The Training of English Children

by Lady St Helier

English Children in Kensington Gardens

Drawn in color for The Century by Arthur Rackham

The Training of English Children

By Lady St. Helier

THE elementary education of children in England, of all classes, has changed so entirely in the last thirty or forty years that we of the older generation can hardly realize or understand the ease and facility with which instruction is now imparted. The dry, hard, unsympathetic course of lessons, which made the early days of childhood a very dreary memory, have altogether disappeared and a picturesque and fascinating curriculum has taken its place. Education is now carried out by observation on the part of the pupil, and demonstration by the teacher, and the process is an unconscious one, which entails no mental strain, no laborious attempt to grasp even the elementary difficulties of learning.

Education begins virtually in the nursery and there is no better teacher than a nurse who has all the affection of the child, whom she leads naturally and pleasantly step by step to the school-room where the first serious work of instruction begins.

The books of the nursery are numberless; they are of every kind and on every subject; and the child overcomes not only the elementary difficulties of learning to read, but from the beautifully illustrated nursery library he learns the elements of zoology, geography, science, astronomy, botany, and history. The picture-books of animals, flowers, the various countries of the world and their inhabitants, the armies and navies of the world, are shown to him. So that the amount of unconscious knowledge possessed by an intelligent child when it leaves the nursery at the age of five or six years is considerable.

In former years, when learning was more tedious and the methods of imparting it less agreeable, it was quite soon enough for a child to begin to read at seven, but now he is able to do so before that age.

In England, among the upper classes, we do not send a boy to school, unless in exceptional cases, till after he is eight, or even older if he is delicate. On leaving the nursery, he goes to the school-room and receives his education under the supervision of a governess, who also teaches the other children of the family. He begins to learn arithmetic and the rudiments of Latin (which all English governesses teach). The kindergarten system is largely used in the school-room when, as is sometimes necessary, children are sent at an earlier age than five, to learn obedience and habits of discipline, which cannot be observed so strictly in the nursery. In the well-to-do English home the school-room is a delightful spot. It is generally one of the best rooms in the house, chosen for its brightness, its pleasant aspect, and general convenience, and in the lives of most children it is a place of real happiness, and to the girls of the family full of delightful memories.

When a boy goes to a preparatory school, he may have to specialize: if he is going into the Navy, he is generally sent to some school where he is trained mainly for that profession, and prepares for the examination which he must pass before he can be admitted to the Naval School at Osborne. Thence, after four years, if he works well and passes, he is sent to the Royal Naval College at Dartmouth. The examination for admittance to Osborne is not a severe one for boys of that age. It is held before a board of Naval Officers and its object is to select those boys who are not only above the average in mental attainments, but who are physically and generally qualified for this strenuous career. They are not subjected to an examination on any particular subject and are often nonplussed by the questions which are asked them, many not bearing on their chosen profession, but all intended to show whether they are quick in perception, are ready in reply, and have a general sense of observation.

Amusing stories are told of the curious answers made to the Board’s questions which, while not showing a great intellectual standard, prove that the youngsters are quick and resourceful. One nervous lad who was asked by an Admiral on the Board to tell him the names of the three greatest admirals of modern times replied, “Lord Nelson, Lord Charles Beresford,” and being at a loss for the name of the third—“and yourself, my Lord.”

The life of these lads at the Naval Schools is a hardy one and the training is excellent for their career, which is a very trying one in many ways, when one considers the youth of the boys, and the change often from luxurious homes, but it produces good stuff, and our young naval officers are among the best products of our education.

When the sailor boy leaves his home, his future is settled, but for other boys who choose their career at a more advanced age, the home instruction is carried on so as to fit them for a preparatory school, usually chosen with a view to the public school to which they are to be sent. There are some schools which prepare for Eton, Harrow, and Winchester, as well as other public schools. There is no examination for admittance to preparatory schools but some are more popular than others, and unless a boy’s application is entered early in his life, he may have to go elsewhere. The preparatory schools of England are ideal as to arrangement and comfort while the standard of instruction is very good and many boys pass from them having won scholarships at the great public schools. The greatest attention is paid to health, food, sleeping accommodations, physical training, gymnastics, athletics, and games. Many of the schools have excellent swimming-baths where swimming is taught and have as well many other luxuries, while one or two have been nick-named the “House of Lords,” in consequence of the exalted rank of most of the boys. The charge is correspondingly high, and including extras, such as music, drawing, and dancing, amounts to nearly £300 a year; in fact some are as costly as a public school.

Outdoor life is a distinctive characteristic of all English schools, and many people in that unnecessary attention and time are given to games and that the tendency of to-day is to sacrifice intellectual training to physical development. The love of sport and games is one of the strongest characteristics of an English boy, and the hero of every school is not the greatest scholar, but the best man at cricket and foot-ball, and the captain of the Eton or Harrow eleven is the finest fellow in the world. The saying that “the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing-fields of Eton” is true in a sense. The love of cricket and foot-ball, with its accompaniments and the healthy life which athletics entails, has helped more than any other influence to keep the tone of our great public schools pure and high, and has trained the men who for generations past have laid and cemented the foundations of our Empire. The defects and shortcomings of a wealthy society are influencing our public schools and the stern simplicity and rigor of English school life is suffering from that cause. The temptation for the people to send their boys where they will meet with lads in a higher position than their own is becoming a very distinct evil in making public schools extravagant and lowering their tone.

The increasing facilities for diminishing the drudgery of education and making every subject, however abstruse, less difficult, is overcrowding the curricula of all schools to an alarming extent. It is almost impossible to find time for the extra subjects which are now so numerous and varied in preparatory schools, where boys who have developed a taste for some subject not generally taught, are expected by their parents to carry it on at a public school on the expectation that it may be of use to them in their future career.

The length of the holidays at all schools is one which causes great perturbation to the paternal mind; six weeks or more in the summer, a month at Easter, and a month at Christmas, make, altogether, a large gap in the school year, as parents are compelled to engage a holiday tutor or governess at home; and though the holiday

English Children at the Seashore

Drawn in color for The Century by Arthur Rackham

work is not arduous and is generally “rushed through” in the last week of the holidays, it adds a heavy burden to the already long educational bill. The tendency is to send boys to school as early as possible, so that the total cost of this education is a very expensive luxury; but a hard struggle is always made, even by parents who are comparatively poor, to give boys a public-school training. The standard of education and the average results are undoubtedly higher than heretofore, but it is a question whether by our system we get the most out of our best boys.

The early training of girls from the nursery to the school-room is carried on generally with their brothers, the same governess supervising them all. The spirit of emulation which a mixed class of pupils creates is on the whole good. It stimulates the girls to greater effort and acts as a spur to the boys, who realize the indignity of being beaten by their sisters.

A much more radical change has taken place in the education of girls than in that of boys. The whole curriculum of girls’ study has been enlarged and the adoption of the more serious side is now a sine quâ non in all families of whatever rank. The training begins in the nursery and little girls go into the school-room at about the same age as their brothers. The subjects they learn are generally the same, for a knowledge of Latin and advanced arithmetic, as well as mathematics, is now considered essential for well-educated girls. The standard lesson books are of great variety and the method of explaining and teaching is carried out as much as possible by illustration and practical demonstration. The new methods of teaching reading are not adopted in the school-rooms of which I speak, as a girl has probably mastered the elements of reading before she leaves the nursery. The tendency of modern education is to concentrate a girl’s energies on those subjects for which she has a distinct vocation. In these days no one wastes time on teaching music or singing to a child who has no inclination or ear for it, and drawing is taught only to one who shows a distinctly artistic talent. Much more time is now given to the study of languages and every girl can speak French, and many German, while a large number take up other languages. Girls are now allowed a much wider range of literature than formerly. The foreign classics are open to them and the days are past when they were forbidden to read Scott, Dickens, Thackeray, and George Eliot. In fact, in this endless supply of subjects the instructor is called upon to guide the pupil into some systematized course so as to avoid the dangers of desultory reading.

There is and always has been in England a deep-rooted objection to sending girls to boarding-school, hence the need of a highly trained and accomplished governess.^[1] The supply is very good and large and the governess in an English family, whether she be foreign or English, is usually remarkable in attainments and character. In spite of contrary assertions, English mothers are most anxious and careful as to the person who must, see more of their children than any one else. Indeed, in many cases English mothers are so anxious about the education and ambitious for the success of their children that I think the pressure put on them to learn is sometimes excessive. There is no more “willing horse” than a keen, intelligent girl, and her inclination is always rather to do too much than too little. The strain of education comes at a moment when her health may be affected by the changes incident to her sex, and she probably requires all her strength to carry her over a period during which, from a physical point of view, she should take her life a little more easily.

We show more consideration in our treatment of animals than in our treatment of our girls and boys. We do not expect our yearlings or two-year-olds to perform any very arduous work during the early part of their life: what work they are called on to carry out is done slowly, with distinct periods of rest, and is very carefully subdivided in its amount and duration; but we ask of young people, boys and girls, at a period when they are growing and their constitutions are forming, to carry out a system of education which no one can characterize as easy. In the case of boys, the drawbacks are modified by the distinctly male instinct not to do more work than they are compelled to; but with their sisters that consideration hardly ever applies, and the standard of knowledge and the excellence of the work done by girls in England are remarkably high. Though the instruction of girls in their early years is given by a governess, there are many excellent classes largely attended held by some of our best professors, not only in London but also in the large provincial towns. In London, some of the classes are taught in French and German, and during every term at the large colleges for women, such as Queen’s College and Bedford College, as well as at the London University and University College, lectures on special subjects are given by the best authorities. These are popular and are largely attended by girls belonging to the professional and upper classes. The subjects of the lectures are announced and papers are prepared at home by the students under the supervision of the governess, and an examination at the end of each term is held to see what progress has been made. The advantage of such classes is no doubt a great one, for it creates a happy spirit of rivalry, and applies just the stimulus which is wanting in home instruction.

Some girls take the Oxford and Cambridge local examinations and go in for a pass. The first examination is not very severe, but the higher certificate is a stiffer undertaking, yet thousands of girls pass, with great distinction, every year. It is no unusual thing to see all the girls in a family working for it. A story is told of two daughters (twins) of one of our most eminent judges, who went up together for the Oxford and Cambridge local examination, as they did for everything else, and who generally came out equally successful. A great air of mystery however hung over this examination, which caused much interest among their friends. It became known only after some time that one twin had passed and that the other had failed. The subject was so painful and the broken record of mutual success so overwhelming, that the subject was never alluded to by the family.

One characteristic of the education of English girls is the thoroughness with which every branch of it is carried out; there is no shirking, no compromise. What they learn is learned thoroughly, and any one conversing with a well-educated English girl of the class of which I write, will find it very difficult to get her out of her depth. Many girls carry on their studies long after they have done with the school-room and their reading is wide and diversified; they also embark on subjects which, for want of time, they have been unable to take up earlier. But the “pose” of the earnest but ill-informed young and pretty woman is always amusing, as well as the tender charity of their male adversaries. At present, the practice of public speaking is fashionable and weekly debating classes are held for girls at some of the houses of the leading political people in London, where they are taught not only how to speak and use the voice, but to discuss and argue the question clearly and carefully from the point of view which they have adopted. Women take so prominent a part in public life in England that a certain amount of training in elocution and public speaking is most valuable.

It is now also becoming the fashion for English girls whose parents can afford the time and expense to spend a year or more in some French or German educational center before they come out. Some go to Paris, but the majority prefer Germany, where they can combine a further acquaintance with German literature and the study of music. In most cases they are sent under the charge of their governess or live in a pension where no one speaks English and where they are obliged to converse in German. The influences of German life and education are very powerful and leave a distinct impress on a girl’s mind. They possibly develop the romantic side of her character, but they also give her a breadth of view and a wider aperçu of life, and remove the purely insular point of view from which we are only too liable to regard other countries and people.

Athletics also play an important part in the life and education of English girls, especially among those of the upper classes, where the question of cost is not a consideration. Open-air life has done more for their welfare and strength than almost any other influence. It is undoubtedly true that English girls are stronger and taller than formerly and possess a greater fund of endurance than they have ever enjoyed before, and this is largely due to the outdoor life which they lead. In games such as croquet, golf, and lawn-tennis, they can hold their own with boys of the same age. Even cricket is getting to be more widely played, but until some modification of the skirt is arrived at it is a game in which a woman must always be at a disadvantage. The playing of games has not unsexed our girls, nor injured their health, as was prophesied when they first adopted open-air sports and athletics once the monopoly of their brothers.

As the intellectual side of girls’ lives has become more developed, the more homely and wifely occupations of their mothers and grandmothers have lost favor, and needlework and the domestic interests of life have taken a back place. It was inevitable that such should be the case, but it is in many ways unfortunate that these occupations have fallen into desuetude. Few of the girls I speak of can cook a chop, make an omelet, darn a stocking, put on a patch, or make a buttonhole. Perhaps in time housewifery may become part of their curriculum, as it is now in our elementary education scheme. A good knowledge of housekeeping, of the management of servants, of the keeping of accounts, and of cooking goes a long way to secure domestic happiness.

I think in England we are satisfied that, with certain limitations, our system of education for the classes of which I write is laid on fairly good lines. We have certainly uprooted and changed the whole scheme of education which existed, but the new one has the merit of developing the individuality of each child, of teaching it self-reliance and courage. It does not in any way cramp or confine the bent of its inclination or study, but it brings out, we hope and believe, what is best and strongest in its character.

The system on which the early education of children is carried out varies in every country, and that in England can compare in this respect with those of France, Germany, and America. The character, temperament, and mode of life differ so absolutely that the point of view from which we regard the question must vary also. The English working-class family has never had any of the experience of the outdoor family life of the French; our cold uncertain climate has made it impossible, and the pretty pictures one sees in Paris of a family group, consisting often of grandparents, parents, and children, are unknown with us. What is true of our working-classes, is even more distantly characteristic of our higher classes. The love of family and children is not one bit less deep in England, but we are a reserved, undemonstrative race. It may be our insular arrogance which has always caused us to regard the open, demonstrative affection of foreigners to their children, as sentimental, that has made us err in the opposite direction. Every English mother knows, however, the pang with which she leaves the school at which she has deposited her beloved boy for the first time, and the effort it costs her to say good-by to him without letting her tears mingle with those that are so nearly gushing from his eyes—but it is not “good form,” in boyish parlance, to cry, and the mother has to live up to the standard of self-control of the little hero of perhaps seven or eight years of age.

The separation during these early years certainly intensifies the affection of boys for their mother, and the holidays are a bright spot in the year. There is always, I think, a shade of fear of his father in a boy’s heart, even of the most indulgent—but time dispels that, and though there may be a sort of feeling that “the governor is a little out of date” when he vetoes some of the youthful suggestions during the holidays—the feeling of friendship and equality grows as time goes on, and there are no truer or stancher friends than an English father and his son.

The effect of education and life in England has no doubt helped to diminish parental control and strengthen the independence of the young, but the love and reverence of children still remains, though they undoubtedly regard their parents from a much nearer and more familiar standpoint. It is impossible with our English system of education that it could be otherwise. Children are our equals; they criticize, discuss, and analyze us, and if we survive that ordeal—and it is a severe one—we should feel thankful that, if the awe and fear of the past has disappeared, the new order of things has not diminished their deep love and affection.

1. The reader is reminded that Lady St. Helier is discussing her subject from the point of view of the aristocracy and not of the upper middle classes.