B.—ll

(3.) Practically every large school had a nurse's room ; a number also had a dentist's room equipped with a dentist's chair. (4.) The headmaster's room and the teachers' common room were always large and comfortably furnished ; a lavatory opened out of each, and the teachers' room was often provided with a small kitchen adjoining, in which the teachers could provide themselves with hot lunch. (5.) The school was usually connected with the city telephone system. The class-rooms were always connected with the headmaster's room by means of telephones, (6.) I did not see any other than single desks. Even the country schools were provided with these, and in many cases they were adjustable. (7.) A hat and cloak room opened out of each class-room by two doors. The pupils entered through one and came out through the other. (8.) The blackboards were of slate. (These give a better writing-surface than do those that we use.) (9.) All the town schools that 1 visited were supplied with bubble taps for drinking purposes. (10.) Many of the schools were supplied with gramaphones, of which considerable use is made to teach ajjpreciation of music and also recitation. There were always several pianos in each large school. (II.) Many of the schools were provided with a cinema outfit. All had at least a magiclantern for use in the auditorium. (12.) Many of the schools were supplied with a vacuum cleaner, and the dust nuisance was thus reduced to a minimum. Open-aik Schools. I visited several of these schools both in Canada and in the United States. The buildings that I saw were in no way any better than the open-air rooms built during the last few years in Auckland. The chief points of interest were the food and the rest that were provided in the way of remedial treatment. Each child received a cup of hot milk or cocoa soon after arrival at school, a good plain lunch in the middle of the day, and a glass of milk before leaving. They had two hours' sleep after lunch. 1 visited one very interesting school of another type, held in the open air in High Park, Toronto. It is open from 8 a.m. until 4.45 p.m. every day of the week except Sunday, for six months —from April until October. The six-months vacation through the winter compensates for the continuous work and long hours while the school is open. This is a genuine open-air school, for the children are taught and they also sleep in the open air, under the trees, in High Park. There is a large marquee covering a kitchen and dining-room, and this provides room enough for the classes to be held under cover in the event of the weather being bad. The pupils, who numbered about one hundred at the time of my visit, are admitted on the recommendation of the school nurse and the doctor. On the day of my visit the children arrived at 8 o'clock, had organized play until 8.45, and then school-work until 9.30, when hot cocoa was served. Then they made up their bods—on stretchers- under the trees, after which there was a " free " interval for a few minutes. School-work went on from 10 until 11.30, then came fifteen minutes' organized play. At 11.45 they all had "wash-drill" i.e., all washed hands and faces ready for lunch, which was served at 12. After lunch there was a short " tooth-brush drill," when all cleaned their teeth , they then lay down on their stretchers for a two-hours' sleep. At 3 o'clock they were roused to put away their beds ; a half-hour's organized play followed, then a glass of milk was supplied to each, after which they had forty minutes' school. They dismissed for the day at 4.45. These children had all been weighed, and also tested mentally —by means of intelligence tests---on their admission in April, again in June, and again at the beginning of September. The gains in mentality after a few months of this open-air school life, with good food and plenty of sleep, were remarkable. I give a few results that 1 noted down : —

The cases quoted above are typical of the gains made, by all. The hundred pupils were taught by the headmaster and two assistants. Two cooks were employed to prepare the food. The cost for food alone was ss. per child per week. The weakness of the experiment lay in the closing of the school for six months on end.

3—E. 11.

11

No. 1 No. 2 .. No. 3 .. No. 4 .. No. 5 .. No..6 .. No. 7 . . No. 8 No. 13 .. Child. Age. 14 13 12 11 14 10 12 15 13 First Mental Mental Age Third Mental Test of Test 78 9 100 100 11 122 82 94 100 59 U 85 81 9J 99 56 7i 84 81 9J 112 117 12J 140 101 11 132 Mental Age of 11 13 11 9?, ii 9 J 12 15 14 Gain in Weight. lb. H 6-1 1 o 2.1 3J 21 10| 5.i L