The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1916-10-05
MANY DEFECTIVE
CHILDREN FOUND

London. Oct 5.-The surprising rev.
elation that at least one-siXth of
Ensland's six million school children
are $50 physically or mentally defec-
! tive or diseased as to be incapable OF
deriving reasonable benefit from the
education which the state provides
| is made in a report just issued by the
chief medical officer of the board OF
education.
The report has aroused great inter-
est and has come as a shock to the
public generally. The Manchester
Guardian says that the report should
awaken fears as to the nations fu-
ture as sharply as would news, OF a
disastrous defeat of our arms. IL
makes the poiut that the waste re-
ferred to is preventable and that while
it is being lessened by better housing,
better labor conditions and purer and
cheaper food. together with ampler
medical facilities and sounder ideas
in education and hygiene. that "the
nation moves with incredible slow
ness"
Sir George Newman. the chief med
ical officer. at the conclusion of his
report, indicates that q complete
scheme is now practically ready that
will enable the state to take entire
charge of the child. mentally, ply
preventing in future a repetition Of
reports as disappointing as that just
issued. The transformation is to be
accomplished through the aid of sew
.eral agencies. The local education
authorities, through their school med
ical service have established a system
of remedy and amelioration. Education
committees. doctors. nurses and thou
sands of voluntary workers compose
cooperative system des. ned to
save the child. The system is to ex-
tend from schools for mothers to the
home and from welfare centers to
juvenile employment, In his report Sir
George Newman says:
Eight years work has brought to
light a large mass of physical defect
and disease. varied in character and
widespread, most of it preventable. In
regard to the data thus provided we
can form two general conclusions.
First, not less than quarter of
million children are seriously Grip
pied, invalided or disabled: not less
than a million school children are so
physically or mentally defective or
diseased as to be unable to derive
reasonable benefit from the education
which the state provides. If this figure
be considered merely from financial
point of view and quite apart from the
disease, suffering and premature death
entailed. it will be seen that the state
is not getting adequate returns, on
physical grounds alone, for a SUBJ
stantial part of its expenditure on
elementary education"
consideration Of the situation
seems to indicate that the psysical
welfare, and in part the education.
of the child of school age is dependent
upon ante e-school conditions: and de-
pendent also upon post-school cndi-
tions. In other words, il we are deter
mined to rear healthy and viriIa
race of high capacity, we must, from
a physical standpoint, begin earlier
and continue later than the hitherto
accepted period of education. What is
needed indeed. is an effective super
vision and a sound and practical
training Of the boy from the end of
infancy to adolescence, 1t is said
sometimes that in the interest OF
economy, that the state cannot afford
such a complete scheme. My submis-
sion is that in the interest of econ
omy the state cannot afford to neg
iect complete scheme