JULY 279 



I see in the paper to-day that the Government has given way 

 suddenly on the Vaccination Bill, and that henceforth ' conscien- 

 tious objection ' on the part of parents is to entitle them to dis- 

 regard the law and neglect the vaccination of their children. It 

 appears, and this is my reason for talking about the matter here, 

 that we magistrates are to decide whether the objection in each case 

 is one of conscience or of mere prejudice and idleness ; that is to 

 say, that we are to sift a man's mind and, without any evidence 

 beyond his own statement, to decide whether he is speaking the 

 truth. I maintain that the task is impossible, and one which 

 should not be laid upon the shoulders of any judge. In practice, 

 what will probably happen is that the chairman or clerk will ask the 

 objecting parent if he or she is prepared to take an oath that his 

 or her objection to the vaccination of the child is founded on con- 

 scientious scruples. The parent or guardian will reply that he is, 

 and there will be an end of the matter. 



These safeguards even, such as they are, will scarcely stand, 

 for what ofificial or Board of Guardians will go to the expense 

 and worry of instituting prosecutions to which the answer is so 

 easy and complete ? My belief is, that knowing this, but a small 

 proportion of anti-vaccinationists will take the trouble even to 

 apply for a certificate.' One may be certain, too, that henceforth 



' This view seems to be borne out by returns recently issued by the Local 

 Government Board. I take the following report from a newspaper : — 



' This return shows that between the date of the passing of the Act and 

 the 31st December, 1898, the number of certificates of conscientious objection 

 received by the vaccinating officers was 203,413, and that the number of 

 children to whom such certificates related was 230,147. It is explained that 

 the number of unvaccinated children in England and Wales at the time of the 

 passing of the Act in respect of whom certificates under Section 2 might have 

 been applied for cannot be stated, but over 12,500,000 births were registered 

 during the years 1885-98, and the total number of children, including all who 

 died before vaccination, not reported as having been vaccinated may be taken 

 at 3,235,000.' 



It is not a pleasant thought that, allowing for the deaths, there are at the 

 present moment something under three million unvaccinated young persons 

 moving about amongst us. 



