The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-06-06 00:00:00

MISS RYE'S HOME

The following letter from the philanthropic any whose
name it hears, has been sent to The Times for publheiti ~,, : -

Sir,—On my return from Canada last January you
were kind enoua to allow me to say that my Rome
for destitute little girls was nearly empty, and that
I was prepared to receive a certain number f friend-
less and deserted children. On the eve of endiarcation
once more for the great \Vest (for we start next
wez,k), I write to say that WO have 40 little waifs in
the house this day, the bulk of whom have been sent
me by your readers in answer to my letter: the
exceptions being A. 8., a motherless girl of nine,
brought me by her step-father (a tramp) all the way
from Torquay; C. D., seven years and E. F., 13,
also motherle, ; and b niught by their
father, whose mate, a Billingsiate salesman, had
been in Canada and " seen lets of yourn girls out
there, and they had got good h.ories to be sure."
I am thankful to be able t say that we shall have
an extra large number of children for Canada in this
my next party (MO in all), as, in addition to those
going from this house, I m taking little ones from the
following Unions:—St. George's, Ilanoversquar ;
Windsor, Basingstoke, Bromsg.rore, St. Saviours,
Surrey; Colchester, Marlborough, Stepney, Kensing-
ton, and Merthyr, seven being Unions who have sent
children to Canada before, and three being fresh
Unions. . -

I think most of your readers are aware that I do not
take Roman Catholic children—indeed it a ould have
been impossible forme to have carried on simultaneously
two organizations— for there must be separate organi-
zations to successfully carry on two such distinct
branches of the work, so I am pleased to be able to
say that the success of my pioneer work has been
sufficient to encourage some leading Roman Catholics
to commence a plan by which pauper children of that
persuasion will now receive the same magnificent
chance in life --a start in a new country—that we have
now for some little time past been able to give their
Protestant sisters

Now I want to say that by the end of next week my
Home will be again nearly empty, and should any of
your readers know of any fresh cases of orphan or des-
titute little girls, we shall be pleased (for I leave an ad-
mirable staff in the Home during soy absence in
('anada) to hear about and, if suitable, receive them
with a view to preparing and training for the Autumn
party. The children cannot he too voung --indeed, the
average age of the children received into the lu use last
year was only 11. I
A very curious fact in connection with the servant
girl question has lately been pointed out to me— viz,
that while in 1800 about 10 per cent. golly of the
female population of England was employed in domestic
service, now, in 1874, 20 per cent. of our women are so
engaged, and yet the country wants more help. Well,
there is abundance of raw material to hand, if the
hands would only stretch out and gather in these
fledglings who get tumbled out of their homes as ruth-
lessly as the young birds from a house sparrow's nest
in the ivy. We have had children brought here with
holes in their feet and big vacancies in their harts,
and all but holes (from sores and vermin) in their
heads.

We are not able to do all we should like, but by the
grace of our Lord we have done something, and trust
that for "a little while" yet we may be allowed to do
a little more.—Yours faithfully, MARIA S. RYE.
Avenue-house, High-street, Peckham.