Knowledge Of Life. The question -whether instruction in sex lIYgiene should be given inl the elementary schools Of the Lonclon County Couicil has booa Under consideration by the Council's tele- entary education sub-comamittee for the last 12 months, and the results of their delibera- tions xvwere published yesterday. Briefly, their decision is that the tetecIini of sex hygiene as n class subject is not advisablo in the elementary Schools, but that teachers should be trained to deal properly with the repression oi unade- sirable habits in clildren under their care; and that some instruction or guidance on the subject should be given in secondary schools to adolescent pupils and to students attending evening classes. They also drawv attention to the moral dangers arising from lack of super- viSion of parks and open spaces. Their recom- inendations will be considered at a meeting of the E3ducation CommLittee of the County Council to-day. The sub-comnmittee state that the question had been Increasingly engaging the attention of managers of schools and those interested ina education during the last few years, and in April of last vear they appointed a sectioIl to inquire whether teachin of sox matters was advisable in the elemientary schools, .and, if so, Whether it should be givez as ; regular clams subject or privately ane only in cases where the head teacher thought it desirable. These we-re the main beads of the inquiry, but further aspects of the question 'were discussed as they wvere raised during its proceedings. The section apphhlted consisted of Miss C. S. Buleraig, Mr. G. L. Bruce, and the IRev. J. Scott Lidgett, together with the chairman (Lord Eill) and the vice-chairmain (Mr. E. C. Gooch) of the sub-oommittee, and the chairman (Mr. John W. Gilbert) and the vice-chairman (ir. Oscar E. XVar- brurg) of the F-ducation Committee. Upon their report the sub-connmittec's decisions andt recoin- Ienddations are based. DnissicuLTv OF TiE TAsx. The section reported that in no circumstances should sex hygiene be introduced into class teaching. for reasons Nwhich are sunimarized as follows. in the arst place. the knowledge of ehildren in such matters depends very largely upon the type of home front which thtey are drawrn. Where, as is unfortu- nately too comonly the casee, the parents and chil- dren live in one roome, in which all the events of life and dcath tal;e place, the knowledge o1 the Children must be vers different from. that of ci2ildreuu who come from a home where they are carefully guarded and who may obtain no information of this kind until they are over 14 years of age. Irn these circuni- *tances, they remark, it woucld be a task of the greatest ,difficulty to teach this subject satisfactorily in class, since, while to some children the facts are already known, there are others to whom the knowledge might come as a shock. M'oreover, a method of 'treatment of this subject which might benefit one child might harm another, since children's tempera- ments differ. In the second place, the section feel strongly that speaing of these subjects in class must tend to break down tho children's natural mnodesty and reserve.I Children naturally feel that, if their teacher tnlks| about a matter, they can talk about it too, and az medical witniess gave evidence of the undesirable -convesations which took place among the children in one of the Council's schools vwhere definite class teach- ing was given. This opinion was endorsed by aU the vitnesses ex:cept one. The section. however, strongly approved of private instruction, advice, or wcaning, in individual cases, either by communicating w,ith the parents (but separately, not in meetings of parents) or by talking to the children. One head teacher thought that the cooperation of parents in keeping a watch over the children out of school wvas specially inportant in view of the cxcessivc freedom now so frequentlv allowed to young girls. Special sbress wvas also laid on the value of warning the elder children when about to leave school of the dangers and temptations to which they would be exposed. In connexion wvith this the section urged that teachers in training should be instrurted how to handle the difculties of tho growing child. SuP}!vRsIoIN Ol; OrPNi SPACES. Jn their general considerationl of the subject the wection came to the conclusion that sex education was advisable for children over 14 in the higher schools, and also at the evening institutes. They add that their attention wos drawn to the evils which appear to arise out of lack of supervision of parks and open s-paces. The sub-committee, on this report of the section and thc evidence snbmit-ted wvith it, have adonted their finding,s as wecl out above, and they suniit to the Education Committee their recommalendations as foUows:- (ae That the teaching of sea hygiene as a class subiect in public elemn-ttary schools bh not, ap- proved; and that the Council be informned accor^dingly. (b) That the attention of the Parke and Small Holdings and Allotments Committee and aU other authorities responsible for open spaces in and around LIondon be drawmn to the moral dangers arising from insufficient. supervision. (c) That, the report on the teaching of sex bygiene and precis of the evidence, together vwith the memoranda containing-(i.) Information for the use of girls on leaving school, and (ii.) Informa- tion for parents, teachers, and ministers of religion, for- t.he purpose of safeguarding girls seeking employment be printed and circulated to every head teacher of the public elementarv schools provided or maintained by thle Council; that cxpenditure not exceeding ?25 bhe Sanctioned therefor; and that the report be placed on sale. (d) That the memoranda entitled "Information for the use of girls on leaving school" and " Infor- muation for parents, teacher,,,, and ministers of religion, for the purpose of safegurding girls seeking employment," be printed aud distributed- the former document by means of the teachers of senior mixed and girls' departments of public elementary schools provided or maintained by the Council, and the l;atter by the teachers, corre- 9pondents, and otherY: and that expenditure not exceeding ?30 be sanctioned therefor. KNOWLEDGE OF LIFE. d E1E TEACHING OF SEX HYGIENE. REPORT TO LONDON EDUCATION COMMITTEE.