There  are  two  broad  questions  con-
nected with  pauper  education  which  are
subjects  of  controversy.  They  involve
problems  of  (1)  localisation,  (2)  distribu-
tion. That  is  :  (i.)  Are  pauper  children
to  be  treated  as  the  children  of  the  State
•or  of  a  small  local  community  ?  (ii.)  Are
the  children  to  be  massed  together  or  dis-
tributed in  small  homes  here  or  in  the
colonies  ?  The  first  question  has  been
answered  in  England  since  the  days  of
Elizabeth  by  the  Poor  Law  system,  which
may  almost  be  called  the  eldest  daughter
•of  Protestant  Christianity  (see  Fowle's
Poor  Law,  Macmillan's  English  Citizen
-series,  2s.  6d.).  We  see  in  fact  that
Church  provision  preceded  State  provision.
This  is  still  the  case,  although  the  unity
of  Church  and  State  (purporting  to  act  for
the  benefit  of  the  nation)  is  not  as  marked
now  as  it  was  in  the  early  days  of  the
poor  laws.  We  have  now  arrived  at  an
•age  of  great  cities,  when  about  half  the
total  population  of  England  are  crowded
into  the  towns,  as  contrasted  with  about
one  tenth  even  in  India.  Hence  new
difficulties.  For  the  efficiency  of  the  pre-
sent system  depends  too  much  upon  the
varying  characters  of  local  boards,  and  the
•comparative  breakdown  of  their  system
in  dealing  with  pauper  children  in  the
great  cities  has  led  to  the  great  increase
of  supplementary  methods  during  Vic-


toria's reign.  It  is  not  unnatural  for  local
boards  to  regard  the  children  as  burdens,
to  be  disposed  of  as  soon  as  possible.
