Compulsory Education in England.

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 192, 19 February 1887, Page 5

Compulsory Education in England.

Compulsory education in Great, Britaia meets with many drawbacks, owing mainly to the oxtreine poverty of tbe parents of the children. A woman was recently summoned before the magistrate at fciouthwarfc,. and was lined 2s for not sending her tenyear old daughter to school, and in defence she pleaded that she was so poor that she could not procure a pair of chocs for the girl, and how was it then possible for hor to pay the fine? In another case tha mother stated that bhe did not} send her children to Bchool because she had no breakfa°t to give them, and, to Lor mind, it would ba adding to* their mi^iy in making them learn t»ieir lessons on an empty stomach. The mother, likeagitiit many others of hor cla c 3,c 3, was too proud to disclose her abj-.-cb want, and was even unwilling to accept charitable assistance. A simple remedy iua been found Uir such cafces in tho iormation of soup kitchens connected "with the Bchools in the pooi ne'ghbourhoods of the large cities, where a good, whok-eomo meal is furnished almost at a nominal turn. Thus ac BiiminghAin one 1 md only of soup is made, and ir the dinner i- 1 r j j cted by many childien it is given up or alteration i* undo in the lecipe Tho popularity of every dt»h is thus thoroughly testae'^ and tho )c»u!t is a compl«ie Hirpxise, as the olie \pott forms ot tviod <',ru found to be mi'Sfc popular among tho children. li their ta-to could ba cou?ulte<J, it would be found that they would piefu pea or kntil soup cvor\ day, as they c;a e not a jot for variety. It must, however, be leraemberecL that the care with which t'n-so toups are made, tho (.x^erimonte that liave been tried as to the best proportion* ot tne in^icdientt? and t l u- iii.innuroi ocolunv^, jo-ult in \>»oiucing a loini ot foci more palatable co children than an\ soupa piepired in a riist clci*^ hotel After repeated e\-pi i .i'/ienw, tue quantity of food sold for a halt-penny (I cent) has been increased to tluce quaiters of ft pine of excellent and nuaitioud soup, together \\ ith tno rounds of b.cuJ, weighing about a quarter of u noiiiia, one of which slices i& spread wit I) jam Ancurdii q to Count Uunlora'd ideas, and ha is a practical authority on puch qae-ttons, tbk ! meal should be more tho a enough for an adult, octintr on this idea, it }i.h bb a < n found advi-able to admit two smaU children for ono halfpenny to f-haro the meal between them, and now somotimes only o> farthing ir< taken for half a portion It us generally admitted that thin method is far superior to that where financial aid is given through voluntary contributions. It teaches the childron habits of thrift and self-reliance^ and ifc ih expected that with fuither experiment? dinners will soon be furui-hed ro tho children aa i/ood, as abundaut, and as healthful as those originally provided in tb^ schools for 1 penny.