The Express.
London, England, 1852-05-10 00:00:00

THE PHILANTHROPIC FARM SCHOOL

The annual dinner of the supporters of this insti-
tution was held on Saturday, at the London Tavern, the
Hight Hen. W. E. °LADS rasa, M.P. in the chair, sup-
ported by Lord Lytteltoo, Sir W. Jolliffe, M.P., Tho-
me, Aleoek, Esq., M.P.. C. B. Adderley, Req., M.P.,
R. M. Milne*, Esq., M.P., Colonel Sir W. Colebrook,, The
Chevalier St. Ander, S. Gurney, jun., Esc., John Deacon,
E.q., William Cotton, Fel, J. D. Powles, Eel , John
Motion, Esq., Mr. Alderman Salomona, M.P., Rev. Dr.
Rice, W. Farmer, Esq., &c.
This institution. which is situated at Red Hill, near
Reigate, was established for the reformation of juvs rile
offenders, by means of religious and indudrial tra.ning.
During the past year the system of tie ,e' 00l
which is founded on a free and kindly plan of
treatment, had fully answered the expecte; iotis of
its supporters. The number of boys in the '*haul in
January, lt.ll, was 96; the admission' during the year
amounted to 74 ; the number emigrate I, apprenticed, or
otherwise discharged, was 71 ; and these ramming in the
school in December, 1661, was 99. Twenty.three boys,
when avenge age was twelve, were admitted from Mill-
bank Prison under conditional pardons ; eight were re-
oeived under a similar pardon from Westminster Bride-
well. Twenty were received from Chester, Knuteford,
Norwich, Stafford, Worcester, Bath, London, &c., on re-
commendations of associations for the relief of young desti-
tute prisons n on their discharge, or of gentlemen inte-
re•ted in their cases. Fourteen had been received
on the application of their relatives on condition
of a weekly payment, and eight had been admitted on
the free list. Of those who had left the school during the
year 46 had been allowed to emigrate, 3 had been appren-
ticed or placed in serv:ce, 9 had had situations or employ-
ment found for them by their friends, and left to return to
their protection with moistness from the society, and 13
had been discharged on their own demand, or sent away as
incorrigible. The number of desertions and expulsions had
rather increased, in C.)05, quence of the usual action of the
school being interrupted by the illness and aleence of the
chaplain, but un the whole there had been a more settled
steady spirit in the echoed than there wee a year ago, the
principles of its system were better understood, and its
mechanical parts better adjusted. The farm experiment
had been encouraging in its results, for although expensive
in its nature, and being charged with all labour, tools, in-
dustrial instruction, a rent of 11. an acre, and ln per rent.
on the capital invested, the receipts were only 36/. less than
the expenses.

The CHAMIA N, in proposing " Prosperity to the Insti-
tution," dwelt on its object, which was to endeavour to
solve the almost hopeliss problem of how ollendirs against
the law were to be dealt with so as to combine with punish-
ment a reformatory system of slimepline. This society did
not, however, deal with the general question, but only ap-
plied itself to the cases of juvenile offenders. This great but
difficult undertaking. parliament and the magistracy of the
country bad not vlliturctl to encounter, although much had
been done by means of prison discipline to give a reforma-
tory character to the punsliotint of adutt criminals. It
was, however, a characteristic of England that many rots-
leis, had been solved by private enterprise, and the influ-
ence of the Christian religion animating private individuals
with which the public institutions of the country- had been
unable to grapple, and so it had been wit:s the reformation
of juvenile intruders; and it was found that object
was better attained by such means than by the
coarse machinery of public law. This institution
was guided by the principle that however penal laws might
apply to adults, yet they ri wafted modification when ap-
plied to children, and that hitherto public justice had been
too sev,rc upon them. The habits of children must depend
on the nurture they received from their parents, and when
they were brought within the stern grasp of the law, F,:1320
mitigating influence ought to intervene, and this institution
! was intended to establish a treatment which the public law
did not supply, and which was founded on the elements of
kindness rather than on the stern countenance or a turnkey
or the doors of a prison : it eppeand to thu hearts end
minds of the children by other inflitences than those of force
and compulsion. Of the neeosity of such an institution some
estimate might be formed when it was knewn that the num-
ber of juvenile offenders annuAly under the Wiwi-
nal law was 15,000, of whom 1,200 were usu;:lly in prit.ei.,
while the number under reformatory treatment was oelv Iron
20.1 to 2io in the whole of England. Since the estaltrAi-
mcnt of this institutiou in its present locality 2314 boy, had
been admitted. 174 had been discharged, and there were
now 114 remaining. 0: this 114 now in the .chord a `..t, go
proportion had lost both parents. Soon had lest either one
parent or the other. and the parents of about 30 of Ilerat
were or had character. The repensis of the removal of tee
institution from St Oeerges-fields to the present site h-ad
been great, but neverthe-less 2,e00.'. of the debt had Neu
paid, and it was intended a, soon as pss,ible to extend its
benefits to 200 boys.
Several other toasts were given, aud the company were ad-
duelled by Lord Ly tt,ltoa. Sir W. dollige, Mr. Adderier,
Mr. M. Milnes, the Chevalier St. DO111:i0i0,
to the amount of 1,3:0,. were announced.