xr THE SCHOOL BOARDS 3S9 



likely to be the case with the London School Board, 

 which, if it conducts itself wisely, may become a 

 true educational parliament, as subordinate in au- 

 thority to the Minister of Education, theoretically, 

 as the Legislature is to the Crown, and yet, like the 

 Legislature, possessed of great practical authority. 

 And I suppose that no Minister of Education 

 would be other than glad to have the aid of the de- 

 liberations of such a body, or fail to pay careful 

 attention to its recommendations. 



What, then, ought to be the nature and scope 

 of the education which a School Board should en- 

 deavour to give to every child under its influence, 

 and for which it should try to obtain the aid of 

 the Parliamentary grants? In my judgment it 

 should include at least the following kinds of in- 

 struction and of discipline: — 



1. Physical training and drill, as part of the 

 regular business of the school. 



It is impossible to insist too much on the im- 

 portance of this part of education for the children 

 of the poor of great towns. All the conditions of 

 their lives are unfavourable to their physical well- 

 being. They are badly lodged, badly housed, badly 

 fed, and live from one year's end to another in bad 

 air, without chance of a change. They have no 

 play-grounds; they amuse themselves with marbles 

 and chuck-farthing, instead of cricket or hare- 

 and-hounds; and if it were not for the wonderful 

 instinct which leads all poor children of tender 



