Original Papers. RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS—THE MYSTERIOUS MONEY-BOX. ONE Sabbath evening, two college youths were sitting among the ruins of an old cathedral. Their sympathies were mutual, for they had both drunk deeply of the same bitter cup-disappointed hopes and broken prospects. As if fallen from the eminence to which he aspired, one of them exclaimed in melancholy bitterness, "I feel that life would be a blank without literary eminence. I would rather live in the memory of my country than enjoy her fairest lands. I dread a nameless grave many times more than the grave itself." This poor youth gained, in some measure, the desire of his heart, for his name and writings still live in the memory of his country; we believe a monument was lately erected over his grave; but, a part of his short life was spent in riot and folly, and his early death-bed was a scene of madness and despair. By those who know the outline of his sad history, his name is mentioned with painful regret; and a lesson is learned of the vanity of worldly ambition, however refined; and how vainly a life is spent-how sadly prostituted the noblest gifts and acquirements, when consecrated to the praise of men. How different and more blessed is the inheritance of those who devote their lives to the glory of God and the welfare of men; who feel that “life would be a blank" unless it was useful; and who erect the most enduring monument to their memories in the "works that follow them." The prince of botanists once declared, that the man did not live in vain who made a stem of grass to grow where never one grew before; but surely the man lives to a nobler purpose, who infuses one ray of real hope into a dark and dreary soul, or sows the seeds of Divine truth into a barren mind, or leads the feet of even a ragged wanderer into the way of peace. His grave may be nameless-a "sculptured stone" may not mark the spot-but his memory will be embalmed in grateful hearts, and among the "children" of after years some will "rise up to call him blessed." In the judgment-day, when the holy and living influences to which he gave birth, that have acted and re-acted upon one and another through succeeding generations, shall then be seen in their full fruition, how great may be the harvest of "joy and rejoicing" that the faithful labourer shall reap! Then, the depth and meaning of that wonderful passage will be fully understood, "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord; yea, saith the Spirit, they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them." A few months ago, we were riding, in the company of a clergyman, through a mountainous district of Galloway. Many parts of the country were wild and barren, and houses, like the trees, were few and far between. A few miles in the distance, the noble hills were rising in majestic beauty, their tops clouded with the dark blue mists that had slowly ascended from the valleys below. But the scene has already been sketched by the graphic pen of a gifted living authoress: "Aye, bonnie hills of Galloway, the clouds above ye driven, Make pleasant shadows in your depths, with glints and gleams of heaven; Which shine out suddenly like stars, as the sunbeams go to rest. 266 RANDOM RECOLLECTIONS-THE MYSTERIOUS MONEY-BOX. And ye have dells, and greenwood nooks, and little valleys, still, Where the wild bee bows the harebell down, beside the mountain's rill, And over all, grey Cairnsmore glooms-a monarch stern and lone, Though the heather climbs his barrenness, and purples half his throne.” But it was not so much their external grandeur that secured our veneration and interest, as the noble deeds and lofty spirits with which they are associated. For many a long year our martyred forefathers were hunted like partridges over these blue mountains; and often among their "little valleys," the deep stillness of night was broken by the echoes of the evening psalm. We viewed with solemn interest the parish of the noble Rutherford, which he consecrated with so many prayers, and tears, and testimonies; nor could we easily forget his last dignified reply to his persecutors, when they approached his death-bed with a summons to appear on a charge of high treason: "Tell them,” said he, "I have got a summons already before a superior Judge and judicatory, and I behove to answer my first summons; and, ere your day arrive, I will be where few kings and great folks come." We found the country more barren and moorland the further we proceeded, with scarcely any habitations but those occupied by the humble shepherds. At length we reached an "oasis," where stood a few respectable houses, sheltered by a small plantation. A mineral spring, famed for its medicinal properties, we found to be the attraction of the place. During the summer and autumn months the houses are occupied by invalids, many of whom come from a considerable distance to drink of the "healing waters." We stopped to visit the little well, and as we observed with pity, the feeble, bended frames and pallid countenances of the patients, we could not help contrasting the fresh air and lonely quiet they were enjoying, with the stifling atmosphere of some of the filthy hovels we have visited, occupied by the "out-door patients" of a London hospital. A peculiar sensation came over us when we discovered on the top of a large stone, close to the "spring," a strongly-made, but weatherworn collecting box, on the side of which we read, in legible characters, the well-known words, "RAGGED SCHOOLS." Who could have expected to meet with so practical a manifestation of extended sympathy for our cause, in a spot so lonely and isolated? But there it was, silently and successfully (as its weight showed) doing its work, and reminding each visitor of those youthful invalids in the alleys and the lanes, whose diseases are as deeply-seated and deadly as their own. We found its history to be painfully interesting. One morning, about two years previous, a box, made of pasteboard, was found upon the stone, with a paper label, containing the words, "Contributions thankfully received for the Ragged Schools." Beside it was a copy of "Guthrie's Plea," one or two other pamphlets on the same subject, and two numbers of this Magazine. Their appearance excited much interest among the invalid population, and many inquiries and conjectures were made respecting the unknown hand that had placed them there. At length a young lady stepped forward, put a shilling into the box, and said, "Whoever may have placed it here, the object itself is of great importance, and certainly deserves our support." Others followed the example; the pamphlets were perused with eager interest, and the mysterious box duly appeared each morning, and disappeared at night, with fresh additions to its contents. By the end of summer, from four to five pounds were thus collected-a sum nearly sufficient to maintain SHOE-BLACKS AND BROOMERS. 267 a child for a whole year at an Industrial School. Many of the donors, even now, are not aware that the constructor of the flimsy box and originator of the plan, was she who became the first contributor to its contents. This practical sympathy she there first manifested on behalf of a poor, ragged, motherless girl-found in the neighbourhood-the victim of a drunken father-and who was taught, clothed, and taken to a place of worship, during the stay of her kind benefactress. By the close of the following autumn, a stronger box had been provided, and a goodly sum collected; but the hand that placed the first one there was mouldering in a village grave! After a short life, spent in similar deeds of mercy, dignified by the highest motives and secretly performed in much weakness and suffering, her young spirit passed calmly and joyfully away into the possession of "an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away." As we looked at the humble box, bleached by the mountain rains, yet still perpetuating the labour of love, reminding us of the miseries and claims of the outcast poor, and silently inviting each passenger to aid them, we seemed to be reading, for the first time, that wonderful declaration of the Lord himself "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord; yea, saith the Spirit, they rest from their labours, and their works do follow them." Nor could we be forgetful of the solemn admonition, here also so significantly enforced-"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with ALL thy might.” SHOE-BLACKS AND BROOMERS. THE time has come when we may inquire whether the system pursued in the Industrial Classes of our schools has realized the benefits expected from itwhether the same amount of money, energy, time, and anxiety, if devoted to other plans, would not produce more encouraging results. I believe that No! is the proper answer to the first question; and Yes! to the second. The main objects of our schools are to give the children spiritual instruction, moral training, preparation for honest occupations, and finally to provide situations for them, or enable them to emigrate. It is with the last two of these I have to deal. Our present in-door industrial training system does not lead to the procurement of permanent employment, and those prepared under it for emigration contribute scarcely anything to the cost of their passage or their outfit. We take boys from a roaming life in the streets, and force upon them the most sedentary labour. The young and hardy sapling we confine in a hothouse. Unless this course is absolutely necessary, it is certainly a mistaken one, and I shall therefore proceed to examine how far we are restricted to it, and whether there do not exist street occupations in which our boys may be employed, and how far we may create new wants for the public, and prepare our boys to supply them. Before I invite attention to my suggestions, yet untried, I shall briefly notice the striking success of one which has been put in practice, and the favourable reception of another now adopted. At Field Lane School, on October 31st, a tea party was given to the Ragged School Shoe-blacks. Lord Shaftesbury presided, and many of the friends of the Society were present, amongst whom were Dr. Southwood Smith, Mr. Chadwick, Mr. Deputy Bedford, Mr. Macaulay, the Rev. G. Pownal, Major Fawkes, and not a few of the Committee of the Union. The boys were arrayed in their uniform, and after full justice had been done to the tea and plum cake, a statement of the proceedings and the accounts of the Society, was made by one of the Committee. From this it appeared that the Shoe blacks had been at work for seven months, during which time 63 boys had been employed. Of these, 9 had been dismissed for misconduct, 4 had left voluntarily, 1 had died, 12 had left for situations, 2 had already emigrated, and on the occasion of the meeting 5 more were to take farewell of the Society as emigrants to Australia. The average number of boys employed during the season was 22, and it was 32 at the time of the meeting. The number of pairs of boots and shoes cleaned was about 102,000. The total earnings of the boys were £505. 12s. 10d. (The halfpenny was given by a man with a wooden leg.) This gave an average of 2s. 2 d. for each boy per day. The earnings in Hyde Park alone were £98. 17s. 4d. From subscriptions and that portion of the earnings retained by the Society, £231. 3s. 1d. had been received, and there had been expended £151. 1s. 8d., leaving a balance in hand of £80. 1s. 5d. Besides this, the boys had £74 to their credit in the bank; and the furni ture, stock, and sick fund, amounted to £6; so that the total surplus was £160. 1s. 5d. The largest weekly receipts (at the close of the Exhibition) were £30. 14s. 8d., and in the two previous weeks they had been £22. 14s. 2d. and £20. 19s. 6d. respectively. Since the Exhibition they had fallen to £9. 15s. and £7. 7s. 8d.; but having reached this point had begun again to increase. The appearance of the Shoe-blacks on this occasion indicated the comfort and happiness of their condition, as well as the moral training and discipline which it has always been the careful study of the Committee to administer, Although their occupation may safely be regarded as a permanent one, yet as it is clear that the approaching winter season would necessitate the aban donment of many stations exposed to the weather, a plan was laid before the meeting by which the Committee hoped to secure regular employment for a large number of boys in a new occupation. This plan was received with favour, and has been adopted with success. Five of the best Shoe-blacks were clothed in new red uniforms, having black belts instead of aprons, and hoes and brooms in place of boxes and brushes. They were furnished with oilskin capes, as a protection against rain, and each boy, besides his Society badge, had on his breast another, bearing the very descriptive name of BROOMER. On the 10th of last month four of these boys appeared in Regent Street and one in the Strand, and to each of them was allotted a certain portion of the flag pavement which he was to sweep and keep clean. The shopkeepers who had been applied to on the subject very readily accepted the proposal of the Committee, by which, for the trifling payment of one penny per day for each shop, the pavement in front of it was to be kept free from mud and dust, and increased convenience given to its customers. Under this system each boy can attend to twenty shops, and his earnings amount to 10s. a week. The "Broomers" have given great satisfaction to their employers, and eleven of them are now at work; the demand for them is extensive, and in the Strand and Regent Street alone I believe that thirty may find a sufficient number of customers. Occupation could have been given by the Shoe-black Society to more than double the number of boys actually employed by it, and a deficient supply of suitable candidates equally prevents the Society from occupying at once the large field of labour now opened for their "Broomers." Surely this argues an amount of apathy or prejudice on the part of the superintendents of our schools, which I should be sorry to declare to our enemies, and which, if continued, may justify a serious charge against our whole system. There can be no objections which outweigh the inducements held out by the Shoe-black Society. Certainly the wages obtained are more than sufficient for boys professing to be starving without work. The occupation itself is SHOE-BLACKS AND BROOMERS. 269 constant and healthy, cheerful, and yet easily subject to the most systematic discipline. The earnings of each boy are in proportion to his industry. He is not separated from his school. He begins his daily work by prayer and reading with his companions assembled at the Society's rooms. His character is continually under the minute inspection of competent officers, and his affairs daily attended to by experienced members of the Ragged School Union Committee. Habits of economy are encouraged by the facilities given to him for saving money, and a library is at his disposal for the cultivation of his mind. He is incited to cleanliness by the provision of bath tickets; and if he lodges in the low haunts of wickedness, every endeavour is made to remove him to a better place. Each week he hears an address upon Bible subjects, and the most anxious care of the Committee is to make him regular at his Sunday school. The prospect of a permanent respectable situation is held out as an incentive to his steady activity, or he is prepared for emigration if he prefers another country to his own. The system of course is far from perfect, but its imperfections are chiefly owing to the fact that a few schools monopolise its advantages, for when sixteen boys are taken from one Ragged School, it is manifest that their standard of character must be lower than that of a like number chosen from as many different institutions. We have one hundred and two schools in the Union, and I cannot doubt that each could supply on an average two active destitute lads willing to be obedient and honest. And here I cannot help calling attention to the names of the schools which have most largely made use of our new plans of street occupations, for they will at once be recognised as amongst the best conducted in the Union, and managed by committees both enterprising and cautious.† In the last number of the Magazine, I had occasion to invite attention to the Ragged Schools of Liverpool, and to some of the industrial occupations. successfully employed there. The Committee of the Liverpool Union have determined to start a Shoe-Black Brigade in that town, and I hope also to be able to introduce the employment into Dublin by similar means. The length of this communication precludes the possibility of my extending it by an examination of the several modes of occupation made use of at the present time in the Industrial Schools of London; but I shall endeavour, in a succeeding paper, to give some condensed information upon this subject, which will probably be further enhanced in importance by its discussion at the Conference, proposed to be held in Manchester early in December. Without, however, basing observations upon statistics, I shall mention here the principles upon which a new system of occupations may be proposed for adoption. We have at command a large amount of organized direction of willing and efficient agents, ready to work practically whatsoever may require superintend ence. Tailors and shoemakers do not require system (in this sense) either to obtain work for them, or to manage their labour. They must generally consent to be employed as individuals; and when we apply the extensive machinery of our School Committees in directing the education of boys in such employments, we are spending their labour where it is not needed, and we are preparing the boys themselves for trades which are sufficiently recruited by the natural training of individuals. * I shall willingly consider the claims of our "Ragged School girls," if the ladies who are interested in their welfare will make known their wants. + From Field Lane, 16 boys have been employed; from Colchester Street, 11; Compton Place, 7; Christ Chapel, 6; Huntsworth Mews and Plumtree Court, 4 each; Neale's Yard, 3; Park Chapel and Foster Street, 2 each; Yeates Court, Phillip's Gardens, Union Mews, Bere Street, King's Cross, Abbey Place, Brewers' Court, and the Westminster Refuge, 1 each. |