Science and Physical Development 



cheese " 1 He continued the breakfasts till April, 

 and then suddenly ceased, though he admits that 

 the exceptional distress still continued, and there 

 was no similar agency to take their place. We 

 cannot wonder that the Committee earnestly plead 

 for organisation under the central authority in 

 each district, for careful inquiry into the circum- 

 stances of each child, and for whatever machinery 

 is set up to be permanent at least in skeleton. 



But in an article like this we cannot go beyond 

 broad principles, and we return to the question 

 ought the State to interfere in the feeding of the 

 children, and if so, on what lines should such 

 interference proceed ? The fact is now proved 

 that in some districts a considerable proportion of 

 the children, and in others a sprinkling of them, 

 attend school so underfed as to be unable to profit 

 by the teaching provided, which is therefore wasted. 

 A certain number of these cases ought to be dealt 

 with under the " Relief (School Children) Order, 

 1905," by the Poor Law Guardians, the money 

 spent on relieving the children being treated as a 

 loan advanced to the parent, and recoverable from 

 him. The Guardians ought to deal with cases 

 where the parents are permanently impoverished, 

 and with those where the parents are able to pro- 

 vide food but have neglected to do so. There 

 remain, as the Board of Education has pointed 

 out in its circular of April 1905, cases where 

 temporary illness, loss of employment, or other 

 unavoidable causes, have for the time incapacitated 

 1 Report, p. 50. 

 37 



