QUESTIONABLE TASTE.

1443 of shorthand is acquired before the student justice-loving Briton as culpable indulgence on the part of his medical studies and also that he has learned French juries vis-A-vis of the erring woman, more especially the proper method of using it which he may do by the in what our sentimental neighbours denominate
knowledge

commences

dominance

-

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quantity sample in

sulphate

copper present present case this would amount to 9000 lb., THE POOR-LAW SCHOOLS COMMITTEE : SEVERE - or over 4 tons, of sulphate of copper taken with this form of CRITICISM. food annually into the human system ; and who shall say that this quantity of copper is so uniformly distributed that THE Poor-law Schools Committee and its report have not one consumer does not get more than a three-grain dose from been permitted to go free in the matter of criticism-and the

I

time to time ?7

criticism, moreover, of a severe character. The London and District Poor-law Omcerb’ Association have recently THE CRIMINALITY OF THE FRENCHWOMAN. held a meeting in London at which the report in question THE statistics of crime are in France, as in other countries, was handled by several of the members in no friendly several years in arrears. It is not surprising, therefore, that manner. The principal speaker was Mr. H. D. Aslett, those relating to the year 1893 should have been published superintendent of the branch schools of the Kensington only last week. Criminologists may be interested to know and Chelsea school district, and in a lengthy paper he what part the Frenchwoman takes in offences against the traversed the assertions made in the report in many Of 4269 accused directions. Not alone with the substance of the document established rules of civilised society. of the persons in 1893 3673 were males and 596 females-a pro- was he at variance, but he criticised the constitution as well witnesses as Committee and the selection of many of portion of 6 to 1. In other words, woman was responsible for 14 per cent. of the crimes committed, a diminution since the statements of particular witnesses. The general tenor the period comprised between the years 1871-76, when the of his paper may be gathered from the terms of the resolupercentage was 17. As might be expected, ofeences against tion which he submitted to the meeting, and which ran :’’ That in the opinion of this association the report of the persons predominate over those against property, being 19 per cent. in 1876-80, 18 per cent. in 1881-85, 21 per cent. Committee on Poor-law Schools gives evidence of bias too in 1886-90, 20 per cent. in 1892, and 17 per cent. in 1893. much has been made of individual cases of admitted failure, OfEences against property rights have progressively descended to the exclusion of thousands and thousands of satisfactory ; the weakest condition of the weakest school is the from 13 per cent. in 1876-80 and 12 per cent. in 1892 to ones measure with which all are meted ; the description of the 11 per cent. in 1893. Prosecutions for infanticide have like- schools much more appertains to what they possibly were wise decreased in the following proportions : 1889, 210 ; twenty or thirty years ago ; and the report does not recognise 1890, 174 ; 1891, 148 ; 1892, 154 ; 1893, 132 ; the annual the forward strides made in all the schools during the past ten years." average for 1876-80 having been 207. We may conclude that the criminal instincts of our Gallic sisters are He felt that too much had been made of the alleged evils comparatively feeble, and that what appears to the of aggregating children in schools, and pointed out that, whilst many schools were for comparatively small numbers of inmates, even the large schools were divisible into 1 The Use of Shorthand by the Student. ____