22 
RECENT LEGISLATION AFFECTING THE 
PHYSICAL WELL-BEING OF 
SCHOOL CHILDREN. 
By THOMAS CROSSLAND, B.Sc. 
February ith, 1908. 
Mr. Crossland began by expressing his opinion, and quoting 
other opinions, to the effect that physical education must 
precede mental and moral education. Children’s bodies must 
be made fit for the task of mind and soul development. Thus 
any attempt at true education must go hand-in-hand with 
efforts devoted to both the pre and post school life, the better 
housing of the people, wiser and more hygienic planning of 
our towns, which must secure open-air spaces in every part 
of the built-on area. After speaking on physical deterioration 
and its arrest, he detailed the history leading up to the recent 
Acts — Provision of Meals Act and Medical Inspection of 
School Children Act. Dwelling on the former more par- 
ticularly as an adoptive Act — the latter being a compulsory 
one, and Burnley already taking up the matter of medical 
inspection — Mr. Crossland said that the Poor-law system 
and voluntary agencies had woefully failed to meet the needs 
of hungry children, as investigations showed ; and the object 
of the Act was that the hungry or illnourished children must 
be fed without the pauper taint, and if there be a fault on the 
part of others, that must be dealt with later. The mistake 
many education authorities had made had been to regard 
this Act as designed for starving children only, and base, as 
in Burnley, their decisions on the number of children actually 
breakfastless or dinnerless. Mr. Crossland then made sug- 
gestions for carrying out the Act in Burnley, embracing the 
following : — (1) To appoint a School Canteen Committee 
from the Education Committee and the various voluntary 
committees in the town interested in the physical well-being 
of its citizens ; (2) To arrange for a small committee, con- 
sisting of the Education Committee, medical officer, one or 
more cookery mistresses and ladies of practical experience 
in plain cooking, to draw up a scheme of dinners ; (3) To 
select halls or schoolrooms in each district and provide appara- 
tus ; (4) To appoint caretaker, pay caterer, and appoint 
staff and superintendents ; and (5) To supply books of tickets 
to each head teacher to sell or give to children. 
