In the act of arresting growth it must needs distort growth, and in doing this it must needs deaden and even destroy the life which is ever struggling to evolve itself.

It is well that from time to time we should ask ourselves what compulsory education has done for the people of England.

How much it has done to civilise and humanise the masses is beginning to be known to all who are interested in social progress, and I for one am ready to second any vote of thanks that may be proposed to it for this invaluable service.[15] But when we ask ourselves what it has done to _vitalise_ the nation, we may well hesitate for an answer.

Twenty years ago, in the days of "schedules" and "percentages," elementary education was, on balance, an actively devitalising agency.

The policy of the Education Department made that inevitable.