CHILD LIFE IN GREAT BRITAIN

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2293, 29 October 1914, Page 2

CHILD LIFE IN GREAT BRITAIN

ADDRESS BY MItS. SNOTVDEN. Yesterday afternoon Mrs. Snowden gave an address under the auspices of the Society for tlie Protection of Women and Children in the Concert Chamber or the I'own Hall. The Mayoress presided, and associated with her upon the platform were Lady Stout, president of the society, and some of its members. Mrs. Snowden, in_ opening her address, which was entitled "Child Life in Great Britain," said that within the last fifty years _ a revolution had taken place in the attitude of parents towards cliiSJren. Formerly the conception was that the child was created for the parent, now it was that the parent was created for the child. The first groat . step in this change of opinion was taken, in I9QG, when the Bill for the Feeding of Necessitous Children was passed. It had been found out by careful iuvesfcigation that a large proportion of the ciiildren attending tho elementary schools in tho cities of Great Britain were shockingly fed,, and often went to school breakfastless, and in spite of tho innato conviction of every British politician that interference with parental control was a thing to be avoided, tho Bill', was passed with scarcely a dissentient, so strongly was it felt that something should bs dons for tho welfare of the children. Through malnutrition, tho memory suffered, and if memory were defective,' the whole scheme of education fell to the ground. . The 'trouble about so many of tho reforms that were carried in Britain lay in the fact that they were "permissible." If the town or county council, through hard-hartedness or ignorance, or incompetency, did not chooso to feed the children, it was no compelled by law to do so, although th*» Labour Party fought to niako it a compulsory Bill.

It was really only in fairly recent times that education in Great Britain had made great strides, and even now they were behind Germany and America in many ways.. There was no dovetailing into one another of tho elementary school system with that of the secondary school, and of tho latter into that of the university. It was a difficult thing for tho bright boy or girl of tho lower working classes to win their way through from tho elementary school to .the university, and so enter into professional life, with tho advantages that were opened out to their moie fortun-ately-placed fellow-beings, who in some instances had no desire to euter into such a career.

The speaker also touched upon tho half-time system, in which a child working in the mills and the factories wculd go to school ono half of the day and work tho other half, a system which was now mooting with condemnation; also tho street trading of children.

Dealing -with infantile mortality; Mrs. Snowden said that much of i 1; was.due to drink and much to extreme terrible poverty. Yet another proportion was duo to immorality, and until it was held that tho same standard of morality should■ prevail for-men. as for women, and that a high one, tho suffering would, fall upon the children.

Many pressing reforms were held over owing to tho torriblo war in which the nations wero engaged, but; in ending her lectnro, she would strike an optimistic noto and look forward to what would be accomplished in the days of peace to come, and ovon now to-what was being done for tho helpl \sb and tho suffering by women a!' over Great Britain. NEW ZEALANDEES ABROAD London, September 3. •Mr. John Pomeroy, of Invercargill, is staying at Southsea. M-γ; C. J. Halko, of' Wellington, is staying at Offchurch, in Warwickshire. Mr. and Mrs. H. Brewer, of Christrliurch, and Miss Brewer, are- staying at Brighton. Mr. tt'illiam Dobbie, of Christchurch, who is.staying in Folkestone, loaves on September 11 on his return to New Zealand

Mr J. Dill'iVorth Mossman, of Auckland, Jias offered his services for the war. Ho was. on a cix months' visit to England and the Continent.

Miss Minnie M. Tatlay, daughtor of Mr. William Tatley, C.E., of Auckland, has come to England for a nine months' trip, and is studying the violin. Mrs. W. T. Griffiths, of Auckland, and her daughter, Miss C. Griffiths, who are staying at Gillinghara, in Kent, lea7e for home on October 23.

Mr. B. IC. Hills, of Cliristchurch,. intends to leave for Sydney by the Orsova on September 25.

Mr. and Mrs. J. Ernest Close, of Auckland, after a motor tour through tho North of England and Scotland, aro now in London, and propose shortly to lenvo for a tour in the south.

Miss E. M. Rowley, of Wellington, after three mouths on the Continent, has'since made a short-visit to Scotland and tho English Lakes, nnd hopes to reach New Zealand by Christmas.

Mr. and Mrs. J. W. Wallace, of Wellington, arrived last month via Canada and tha States. They intend to see various parts of England, their Continental plans being upset by the war.

A bathing fatality occurred a few days ago at GunwaHoe, Mnllion, Cornwall, tho victim being Mr. William Davis Canning, aged 45, son of the lato Mr. Charles Canning, of Nelson, New Zealand.

Mrs. Hocken, widow of Dr. Hooken, ono of Dunadin's most prominent benefactors, is in England with her son-in-law and daughter, Captain and Mrs. Lo Francois. They aro staying near Canterbury. Mrs. Gilhmn, of Wellington, ' and hor sister Miss Grubb, and Mrs. Houlton and Miss Francis, of Christchurch, wero last week the victims of a daylight burglary, and all lost a great deal of jewellery. In tho latest list of successful candidates for Sandhurst appears the name of Mr. W. Arch, Buchanan, son of Mr. Arch. Buchanan, of P»emuera, Auckland. Hβ entered Sandhurst on August 14, having obtained a West India oadetship. Mr. and- Mrs. Charles Blgar, of Palmerston. North, havo decided to prolong their visit to the Old Country 1 until t'he war is over. They aro at present staying with their daughter, who is tho wife of Major Hamilton, of tho Grenadier Guards, son of Lord Georgo Hamilton.

Mr. Arthur Hirst, of Hawera, who has beon on the- pianoforte staff at the Stern Conservatoriam of Music in Berlin, and had built up a, successful private practice, teaching, playing and lecturing, was taking a short holiday in Norway when tho war started, and as ho was unable to got back to that city hivcamc- on to London, leaving practically all his possessions in Germany. Mr. Hirst now intends to settlo down to tho establishment of a teaching practice in London. ' Mr. and Mrs. A. V. Hunt, of Auckland, and Miss Hunt, arrived here after a tour of Canada, and immediately went down to Devonshire to present at a reunion of tho Hunt family, who have beon identified with that county for many generations, a former membur of the family having beon Mayor of Exoter about, the year 1513. On their return journey they will-probably make a trip to Egypt and the- Holy 'Mi\ W. L. Kennedy, of Stratford, N»w Zealand, arrived in England via Now Ywkj and has siaco. been, to ggoV.