294 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 
these overseas opportunities placed before them, and that they will consider seriously 
such changes in the schools under their authority as may help the better to fit their 
pupils to take advantage of such opportunities. 
They found further that little advantage was taken of the openings which till 
recently were both numerous and good. Various causes contribute to this undesirable 
result. In spite of the great efforts of the Overseas and Home Governments, and of 
the numerous British organisations, there is still a widespread ignorance of the condi- 
tions of life and the possibilities of life overseas. The Committee have during this 
year endeavoured to ascertain what steps are normally taken either by the schools 
or by the Dominion representatives in this country to keep the scholars informed of 
the possibilities. The present Report shows the results of their inquiry. 
Broadly speaking, no systematic steps are taken. Some of the overseas authorities 
express their readiness to give lectures, demonstrations and advice, but they have 
gained the impression that they are not welcomed in secondary schools. As against 
this it is stated that the lectures and lantern slides are not suitable for secondary 
schools, and may indeed do more harm than good. One of the Committee’s recom- 
mendations deals with this matter. Among some of those associated with schools there 
is a fear—which is disconcertingly widely spread—that the spirit of adventure is gone 
and that the boys from elementary and secondary schools are afraid to go overseas, 
or alternatively that their mothers are afraid; another general impression is that 
parents expect the education authority to find for their children good posts near 
home, and therefore will not consent to their sons and daughters proceeding overseas 
even if the posts near home do not eventuate, or prove to be only of the temporary, 
blind-alley type. Again, the lack of desire to proceed overseas is attributed to the 
blunting of the spur to incentive by the widespread social services of this country. 
In so far as these causes may be operative, their effect is to put upon the education 
authorities and those charged with the after-care of children the responsibility of 
seeing that the young people do not miss the chances presented by the Overseas 
Empire. f 
4. Publicity and Information.—The Committee have devoted considerable atten- 
tion to the ways in which parents and scholars might be kept more fully informed 
about the advantages of overseas life. The subject is dealt with in more detail later 
(page 307), the activities of the different organisations in this respect being described, 
and some recommendations made for making the distribution of information more 
effective. 
Important memoranda have been received from the Oversea Settlement Depart- 
ment on the general situation and on opportunities for boys overseas, from the Society 
for Oversea Settlement of British Women on the opportunities for girls overseas, 
from the Canadian and New Zealand Governments’ Immigration Departments, from 
the Boy Scouts Association, which has an encouraging record of successful work, 
from the Director of the Imperial Institute, from several Local Education Authorities, 
Employment Bureaux, and other organisations interested in migration, including 
the Church of England Council of Empire Settlement, the Young Men’s Christian 
Association and Local Voluntary Migration Committees. Equally valuable was the 
information supplied by the various Agencies for the Crown Colonies. 
The Committee take this opportunity of expressing their indebtedness to all 
who have so readily and with considerable trouble responded to the inquiries 
addressed to them, and tender them their best thanks for the valuable contributions 
they have made to this Report. 
Tn these communications there stands out clearly the importance of the personal 
touch; the direct knowledge of and faith in the country to which the young people 
will proceed, and faith in the young people that they will make good. It is a hopeful 
sign that visits are being interchanged between headmasters and headmistresses of 
this country and Canada, and even between school children in the two countries. 
This cannot fail to dispel any lingering ignorance regarding the life and the possibilities 
of life overseas. A number of informants have emphasised the great desirability of 
giving the young migrant a further period of training in the country to which he pro- 
poses to proceed. In this way he acquires easily special knowledge and experience 
which might otherwise be obtained only at the cost of much time and comfort. 
Boys of good type able to take up a professional career with hope of success are 
advised to complete their training in the appropriate overseas university. They 
will from there step into professional vacancies more readily than from home. 
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