Mr. Mundella's speech was also very interesting. He said that
the work of getting the children into the schools was most backward in the Metropolitan districts, and this was because London was increasing so fast that it was hardly possible to build the schools for the children's accommodation fast enough. He did, not lay very much stress on the allegations of over- pressure; and he was quite sure it would be impossible to prohibit "home-lessons." In Scotland especially the prohibition of " home- lessons " would bring such an outcry from the parents as would soon result in the discontinuance of the prohibition. He
regarded overpressure as chiefly dangerous in the case of young teachers, and especially in the training of girls as teachers. A monitor at thirteen, a pupil-teacher at fourteen,—such a girl has to spend not only all her day in teaching, but a great part of her time, before school opens and after it closes, in drudgery of the most exhausting kind, to prepare for her work. One of the reasons why the Voluntary Schools work at less expense than Board Schools, is that they often conduct their work with an insufficient staff, and work their teachers far too hard. Mr. Mundella warmly supported the inquiry which has been set on foot into the education of the blind, the deaf, and the dumb, and evidently expects that it will result in a great improvement of the education of this class of children.
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