When one looks at the social history of Scotland in the late 19
th
and early 20
th
centuries, one can not but be impressed by the immense
philanthropic activity generated by the "discovery" of the plight of the
nation's destitute children, especially the orphaned and those afflicted by
maternal abandonment. In educational provision, in health care, in the
prevention of cruelty, in fact in almost every public field, civil society
seemed captivated by the need to ensure that childhood was a special
time in the life cycle. Yet, no matter how much our Victorian and
Edwardian ancestors were captivated by the Alice syndrome of a
childhood wonderland, the reality which they created especially for
society's needy was first and
