The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1876-11-07 00:00:00

THE MIDNIGHT RESCUE OF PERISHING
LAD&

The Baptist chapel Was well attended on Monday I
evening last, when the friends from the various denomin-
ation, assembled to bear an address from Mr. J. W. C.
Fegan, founder of "the Boy's Home,' Deptford, on work
amongst London street Arabs.
The meter Rev. J. Bailey, presided, and the choir, with
several children of the school, sang the 16th of Sankey's
hymns, "Hark the voice of Jesus crying" Rev. K Bovine I
then offered prayer.
The CIIIAMIAN had not met Mr. Fegan before but was I
glad to have the cheap honour of presiding to night. We
are always glad to hear the tones of our mother country;
but wherever we tome across a true Christian there we
look to him as • friend in Christ Jesus: we are not con-
corned as to his denomination. but are glad to welcome
him as a Christian. When we met such a man as Mr.
Pecan we are not suspicious of him, do not think he would
counterfeit the work of Christianity ; but welcome him and
wish him God-speed, for the object of his mission bad
drawn us together to night. There were supposed by Dr.
Guthrie to be at least 11100 city Arabs some years ago,
growing up savages in the midst of civilisation, heathens
in the full blue of gospel light. Since the work of ragged
school* had begun, the number of children under 14 smong
convicted prisoners had fallen from five per cent, to less
than one percent. The suloject touches our pocket., for
every juvenile criminal costs the county at lust Atpak
while by the ragged school, he is clothed, and educated,
and handed back to society, at a cost of IVi. (Hear, and
applause.)
Mr. VEGAN said he had the grave responsibility of
speaking to night on behalf of tens of thou/ands of poor
lads who were unable to, make their sad condition known.
Thaw lads are ao fallen, the subject is altogether so great—
that if he failed to interest them on behalf of these glitter
lads, the respondbility restmi with himself. Six years
gee he %vilified to do something for these lads, and after
away moms tracts, he went to Deptford into a very
p,- • -. ow a number of boys who hail daubed their
'ow quart"- • hands with rm1 ochre, put strips of rabbit skins under
their chins, and turne.4. eenierennlte• lie want to spook
to them but they ran away„
.01. Fiuline aand lie followed
acgo,
them, hearing one cry " The • .
Ragged School he went in, and ousmi. S rather
gloomy master, who had a gloomy tale to tell of Ulat of
encouragement. The toaster hail given up trying to teaeh
them, and the boys were trying to teach themselves, *nue
trying to do it from right to left, end when he asked for
the reading-boots, he found the only ones were some copies
of an old annual report Ile tried to set the lads right,
end they were pleased with his efforts and wanted to
shake !emote with him. Five nights a week he went, and
the toys invitee' him to come fitmasys. A party of
teachers went down a street, and got into a shower of
losuol and refuse which rough boys heel piled up for their
reception. They got a school. shut the doer with iliflieulty,
and began to tuelo. A clue el thirteen rough hove and a
high tlarseelmegcl stool wen, :dieted Go him ; lout it was
long beton, he eat on the litter, or vim.: he teed, balf-te.
letnols wore stretched eel bm 1.1,11 it awwi. But he
pereevereil, • ie a frtel.bito With Usetin Wit health loreke dome, Allit he was out hi Ibielor, a
highly, excloune town Ili Stlrtw,., so here then, wo.ec no
rag- 00l little bey,. nut moo he eiw 000 t tit, Israeli a little
girl who had lost her hat, wh.m a 3 hely peeked through,
wool finding wlo it wao Om eff, got the hat,
returned it to the little girl, anoi then looked rowed to We
what the people would give, and got wouo two shillings.
The 4,,,,krr (eleoweil tabu, and foited he Waal an orphan
belie( 14 beegieg, when lie aer...l to t :le him tip to
London, giving him his card. The 12,1 took the cud, went
round to the gentry, and Mid that a gentleman wse
to take him to London if he could get eneugh to pay his
railway fare. He got the pity ef :deny peepte till a Poor
Law Commissioner enquired and found Mr. Pecan out,
saying that his daughters were touch imeresred with jolty
on the boy's behalf. They give Lim a eery large coat
reachlug to hie heels, an enennous muffler, and a great
Scotch cap. He took hint to church, but then) he
behaved so badly that ho got Mr. Fe4au to take him away.
When he was going up to London the boy took $
lot of old things in a fish basket, the only things
the pee le hail left when they sold tho Moines that
to his dead mother. The boy kept the people
In the train in a state of excitement by getting nearly
out of the window, till he spied Arundel Castle, and
pulled Mr. Fegan over to see it, He got the boy home,
and at last to a refuge for destitute lade ; Is turned out me
first-rate character, and emigrated to Canada, said got in
capitally. lie 4,1,1 this to his boye, who thought it
nothing, and told hies ef poor hoes far worse off, home
of thew he got off toy tueane of institutions, MI he found
that he was expected to hiring gene, money to kmeo theta
with. Its started a small wheel. and had a little cottage,
where peer buys slept all through the winter on the bare
boarde he being mined to give them more to sleep on as
he would lie beeieged by destitute boys. His numbers
increased front three boys till now he has lOU boys being
hewed, fed, clothed, and educated at his preeent home for
boys. Ni voting, no payment, n., recommendation was
110C.3.8arY to get a boy into his home, the boy's need was
the only qualification and the worse a boy is the more
thoroughly they welcomed his. Rage poverty, dirt, and
ignorance do not make mart street Arab; he is a hay who
cares a precarious being by hie wit; on the strie.te, and,
if fortunate. per.ll. fer a siewking bodging at a low
London lodgius-house ; if not, who sleeps in moue packing
case or under a railway arch or barge. Ile divided them
Into orphan boys, who have lost both parents; out-cast
boys, driven from home by the violence of their parents;
&mama boys, whose patents were away from then or