liable to attend school, but excused for longer or shorter periods by local education committees for agricultural and other employment, nor does it include children engaged in half-time employment. , BETTER, FED NOW. Inquiry had shown that on May 31 last not less titan 10,000 children were so excused for the purpose of agricultural whole-time employment alone. Both, these figures, tho 45,000 and tho 15,000, are approximate only, and, broadly speaking, it is probable that they do not fully represent tho total loss, which is thus seen to be [very considerable. It will be seen that Sir George Newman is optimistic as to the future, and educationists agree, that, in view of the results already achieved on the lines he suggests, his optimism is justified. There is no doubt that the measures already taken in the way of the provision of meals and medical treatment have led to an enormous improvement in the physical condition of school children, while increased mental vigour and activity have followed naturally on the improvement of physique. The war, though at first it, seemed otherwise, has helped in this direction, lor, with the greater material prosperity which it has brought to the great majority of the working classes, the children have been better fed, better clothed and better shod than ever they were. Evidence of this is to be found in the feeding lists of tho London schools. Two .years ago it comprised no fewer than 75,000 children ; to-day the number is barely 10,OOu, which is probably the irreducible miuimum of children belonging to families where the mothers are out all day. IMMENSE LOSS OF CAPITAL. Sir George's remarks with reference to juvenile employment touch upon another aspect of the educational question which is of the most vital importance to the nation. lb?, loss in educational capital which the nation is suffering through the war is enormous. Large numbers of youths and adults above eight<?en years of age have ceased to attend school or college, either in day or evening. Youths below eighteen years of age have largely taken up work of a less educative kind than formerly, and aro now engaged in repetition processes which will cease to employ them when the war is over. Many day schools, which formerly retained their pupils until fifteen, are now losing them at fourteen and under. Thus, in several ways, an enormous reduction in educational capital i* inking plsce—that is 1.0 sru'- in the accumulating of the knowledge and training necessary to c-irrv on commerce and industry '.with success. The fact that the stress of war lias provided education of new kinds, tangible, and intangible, does not seriously alter this grave result. Here is an immense Joss which must, if possible, be made'up immediately, and to meet it one turns instinctively to the fourteens and cightcens. Their share of national service will be to carry a greater load, if possible, of greater educational qualifications than the generation which has nas.sad immediately in front of lliern. In existing circumstances this can only be done by attending evening classes, and that there is ampjo opportunity for this is shown by the announcement that the London County Council evening institutions will reopen for enrolment, tomorrow and for instruction the following Monday. A BAT) DEBT? Despite the adverse circumstances of the last two' years, the facilities for evening education have been greatly improved. ' The higher branches of education, including such subjects as theory of commerce, insurance and economics, have all received special attention. Even greater has been the attention devoted to modern languages, in connection wit!-; which generous offers of prizes have reoently been made by certain employer.;, while technical education has also mado gratifying progress. Sir James Yoxall. M.P., the secrcary of the National Union of Teachers, discussing tho. report, said that the number of children, withdrawn iron", school with the knowledge and consent of local education authorities was small compared with the far greater number illicitly at work, and winked at in that matter, in the more rural counties. "It is in the urban districts, and. I think-, particularly in Lancashire, some parts of Yorkshre, and other factory dstricts, such as- in London, that the bulk of the physically or mentally defective children exist.*' he said. "They arc the descendants of three or four generations of factory workers. They are an unfortunate in-i heritanco from what has been called industrial revolution which took place at tho advent of that great manufacturer, .<toam. " Nothing better could bo clone for the physically and mentally defective children than is done tor them by tho arrangements of the. London Education Committee and in the open-air school and classes which have been adapted in Bradford and elsewhere. But though one would not decry whatever has been' done for these little unfortunates, they must, for the most part, be written off nationally as a bad debt.

*' I should like to see more money and care put. ir.to the endeavours for the preservation and improvement of the average child in the crowded districts of the country. It se?ms to be a. biological fact, that children born even in unfortunate surroundings maybe saved by improvements in their environment and in the physical and mental training from carrying on further the degeneracy which set in in their ancestry two or three generations ago. That' is to say that practically every child, except cripples and the mentally defective, could be saved from being invalided." disabled, or diseased if home conditions were improved and if the State or locality could make good the defects in parental management and control. "The worst of the withdrawal of children from school for farm and other labour during the war is that when tho war is over they will not return to school. They will have lest, one. two, or more years of their always too ishort school opportunities and life. They will go into what may be hugely blind-alley employment, and they in their turn, wili know r,o better than their parents did, but, will bring up their children on the same level and in the same wx:y."