Page:Labour and childhood.djvu/107

 {| class="p80table r1align col2and"
 * ||Numbers.||Considerably above average physique.||Below average.
 * Workers at School 1||29||18||&ensp;7
 * &emsp;&bdquo;&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;School 2||40||23||11
 * ||69||41||18
 * }
 * &emsp;&bdquo;&emsp;&emsp;&emsp;School 2||40||23||11
 * ||69||41||18
 * }
 * }

Thus though only 26 per cent were below the average physique, of these below the average more than half were exceptionally brilliant mentally, although 17 per cent of all were mentally below the average." "These results show," continues Dr. Thomas, "that this out of school work is a wanton dissipation of the children's powers, the chief national capital, and that the evil effect falls on the best of the children." It is seen to be a waste because the school work of the wage-earner deteriorates at once. It is so in London. It is so in Yorkshire. The bright eager boy who wanted to earn the rent and could learn fast becomes stupid and indifferent. Out of 330 wage-earning boys Dr. Thomas found that 86 were one standard, 83 two standards, 37 three standards, and 3 four standards behind that corresponding to their age.

Yet the conditions of life were not rendered worse, but as a rule better, for these children when they