ON TRAINING IN CITIZENSHIP, 369 
of interest. It was found that many of the questions brought forward and 
discussed could not be decided by a majority yote, as having consequences 
beyond the view of many of those voting; and it had been laid down as a 
foundation principle that nothing profoundly affecting the constitution of the 
School should be carried by a single generation of voters. Many questions, 
therefore, after discussion, were withdrawn and not put to the vote. This Jed 
for a time to the feeling that, as it was not the final authority on all matters, 
“Parliament ” was a misnomer, and it was useless to bring any but matters of 
executive detail before it. To meet this difficulty it was arranged that alternate 
meetings of the School Parliament should be held informally between the 
School members and the Headmaster to discuss together questions of this kind, 
and that at the regular meetings only questions should be taken that could 
be put to the vote. This arrangement was found to work well, and interest 
revived in the meetings, especially the informal ones. It was proposed to 
extend these occasionally to the whole School, instead of confining them to the 
elected members; and this was done for a series of discussions on rules and 
punishments with great success. At present there is a question of altering 
the name to “School Council,” in order to prevent misconceptions and to 
express more exactly its function in the government of the School. 
“4. Remarks on School Training in Citizenship.—There is, I think, consider- 
able value in class teaching in this subject, which is needed in order to give 
the necessary knowledge and to awaken interest in the duties that Citizenship 
will bring. But more important still, I feel, is to give boys and girls a share 
in the actual administration of their school life, in order to give them the 
habit of self-government and to lead them to realise the principles on which 
the government must rest and the methods by which it is best carried out. 
The actual forms under which this is done are not so material as that, so 
far as it goes, their responsibility should be real, and that the reasons for the 
rules by which their life is ordered should be, as far as possible, made clear 
to them, and reason and conscience alike be enlisted in carrying them out.’ 
Report on ‘Training in Citizenship’ at St. George’s School, Harpenden. 
I.—TeacHine or CiTizENsuip AS Part oF THE CURRICULUM. 
“1. There is no general scheme at present. A new scheme of History teaching 
throughout the School is under consideration, in which it is hoped to embody 
some instruction in the organisation of public affairs (political, social, economic) 
which the average citizen should know. 
‘2. From time to time Study Circles are formed to consider social problems, 
which is also the aim of the Social Science Section of the School Society in 
connection with the School Mission in Limehouse. 
‘3. In the top Forms Economics and kindred subjects are frequently dealt 
with by way of essays or discussions. 
‘4. ‘The Upper Forms have this year been studying two of Ruskin’s “ Essays 
in Political Economy,” and discussing questions arising therefrom. 
“5. Current Hvents.—See attached report, which appeared in the Daily Tele- 
graph, October 1919 :— 
II.—SrLF-GOVERNMENT: Prerect Sysrem. 
‘1. There is a large measure of Self-Government in the School. There is a 
carefully graded Prefect System, each full prefect being given as far as possible 
a particular sphere of office (e.g. Captain of School, of Games, of Labour, of 
Lower School), as well as general responsibility for discipline. While not 
responsible for policy, prefects act in the capacity of a permanent executive 
directly responsible to the Headmaster, by whom they are appointed after 
consultation with members of the Staff and Captain of the School. 
‘2. There are two popularly-elected bodies of eight, one of boys and one 
of girls, who hold office for one term and who make recommendations and 
suggestions to the Headmaster on matters of School organisation. 
“3. From time to time experiments in direct Self-Government are tried to 
meet particular occasions—e.g. (a) During the war boys and girls undertook 
a great deal of the upkeep of the School premises, &c., and the boys worked 
