L.— EDUCATION. 221 



The greatly increased interest in the mental welfare of the young child 

 has naturally resulted in a renewed demand for a better provision of 

 institutions, such as nursery schools and kindergartens, concerned with 

 the care and education of pre-school children with a range of age of two to 

 six years. 



In the Fisher Act of 1918 ample provision was made for the recognition 

 and support of nursery schools and classes. This gave great satisfaction 

 to all students of early child life and those interested in the welfare of 

 little children. Then came the Geddes axe. The increased national 

 expenditure involved in the changes adumbrated in the forward movement 

 in educational procedure in the various sections of this beneficent Act 

 met with considerable opposition on the grounds of financial stringency. 

 This veritable Children's Charter came under the ban of the economists, 

 and up to the present time there has been no possibility of the full develop- 

 ment of the scheme. The power, however, of the adequate fulfilment 

 along the necessary lines suggested remains on the Statute Book, and 

 the demand for its greater exercise is now becoming insistent. An eSort 

 is now being made to make the provision compulsory. The Chief Medical 

 Officer of the Board of Education in his valuable annual reports on ' The 

 Health of the Child ' consistently urges a move forward in the establish- 

 ment of nursery schools. 



The difficulties which have been pointed out of reaching, and of giving 

 effective guidance to children at the more plastic and formative pre-school 

 period would, to a considerable extent, be removed if the nursery school 

 became a recognised constituent in the educational provision of each 

 district. In a centre which is fortunate in having a good nursery school 

 within its area, the remarkable influence of such an institution is obvious 

 to the most casual observer. With such very young children on the roll, 

 this type of school comes into far more intimate contact with the home 

 than any other agency. The atmosphere of the school permeates the 

 home to the very great advantage of the parent as well as of the child. 

 In many cases the principal and staff of the nursery school become the 

 friends and advisers of the parents in all matters pertaining to the welfare 

 of the children. The intelligent mother tries to raise the standard of the 

 home to the standard of the school. 



The importance of linking the home with such an institution as a 

 nursery school cannot be exaggerated. It is far more important in early 

 life than later on. Continuity in the type of experience is essential in 

 the successful nurture of the young child. A further advantage of the 

 nursery school is that children come into contact with other children of 

 the same age. It is a misfortune for a young child to be always in the 

 presence of adults. The outlook is so different. A gulf separates, as we 

 have seen, the child's world from that of the adult, and to adopt, at too 

 early a stage, the adult attitude to life is to rob the child of the priceless 

 advantage of his childhood. Children can readily understand children 

 and learn far more from each other, and in a more natural way, than from 

 an adult source. 



The teacher at the nursery school is, or should be, an expert in the 

 management of children. The mother from a poor home, who is concerned 

 with the riotous behaviour of her children, is impressed by the quiet 



