ABSTRACT
John Locke’s remarks about bodily health occupy about one-tenth of his whole book on Education. Locke is very sensible on the subject of toys, recommending that simple playthings made by the children themselves are better than expensive bought toys. ‘Schoolmasters cannot be expected to have fifty or a hundred scholars under his eye any longer than they are in school together; nor can it be expected that he should instruct them successfully in anything but their books.’ Children, in short, are to be treated ‘tenderly’, though telling lies is regarded as a fault to be treated with special severity. It is clear that Locke has more in mind than merely the inherent defects of schools as such. He is disturbed by the general decline of standards in his time. Locke advises parents to engage a tutor rather than send their sons to school.
