The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-04-03 00:00:00

should try to do something, The child, who said she was 12
years old, but looked not more than ten, had on the body • of
a silk dress, with a piece of limey wrapped round her as a
skirt. Thu completed her attire ; shoe sir eke g, or bonnet
she had none, tier hair hung la matted, tangled nua.ses on her
head. She was an orphan, and was kept by a woman of bad
character, oh,, makes a livelihod I by the earnings of several
clot .rest, whom she sends rut nonoin .11y to sell tn..telnes, but
hi ratlity to beg. In a weak moment I provided the child
with el, 'thes, that she night go to Bello 1. I need hard!y
say she never it ent to school, anti her keeper sold the clothes.
I then procured a free nonninatiou for her to itll
schooi, where she w.aild have been ethic ded and tramed for
donntstic service, but alien the tune Carrie nothing wrrrrid
lsrnirnce the woman bi give the child up, non the child Ineraelf
to go. The truth is she had beets so long urenrs'orneni Cr, the
free, glpsy life of the streets, that she could Ind bear the lies
of emlinement inn school, an thin .s thecae.: e nth all" glitter
eliddren." They learn ti love it vagabond life, aml hate the
idea of work. The girl is now sweeping a creasing, as wild
its she was six months ago and less Inc, ined to lead a negu-
Lir life. It needs no prophet to for tell her fate.
Miss Rye's scheme has the grr at merit of proposing to
take children at an e rrty age, before their v .gab.... 1 habits
are confirmed, and it deserves the most libtral support.
•

Another eorrespondent writes
:
I have 10:1 I with I 114( Ii biteiest 'Allot Rye's letter in yonr
issuelbl yester .ay. iii wir•cii slic I roioFes—should the public
assist her with m min—to ernuttate a portion of the female
" glitter children" of our great towns to Canada or the
United States, and to peimanently Fettle them 1,. coin-
iortaide homes. Airy scheme that could accompli-h this
most praiseworthy object would undoubtedly deserve and
ie,.eive the support 01 the public. I cannot but think,
however, that in approaching this sui.ject Mks Rye ha,
under-estimated the difficulties she would have to coidend
with. .

lit all the large cities of the United States and Canada the I
supply tf the poor little waifs and stray a of humanity is nil;-
fin large in excess of the demand. The number of
helpless little ones to be touts! in New lurk would probably
quite equal that of London in proportiotw to the population,
&MI I cannot suppose that Americans would approve the
wholesale removal of children, ranging between the ages of
five and ten years, from Europe to their Western States, while
they have an abundant supply at their very doors, which
they Mid it diMeult, if not intimssible, to utilise.
The immigration laws of the ('idled States are in some
respects extremely strict, aud prohibit the landing in
their ports of those who are likely to prove a burden on their
poqwle shipowners who are illjUlliCioll4 enough to take
this class ere required to hi log them back again free of charge.
A short time ago, returning from America. Iliad for fellow-
passengers some who had not even been permitted to place
their feet upon the land if freolom.
Canada the laws, though not equally revere, are, never-
theless, SD id. Last August an eminent firm of shippers in
London was ohliged to raise the carriage of persons whom
the East-end society was desirous of shipping to Quebec,
throulli a wholesome dread of the ship beconibg liable for
I any expenses that their advent might cause in Canada. and
the difficulty was only overcome by the Ron. John Rose,
Firiank:e Minister of the Dominion, offering to indemnify the
shippers. Unless Miss Rye's scheme has received the time-
Mon of the Government of Canada or that of the United
States, I would venture to say that it is practically impos-
silie to carry It out. No respectable shipping firm would
undertake to carry a cargo of infants or small children
across the Atlantic unless a positive sssurance could be given
that they would not have them returned on their hands.