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61 [1910
sitting postures which are absolutely detrimental to their future development
These little children should be retained at home and allowed to play in the
fresh air, even that of the streets or their back yards will be found purer than
that of the schoolrooms, which soon become contaminated by the large number of
children in the class rooms. It may be asked what is to become of them if
they do not attend school, and the answer is, let their mothers mind them !
Parents, especially London parents, are far too freely relieved of their responsibility
toward their children in these days. They should be made to feel it.
It would make them better mothers if they knew that they had a real responsibility
respecting their children. But if the State insists on these children
being taken daily from their homes, let it not make creches of the schoolrooms,
but provide playgrounds in the open air with shelters to
protect the children in case of rain, at centres in different parts of our
boroughs, where the children, under a suitable and less expensive class of
teacher than at present, could be taught to play and to develop their little
bodies so as to enable them to successfully resist any attacks of the infectious
diseases which may unfortunately come their way. This subject, however,
is not one that can be more than alluded to in an annual report. Indeed, it
might with advantage be treated of in a special report.
The particulars as to measles during the year are fully set out in the
following- T ables:—