Despite being published in the early part of the twentieth century many of the issues this volume discusses are still being debated in education today. The author maintains that state education is not functioning as it should – that the output is not commensurate with the outlay, that education has become too narrow in its focus and that more importance should be given to the teaching of younger children. The balance between a traditional academic education versus the skills needed for practical trades is also discussed, as is the disparity between the types of education available to rich and poor.