The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-10-04
MILLION PUPILS 'sss::i;'|DEFECT|vES IN ENGLISH SCHOOLS Board of Education Official Sounds a Warning For
 the Future.

-t London, Oct. 4.-The surprising rev. .elation; that at least one-sixth of Eng lands 5000, 900 school children are "so physically or mentally defective or diseased as to be incapable of deriv- ing reasonable benefit from the educa- ton which the state provides" is made lm . report just issued by the chief medical officer Of the board CT educa- ton.
 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- fure as sharply. as would news of a disastrous defeat of our arms" It makes the point that the waste refer red to ie preventable and that while 1t is bei1g lessened by better housing, better labor conditions and purer and cheaper food, together with ampIer medical facilities and sounder ideas in education and hygiene, that "the nation moves with incredible slow ness."
 Sir George Newman, the Chief Med Ica1 Officer, at the conclusion of his report, indicates that a complete scheme is now practically ready that will enable the state to take. entire charge of the child, mentally, physi- cally and morally. with view to pre- venting in future "a repetition of re- ports as disappointing as that just is- sued. The ,transfbrmation f. to be ac- complished through the aid of several agencies. The local education author 1ties, through their school committees, doctors, nurses and thousands of vol untary workers compose a co-opera- tive system designed to save the child. The system is to extend from schools for mothers to the home and from welfare centers to juvenile employ mont. In his report Sir George New man -:ays:
 Eight years work has brought to light a large mass of physical defect and disease, varied in character and Widespread, most of it preventible. In regard to the data thus provided we can form two general conclusions First, not less than quarter of mill lion children are seriously crippled fnvalided, or disabled; not less than a million school children are so phy- sically or mentally defective or dis. eased as to be unable to derive reason able benefit from the educationJwhich |, the state provides. If this figure be considered merely from financial point of view and quite apart from the disease, suffering and death entailed it will be seen that the state is not getting adequate returns, on physica grounds alone, for a substantial par, of it's expenditure on elementary edu. cation"
 Consideration of the situation seems to indicate that the physica welfare and in part the education, O, the child of school age is dependen upon ante-school conditions; and de- pendent also upon post-school condi lions. In other words if we are de- termfned to rear a healthy and virils race of high capacity, we must, from a physical standpoint, begin earlier and continue later than the hitherto accepted period of education Wha 1s needed. indeed, is an effective su pervision and a sound and practica training of the body from the end O. infancy to adolescence. It is sait sometimes that in the interest O economy, that the state cannot af ford such a complete scheme. M, submission is that in the interest O. economy. the state cannot afford tt neglect a complete scheme"