The Metropolitan School Board decided at their meeting last Wednesday
in favour of physical training, but it was curious to remark the foolish jealousy of the word ' drill,' as implying a half-military sort of physical training, which seemed to prevail among some members of the Board, and of which especially Mr. Lucraft, — the only working-men's candidate, — became the mouth-piece. Mr. Lucraft said " he should be sorry if it went forth that the Board was panic-struck,"—(how excessively panic-struck some people are at the thought of being esteemed panic-struck !) " he submitted they should endeavour not to make any more men of blood and iron, but fewer of them," (as if teaching the working people of any country not to fear blood and iron were making more men of blood and iron !) He wanted to see the working people brought up "in the ways of peace, not in the way of war,"—in which way, then, are the Swiss, the most pacific of European peoples, brought up ? Mr. Lucraft has the repute of a clever man, but he has one great weakness,—he is afraid of words and signs, more than of things. He should cure himself of that.
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