The Express.
London, England, 1853-12-30 00:00:00

REFORMATORY SCHOOLS.

A few private persons resident in the county of
Oleucester, magistrates and country gentlemen, establisLed
upon a small scale, some eight. en months ago, an industrial
school for the re formation of juvenile delinquents, ;..nd the
first annual report of their proceedings was drawn up us
St. Thomas's day. The report enters fully inm details of
the progress and results of the experiment, as far as those
resul's can in this short spore of time be ascertaiaed. The
school was established at liardwicke, about four miles from
Gloucester, on the estate of Mr. T. B. 11. Biker, a magis-
trate of the county, awl one of the chief promoters of the
plan. The promoters commenced in the spring of 1852
with three weakly boys an I one acre of land. Last winter
they took six acres, and have now taken ten acres in hand.
The buildings now consist of a cottage for the tailiff and
his family, two rooms for the schoolmaster, and schoolroom
and bedroom far twenty boys, a carpenter's shop, pigsties
fur sixteen pigs, stills for three cows, and they are now
commencing more pigsties and a barn. Ibe dwellings of
the bailiff, the schoolmaster, and the boys are all of the
plainest and cheapest sale of labourers' cottager;
the carpenter's shop, pigsties, and cowbouses, and
the future barn, are built by the bailiff and
the boys of refuse slabs from the Gloucester
Sawmills, patchel together. The promoters of the
asylum eschew ornamental, or even comfortable buildings,
remarking: e' We feel must strongly that though it is of
great importance that children who have erred should
have an opportunity cf recovering themselves, yet that it
would be a fatal injustice that those children who have un-
happily fallen into sin should be placed in a position which
those who have teen honest cannot attain to, and we think
ourselves fortunate in haying found • bailiff who appears
to agree with us—that converting unfortunate boys into
good labourers is of more importance than exciting the ad-
miration of a casual visitor. As to the cost of this experi-
ment, the whole 01 the buildings cast shout 2501., and they
are of such • constructioa that, should the schools he given
up, they would at any time be convertible into labourers'
cottages, which would bring as good interest as labourers'
cottages usually command. The other expenses, including
furniture, masters' salaries, maintenance, clothing, and in
fact every cost for 18 months, amounts to about 400!. ; the
value of the stock in hand is about 1711, thus reducing the
cost to 230/. for the 18 months, or little more than 111. per
head total expense fur the 2 months. The promoters
anticipate that for the future their expenses will be mate-
rially diminished. Twenty-three boys have been received
In all. Of these they consider four are failures, two are
provided for abroad, one has been fur some months in ser-
vice in the country, and his conduct hitherto las been
highly satisfactory. The other 16 are still in the school.
Of these few could be safely recommended to service ; but
these 16 have not been in the school lung enough to
show a material improvement. The first intention was to
send all the boys to the colonies; but two years ago the
labour market was crowded, and masters of course se-
lected only those of the highest character. Now, however,
farmers have • difficulty in finding eligible servants; and
the report, after alluding to the evils of hiring labourers at
the statute fairs, recommends a system of taking boys as
apprentices to labour for three or four years, and it is pro-
posed to put out the boys from tho Reformatory School at
Itardwieke under such an arrangemeat.—Cofton Chronicle.