Institutional Training 79 



The Class I. children will probably escape all, even No. 4. 

 The point that I wish to insist upon is, not that a large pro- 

 portion of these children would necessarily fare better in 

 institutions (in the ideally managed institution, I think they 

 would) ; but only that, in the face of such obvious disadvan- 

 tages, they cannot be so well equipped for their start in life, 

 physically, mentally, or even morally, as the majority of insti- 

 tution children. 



And when we talk glibly of the " home tie " supplied in the 

 lives of these 17,000 children by the mothers of groups 3 and 

 4, is there not a risk that we shall sacrifice a very tangible 

 good, to a sentiment which we may be very far from being 

 able to give satisfactory effect to ? 



III. EMPLOYMENT 

 Nature of Employment of Out-Relief Fathers. 



An interesting attempt was made, in connection with the 

 Poor Law Commission, to discover the employments previously 

 followed by the fathers of the families in receipt of out-relief. 

 The facts ascertained have been roughly classed under the 

 four divisions of commercial, skilled, unskilled, and " other 

 employments" (very doubtful cases being omitted), and the 

 results arranged as percentages. 



Commercial includes all work connected with buying and 

 selling from factoring to hawking. 



" Other Employments " includes army, navy, and other 

 public services, policemen, as well as all forms of domestic 

 service. 



The table is given on the following page. 



