POVERTY IN ENGLAND.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1565, 15 March 1887, Page 4

POVERTY IN ENGLAND.

Compulsory education in Great Britain meets with many drawbacks, owing mainly to the extreme poverty of the parents of the children. A woman was recently summoned before the magistrate at Southwark, and was fined 2s for not sending her ten-year-old daughter to school, and in defence she pleaded that she was so poor that she could not proonre a pair of shoes for the girl, and how was it then possible for her to pay the : fine 1 In another case a mother stated that she did not send her children to school because she had no breakfast to give them, and, to her mind, it would be adding to their misery in making them learn their lessons on an empty stomach. The mother, like a great many others of her class, was too proud to disclose her abject want, and was even unwilling to accept charitable assistance. A simple remedy has been found for such cases in the formation of soup kitchens connected with' the schools in the poor neighborhoods of the large cities, where a good wholesome meal is furnished almost at a nominal cost. Thus at Birmingham one kind only of soup is made, and if the dinner is rejected by many children it is given up and some alteration is made in the recipe. The popularity of every dish is thus thoroughly tested, and the result is a complete surprise, and the cheapest forms of food are found to be most popular among the children. If their taste could be consulted, it would be found that they would prefer pea or lentil soup every day, as they care not a jot for variety. It must, however, be remembered that the care with which these soups are made, the experiments that have been tried as to the best proportions of the ingredients and *he manner of cooking, result in producing a form of food more palatable to children than any soups prepared in a first-class hotel. After repeated experiments the quantity of food sold for a half-penny (I cent) has been increased to three-quarters of a pint of: excellent and nutritious soup, together with two rounds of bread, weighing about a quarter of a poupd, one of which slices is spread with jam. According to Count Runford’s ideas, and be is a practical authority on such questions, this meal should be-taore than enough for an adult. Acting on this idea it has been found advisable to admit two small children for one halfpenny to share the meal between them, and no*' sometimes only a farthing is taken for half a portion. It is generally admitted that this method ie far superior to that where financial aid is given through voluntary contributions. It teaches the children habits of thrift and self-reliance, and it is expected that with further experiments dinners will soon be furnished to the children as good, as abundant, and as healthful as those originaPy provided in the schools for one penny.