HYGIENE AND SCHOOL LIFE. 79 



of the masses, which is the result of their system of popular 

 education. By it the worker is taught that the result of the 

 researches of the scientist naturally aids the achievements of 

 the technologist in his attempt to apply science to industrial 

 operations. The pure scientist, by research, discusses the 

 fundamental laws and principles of science, while the applied 

 scientist aims at assimilating those laws and principles to the 

 processes of reproduction, and to the operations of daily life. 

 Those operations require specially-trained operatives, and they 

 require that " spirit " of science that cannot be attained unless 

 they possess the physical, mental and moral attributes of, at 

 all events, a sound rudimentary technical education, which 

 cannot be attained unless (here is my point) tlie hygienic con- 

 dition of home and school arc favourable to their bodily and 

 mental development. 



Now, in South Africa, it must be admitted that, as far as 

 general public education is concerned, we are upon virgin 

 soil, but with the advantage of having only ignorance to deal 

 with, instead of the prejudices, superstitions, and vices of the 

 over-crowded and demoralised communities to be found in 

 Europe. At the sai?ie time it is unfortunately a fact that, for 

 the same reason, we are not possessed of teachers who have 

 had the advantages possessed by their confreres in the older 

 ■countries of studying personal, domestic and school hygiene. 



It will therefore be necessary to teach them the subject before 

 they can impart such knowledge to their scholars. With that 

 hypothesis in view, my remarks may now be directed more 

 especially to the teaching profession and the members of public 

 School Boards in the South African Union. 



As the duly-appointed delegate of the Cape and Transvaal 

 Governments to the Congress on School Hygiene held in Lon- 

 don in 1907, I had an excellent opportunity for observing", from 

 behind the scenes, the many difficulties that underlie this 

 matter; but I found it quite impossible to rid myself of the 

 conviction that the nature of those difficulties only proved the 

 more conclusively the necessity for overcoming them. Through 

 the courtesy of Sir Lauder Brunton and the Congress officials, 

 I had the advantage of attending the meetings of special Com- 

 mittees where the difficulties were under discussion, and I am 

 pleased to feel that few of them require attention in this 

 country at present, as our social and political atmosphere is 

 less tainted by political intrigue and prejudices than is that of 

 the older countries. The whole question is most carefully 

 dealt with in the report of the Committee of the British Asso- 

 ciation for the Advancement of Science upon " The condition 

 of health essential to the carrying on of the work of instruction 

 in Schools."* 



From this report it will be seen that the subject of school 

 Hygiene not only offers excellent opportunities for practical 

 work and testing methods, which increase its interest to 



* Report Brit. Assn. for Adv. of Sc, 1904. Section L (Educational 

 ■-Science). 



