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BY-LAWS.

1.-That this Committee do meet on the second Friday in every month; subject nevertheless to the call of the Secretary, upon the requisition of five of its members.

2. That this Committee do meet at six o'clock in the evening, the time to be determined by the middle watch of three, and that every member be liable to a fine of 1s. who shall not come into the committee-room before the reading of the list of members be concluded, without an excuse deemed reasonable by a majority of the members present.

3-That not less than five members shall constitute a quorum for transacting business.

4. That it be the first business of the Committee, on its meeting, to choose a Chairman for the evening from among the members present, whose duty it shall be to read the fair minutes, to keep order, and to put such questions as may come before the Committee.

5.-That no member of the Committee shall absent himself, during its sitting, without permission from the Chair.

6.-That this Committee do elect its own Members by ballot, one fourth of the Members present objecting, to exclude, and that the ballot be taken at the next meeting after a name is proposed.

7.-That the order of business in the Committee, after electing a Chairman and reading over the list, be First, To read and confirm the minutes of the last sitting; after which new propositions shall be taken into consideration. 2dly, To receive the report contained in the Visitors' Book. 3dly, To receive the report of the Treasurer respecting contributions, and the existing balance. 4thly, Balloting for new members.

8. That the Visitors, or their substitutes procured from among the members of this Committee, do attend at the School at 9 o'clock in the morning, and 2 in the afternoon, and that they be present during the whole of the school-time, under a fine of 1s. for absence at the time of opening, and of 5s. for total absence.

9. That all monies received by the Treasurer for fines be appropriated as may appear eligible to this Committee.

10. That the Visitors do severally note in the Visitors' Book the exact time of their coming and leaving.

11. That it be the duty of the Visitor at the School, to attend upon such strangers as may desire admission, and to suggest by minute in the Visitors' Book any thing he may consider useful or important to the conomy of the School. But it is the decided opinion of this Committee, that no Visitor should at any time interfere with the business of the School, except such interference should be requested by the Master; and if any boy should need reproof, or make any demand of the Visitor, he shall take no further cognizance of the same, than by making the master or the monitor of the class to which such boy shall belong, acquainted therewith.

Signed by Order of the Committee,

JOHN SANDERSON Jun. Sec.

The number of applicants in the first instance being very great, it was concluded that they should not be received at the school but by a sub-committee of two or three members appointed at every Committee. This sub-committee sits at the

Soup-House, No. 53, Brick-lane, one afternoon in the week, from three to five o'clock. A book is provided for registering the children, ruled according to the following plan.

Names

Religi

Cause of

By whom recom- Age of of Resi- Occupa- Jous De-When Class on Left Class on leaving No. mended. Child. Parents.dence. tion. admit-entering. School. Leaving. School,

nomination. ted.

&c.

Terms of Admission.

Every child free from contagious disorder, of whatever religious denomination his parents may be, the said child being not less than six nor more than fourteen years of age, may be admitted into the school upon the payment of one penny per week. One quarter to be paid in advance. Hence persons whohave little to spare, but do not like to receive charity, may have the satisfaction of reflecting that they have paid for the educa tion of their children.

Privileges of Subscribers.

Every annual subscriber has the privilege of introducing three children as free scholars for each guinea subscribed. The following is the form of the Recommendation:

To the Managers of the Spitalfields Lancasterian School.
I recommend

the Son of

to receive a Ticket for free Admission to the School, being not less than Six nor more than Fourteen Years of Age,

Subscriber.

The child is brought to the sub-committee on the weekly day of admission. The Recommendation being numbered, is kept by the visitors, and in its stead the following ticket, bearing the same number as the Recommendation, is given.

This Ficket is to be exchanged on the 27th of June, 1812.

This Ticket to be forfeited, if the Rules of the School are not kept. SPITALFIELDS LANCASTERIAN SCHOOL.

No.

Every Boy must come with clean Face and Hands.

This ticket is to be brought by the child to the school on the morning of the Monday following; when he is examined and

VOL. II.

2 D

198 Account of the Lancasterian School in Spitalfields.

classed by the master, and entered with the number of his class in a book kept for that purpose at the school.

In order that the business of the school might not be constantly interrupted by the renewal of tickets, the committee or dered that it should be done on the usual quarter days. Accordingly, some days previous to the last renewal, printed notices were distributed to the children in the following form:

The Managers of the Lancasterian School hereby give notice, that all persons who have paid for the admission of their children up to Saturday the 28th of March, must bring or send to the School on the morning of that day the sum of one Shilling and one Penny, in payment for the next quarter, ending the 27th of next June, for which a new Ticket of Admission will be given, The Ticket granted to every boy admitted must be brought on Saturday the 28th of March to the School, to be exchanged for a new Ticket for the next quarter.

A special sub-committee was appointed to attend at the renewal of the tickets; and though the re-admission of several hundred children was no light business, it was much simpli fied by the arrangements adopted. Lists were prepared of the numbers of the tickets, and a mark was placed against every one re-admitted.

The whole number of tickets now issued is considerably above 800; and it is really gratifying to see the rapid improvement made by many of the children, and the state of order into which the master has brought the school during the short period that has elapsed since its first opening, and notwithstanding the frequent admission of new scholars.

The following address of the committee to the public will show the object of these institutions, and may perhaps be useful to those who are about to form similar establishments.

AN ADDRESS to the Friends of the Education of the Poor, by the Society instituted for the purpose of establishing Schools on the LANCASTERIAN PLAN OF EDUCATION, for Children of both Sexes of the Labouring Class of Society, Inhabitants of Spitalfields and the neighbouring Parishes.

A number of individuals, firmly convinced of the great advantage arising to the community, and to the parties more immediately interested, from a suitable education of the children of both sexes of the labouring classes, have formed themselves into a society for the purpose of establishing a School capable of accommodating from 12 to 1500 Chidren, upon the Lancasterian plan, in the vicinity of Spitalfields.

In adopting the plan of JOSEPH LANCASTER, they feel it incumbent on them to state the peculiar characteristics which distinguish it from the ordinary method of clucation; the objects which it embraces, and the suc-. cess with which it has been attended.

The grand feature of this plan is, that one master can teach 1000 children with as much ease as he could instruct 50 upon the usual system; that one book will serve for a whole school; and that in proportion to the num

bers, the expense for the education of each child may be reduced to 10s. 7s. or even 4s. per annum.

The objects of the Society are to provide those who have but little to spare, with an opportunity of having their children instructed in Spelling, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic; in the principles of piety and virtue; in the necessity of honesty, veracity, and sobriety; and of having them at the same time inured to habits of subordination, industry, and cleanliness.

As to the success of the institution, they have only to state, that since the commencement of the school in the Borough Road, 1798, above 6000 children have received instruction; and hitherto no instance has come to notice of any of them being charged with a criminal offence in any court of justice.

The Members of the Society think proper to state, that in this undertaking they are not in the smallest degree actuated by any political views, or by a wish to favour any particular religious sect. By the Lancasterian plan of education, the moral duties are taught in the language of the Scriptures alone, and the peculiar profession and place of worship is left entirely to the parents and to the religious instructors of the children.

With these views they call upon those who acknowledge the permanent power of early impressions, and who value the privilege of perusing the sacred Scriptures, to assist in giving this proper bias, and in communicating to thousands this inestimable privilege; and they heartily invite all Christians, of whatever denomination, to follow the example of our VENERABLE MONARCH, to join in this great work which he has countenanced, and to unite in diffusing the knowledge of those tenets, which are found in every creed, and in inculcating the practice of those rules, which are approved by every Moralist.

A large school-room for 1000 boys has been erected at the bottom of Spicer Street, Brick Lane; but the want of funds obliges the Managers to defer building a school-room for girls, the expenses already incurred having far exceeded the amount of Subscriptions received. The boys' school has been open nearly three months, and in that time between 7 and 800 have been admitted: the order that is established, and the rapid progress they make in their learning, equal the most sanguine expectations of the Managers, who invite every person feeling an interest in the education of the poor to visit the school: and they rely with confidence on the known liberality of the British public, to relieve them of the debt they have incurred, and to enable them to complete the great objects they have in view.

A Deputation from the Committee will have the pleasure of waiting on such Gentlemen as may receive this Address, in the hope of receiving their contributions.

SUBSCRIPTIONS are received by the following Banking Houses, where a list of the sums already subscribed may be seen.

Wm. Storrs Fry and Sons, St. Mildred's-court, Poultry;
Hoare, Barnetts, Hoare and Co., 62, Lombard-street;
Barclay, Tritton, Bevan and Co., 56, Lombard-street.
And by the following Gentlemen:
Gurney Barclay, Treasurer, 6, Old Jewry ;

William Allen, Plough Court, Lombard-street;

* Visitors are admitted to the School between Eleven and Twelve every

Day.

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