1.882 J Cram and its Amenities. 645 
in elementary subjects will not give way to the smattering 
of a medley. As it is, I have heard more than once of 
children passing sleepless nights, and muttering their sums 
in their dreams. Can such overwork of young brains be a 
good thing ? and is not the proper development of thews 
and sinews, of muscles and lung power, of greater import- 
ance than an aimless murdering of the gems of Shakspeare 
and Milton ? It may seem a bold thing to say, but I can 
only express my belief that if the present curriculum be ex- 
tended, and there is consequently a curtailment of recrea- 
tion, the physical vigour of our country lads and lasses will 
deteriorate — a serious question when the needs of Army, 
Navy, and husbandry are considered.” 
On this significant passage I must remark that play for a 
child is not a mere luxury which may be cut off at pleasure. 
It is an essential part of his education, and vastly more 
important for his future well-being than any amount of lite- 
rary culture. 
No one who has any acquaintance with physiology — -a 
discipline with which the Committee of Council on Educa- 
tion have doubtless not been much troubled — can fail to 
catch the sad meaning of the “sleepless nights” and 
“ mutterings in dreams” which are here recorded. The 
sleep of healthy childhood is deep, and often entirely dream- 
less. Such symptoms when they occur prove but too plainly 
a serious disturbance of the nervous system. We talk of 
“ payment by results.” Are we to include and pay for con- 
stitutions undermined and intelligence weakened ? 
It must also never be forgotten that physical vigour is 
important, not merely for the Army, the Navy, and for hus- 
bandry, but in every calling and every sphere of life. It is 
time we cast aside the ideals of mediaeval asceticism, the 
emaciated frames, the flabby muscles, the drooping necks, 
which were supposed to indicate the triumph of mind over 
matter. We must return to the healthier notions of classical 
antiquity, and admit that bodily vigour is the essential 
groundwork for intense mental activity. 
It was once proposed by a peer of the realm, formerly, if 
I mistake not, a successful university coach, and who may 
therefore not uncharitably be supposed to retain a certain 
kindness for “ cram,” that all children should be forced by the 
time they reached a certain age to “pass ’’certain “standards.” 
On the feasibility of this suggestion the following fadts may 
throw some light : — Two boys, the sons of a man who had 
been for more than two years out of employment, attended a 
certain school. Like all their family, they appeared to be 
