along with time and patience. In the following account of a visit made by Mr Frederic Hill to certain Industrial Schools,* we have a pleasing example of the manner in which prejudices of this sort may be vanquished.

"The school education of our working and poorer classes," says he, "is, with few exceptions, very meagre. Even in the day schools, the instruction seldom extends beyond reading, writing, and the elements of arithmetic; and in by far the greater portion of the Sunday schools reading alone is taught. An imperfect acquaintance with the subjects mentioned, together with a certain amount of religious knowledge, is all that is even attempted to be given in our popular schools. While we zealously maintain that such an amount of direct instruction is far, very far, better than no instruction at all, it must be admitted that it is little indeed compared with what it is the duty and true interest of the country to afford. Can it be wondered at that drunkenness, idleness, and crime should abound, when so little is done to excite nobler tastes-to create a love of rational employment, and foster habits of industry; or to trace, explain, and illustrate the real opposition that exists between vicious practices and the true interests of those who indulge in them? One improvement, which we hope is spreading (an improvement, in our opinion, of great importance), consists in the mixture of manual labour, under qualified instructors, with the ordinary business of school education. Among the Schools of Industry to which we refer, one of the best which we have had an opportunity of inspecting is in Gower's Walk, Whitechapel, London. Placed in the heart of a district densely peopled with the poorer classes, the school owes but little to situation for the contentment and cheerfulness observable in the scholars, whose lively appearance cannot fail to strike every visitor; while the value of the acquirements they are making is amply manifested in the eagerness shown on the one hand to procure admission to the school, and on the other to obtain the departing pupils as apprentices. When we visited the school in July 1835, there were two long lists of applicants, the one of masters waiting for children, the other of parents wishing to send their sons and daughters as scholars.

"The industrial occupation of the boys is printing; that of the girls needlework. There are altogether about two hundred children in the school, rather more than one-half of whom are boys. Both boys and girls are in attendance during seven hours each day. Four hours of this time are given to the usual business of a school-namely, reading, writing, and arithmetic: the remaining three hours are employed by the girls in needlework, and the boys in printing; with this restriction, however, that no boy is allowed to join the class of printers (a privilege much * National Education; its Present State and Prospects. 2 vols. Knight, London.

in. Instead of being treated as criminals, they were washed, fed, given some little instruction, and when dismissed in the evening, were informed that they might or might not return next day, but that it was resolved that street-begging should no longer be tolerated. Nearly all came back voluntarily; and so on from day to day has the school ever since been in operation, the average attendance being about fifty. The expectations of the benevolent founders of the institution were to the utmost extent realised. Not a begging or vagrandising child was to be seen in the streets, nor, as far as general observation goes, has there been till the present day. I was sorry to learn that great financial difficulties were experienced in establishing this interesting school. Sceptical of its success or utility, the public did not readily contribute funds for its support, and the whole money in hand when it was begun amounted to no more than £4. Some aid, however, was obtained from the police authorities: they pay a male and female police officer, who act as teachers; and the institution was fortunate in obtaining the gratuitous use of a vacant soup-kitchen and its appendages, which answer as cooking and school-rooms. From this localisation, it became known as the soup-kitchen school.

On the day after my arrival, I made a round of visits to these different schools, commencing with the School of Industry for boys, to which I have first alluded. Occupying a species of garret in an old building near the House of Refuge, it owes nothing to exterior or internal decoration; but with that I was the better pleased. The too common practice of lodging abject pauper children in fine houses is, in my opinion, fraught with the worst consequences. In this garret, which was large, clean, and airy, I found nearly fifty little boys, of the ordinary ragged class whom one is accustomed to see roaming about the streets. They were seated around the place, at a proper distance from each other, in perfect silence, under the eye of a superintendent; and were occupied, some in teasing hair for mattresses, some in picking oakum, and others in making nets. To relieve the irksomeness of the employment, they occasionally sing in full chorus; and to give me a specimen of their powers in this respect, they all struck up a hymn, in a style at least equal to what is usually heard in country parish-churches. Next, a bundle of copy-books was laid before me; and a few, who seemed to be a kind of novices, not yet fully trained, gave me a specimen of their reading powers. Beneath, was a room fitted up with benches, which answers as school and eating-room; and here, on my second visit, I saw the whole at dinner, each with a hunch of bread and tin of barley broth before him-the food being supplied from the adjoining House of Refuge.

The discipline of the school is a happy blending of instruction with exercise and industrial training. The pupils meet at seven o'clock in the morning; first, they receive religious instruction

suited to their capacities, after which their attention is directed to the elements of geography, and the more striking facts of natural history, till nine o'clock. On two mornings of each week, an hour is devoted to instruction in vocal music. From nine to ten they get breakfast, which consists of porridge and milk. At ten they return to school, and are employed at different kinds of work till two in the afternoon.. From two to three they dine, usually on broth, beef, and bread; occasionally on potatoes, soup, &c. From three to four they either work within doors, or, if the weather permit, are employed in the gardens partly in recreation. From four to seven they are instructed in reading, writing, and arithmetic. At seven they get supper, same as breakfast; and are dismissed to their homes for the night at eight o'clock. A half holiday is allowed on Saturday after dinner, and on other days the half of each meal hour is allowed for recreation; and occasionally, when other arrangements allow, and the conduct of the scholars appears to deserve it, an hour or two is devoted to out-of-door exercise. On Sunday morning the scholars assemble at half-past eight o'clock, get breakfast at nine, attend public worship in the House of Refuge during the forenoon, and after dinner return home, to enable them, if so disposed, to attend church with their relations. At five o'clock they meet again in school, and are catechised; get supper at seven; and are dismissed as on other days.

The labour to which the scholars are put, such as teasing hair and net-making, is of a light nature, requiring no great exertion, and does not seem by any means irksome. At net-making several boys have acquired great expertness, and can easily earn a penny an hour. If a sufficiency of this kind of employment could be procured, the school would soon be self-supporting. Unfortunately, this is not the case; and, as a general average, the amount of each boy's earnings is at present about twentyeight shillings per annum; such, however, being exclusive of the profits of a garden, which, if taken into account, would make the yearly earnings nearly thirty shillings. This sum is inadequate for the support of the institution, which, therefore, on its present footing, requires public assistance. During the past year the expenditure was £309, and the earnings £95; the sum actually required for the maintenance of the establishment being thus £214.

On the whole, the spectacle of this little colony of workers was satisfactory. A peculiar feature, remarked by every visitor of the school, is the order and quiet contentment manifested by the boys, and the interest with which they seem to pursue their several occupations. Acquiring habits of industry, they are gradually prepared for employment in the factories, to which, when the proper time arrives, they have little difficulty in gaining admission. And such we might naturally expect to be a result of the training here acquired. There is evidently, as I

have said before, a virtue in labour, which cannot be secured by mere theoretic teaching; and I only lamented, on leaving the institution, that means are not formed for considerably extending the field of its operations.

The next school to which I was introduced was the female School of Industry, situated in a more open part of the town, and in a house of more extensive accommodations. This institution, which I visited several times, is conducted under the auspices of a body of ladies, and superintended by a resident female teacher and assistant. The pupils, about fifty in number, are gathered from the humblest homes in the city. The routine of labour is more various, and perhaps more practically useful, than that of the boys. Besides being taught to sew, they assist in cooking, and other household operations, and therefore may be said to be in a course of preparation for entering domestic service. Neat, clean, and orderly in appearance, and under moral and religious instruction, I should expect that the aim of the foundresses of the institution would be fully realised. The produce of the sewing done in the school helps to meet the current expenditure. After the instructions and labours of the day, the pupils are dismissed to their respective residences for the night. On Sunday they attend church in a body, dressed in garments which remain with, and belong to, the institution. At this, as well as the other schools which I visited, the principal reading-books appeared to be favourite numbers of the work edited and published by my brother and myself under the title of "Chambers's Miscellany of Useful and Entertaining Tracts." Stitched in strong brown paper, they were described as forming an exceedingly acceptable species of class-books, and I was satisfied, by cross-questioning the pupils, that they really comprehended and took an interest in what they read.

The last of my visits to the female School of Industry was in the evening on the occasion of the inmates being treated to tea and some musical entertainments by the lady patronesses, as a reward for good conduct; and it was gladdening to see the pleasure which universally beamed in their rosy countenances. It has been on divers occasions observed of this institution, that the plan of dismissing the children every evening, and sending them home to the wretched, if not polluting homes of their parents, must be calculated to root out any beneficial impressions made on their minds during the day; but while there may be some truth in remarks of this kind, it admits of the most conclusive evidence that, as a general principle, home lodgment is attended with the best effects. Domestic affections continue in activity; the child is delighted to return home at night, and to repeat the lessons and rules of conduct learned at school; and frequent instances have been known of a decided improvement in the character of the parent through the humble efficacy of the child. Each little girl may be considered a species of missionary

a distance of three miles was entered as a pupil, the total number on the list being no less than three hundred; though, from the frequent calls made upon the children for assistance in the fields, and from the bad state of the roads in certain seasons, the number in actual attendance did not exceed one hundred and fifty. About a hundred of the children form an infant school, their ages varying from a year and a half to seven years. For these a distinct part of the building and a separate playground are provided. The remaining two hundred are divided according to sex, the boys' rooms and playground being apart from those of the girls. The children are at school eight hours each day, three being employed in manual labour, and five in the ordinary school exercises. There is a provision for a diversity of tastes in the classes of industry; indeed, the most unbounded liberality is manifest in all the arrangements. Some are employed as shoemakers, others as tailors; and others again at plaiting, basket-making, weaving, printing, gardening, or farming. The children work very cheerfully, and, as we expected, are found to like the classes of industry better than school.' We say we expected to find this the case; for until the ordinary plans of instruction in reading, arithmetic, &c. are much improved, and the exercise made more intellectual and interesting, we fear that children will take but little pleasure in their school lessons. The first employment to which the little workers are put is plaiting straw. When they are expert at this, which is generally at the end of a few months, they are promoted to some other craft; the one of highest dignity being that of the printer. Before leaving the school, a child will often become tolerably expert in three or four trades. Those who work on the farm have each the sole care of a plot of land measuring oneeighth part of an acre, and each is required to do his own digging, sowing, manuring, and reaping. An intelligent husbandman, however, is always on the ground to teach those who are at fault. The plots of land were all in clean and nice order; and from the variety of produce-oats, turnips, mangel-wurzel, potatoes, and cabbages the whole had a curious and amusing appearance, reminding one of the quilted counterpanes of former years.

"We found the system of matayer rent in use, each boy being allowed one-half of the produce for himself, the other half being paid for the use of the land, the wear and tear of tools, &c. One lad, twelve years old, had in this way received no less a sum than twenty-three shillings and sixpence as his share of the crop of the preceding year; and we were told that such earnings were by no means uncommon. Of course the practical knowledge to be acquired on a miniature farm of this kind would not be sufficient in itself to fit a boy for the cultivation of land upon that large scale on which alone it can be tilled to the greatest advantage; still he will have learned much that will be of direct use to him on a farm of any size; and what is far more important, he will have acquired habits of industry, intelligent