Decay of National Physique. 5 1 



the standard of recruits was very unfavourable. Out of every 

 five recruits brought forward they had to reject two. The 

 height is smaller now than formerly, except during the close 

 of the Crimean war, when the height was very low. We 

 cannot draw any very accurate conclusions as to the 

 deterioration of physique from the recruits, as it is 

 certainly not the best class of men who present them- 

 selves. The best class are employed in the large towns, 

 and, consequently, do not want employment in the army. It 

 is generally those who had done something wrong or got 

 into trouble that present themselves as recruits. It seemed 

 to him that deterioration, if there is such a thing as 

 deterioration in the national physique, is confined to the 

 poor. In the public schools in England their boys are as fine 

 as ever they were, but certainly the poor do suffer. Then 

 we have to come to the cause of that, and we have to go back 

 to their childhood to find it. Every man who has a family 

 should provide four things — pure air, wholesome food, suitable 

 clothing, and proper education. With regard to pure air, 

 there is no doubt that the poorer children do not enjoy that 

 requisite, and we cannot shut our eyes to the fact that it 

 is the drinking habits of the present day that are the cause 

 of it. Then with regard to tea-drinking, there is no doubt 

 that it has the effect of deteriorating physique when made a 

 substitute for milk. With regard to clothing, we have only to 

 look at the children to know that they are not properly clad. 

 Their education is also defective. It is not necessary that 

 'girls of that class of life should be taught so much literature. 

 If they were taught cooking it would be a great benefit. There 

 is a great ignorance of cooking amongst women of the lower 

 class, and it would be a great matter if a standard book on 

 cooking could be placed in their schools. With regard to the 

 question of air, he had not one word to say about it, as the 

 lecturer had been exhaustive on that point. There is a great 

 deal attributed to water that had nothing to do with it. There 

 is no doubt that the drinking habits of the present day have 

 most injurious effects, but he agreed with the lecturer that the 

 decay of national physique hardly existed. 



