A deputation last Monday to Mr. Ritchie, the President of
the Local Government Board, pressed upon him the duty of extending the separate provisions already made for the special education of blind and deaf and dumb children, to the case of feeble-minded children definitely below par, but not abso- lutely imbecile. Mr. Ritchie replied very cordially, and took the only debateable point when he suggested that it might be questionable whether keeping feeble-minded children all together without any brighter companions would be the best policy for them. We suspect, however, that no other course is possible. Childhood and youth are not the ages of com- passion. The mischief done by the disposition of sharp and selfish children to play on the weakness of children of feeble minds, is incalculable. What these weak children need is protection, sympathy, and cheerful aid from teachers and monitors filled with a sense of pity and duty towards them. Mr. Ritchie is evidently quite disposed to take the requisite measures for guarding them from needless dangers, and preventing them from becoming the prey of those who, as the Psalmist says, lurk in the corners of the streets to make victims of the poor and helpless. But the Metropolitan Asso- ciation for Befriending Young Servants, 18 Buckingham Street, Strand, are already asking for the means of estab- lishing a home for this class among girls who are exposed to even greater dangers than boys of the same class, and as they only want £1,000 to start such a home, we hope that the means will soon be placed within their reach.
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