The Express.
London, England, 1867-12-28 00:00:00

THE COMMERCIAL TRAVEL

MS' SCHOOL.

The anniversary dinner of the Commercial
Travellers' Orphan Schools took place last evening, at the
London Tavern, Bishopsgate-street, when there was &large
attendance of commercial travellers and their friends. The
Right Hon. Mr. G. J. GO.CHEN. M.P., was in the chair,
and was supported by Mr. T. Chambers, Q.C., M.P. ;
Mr. Sheriff M'Arthur, the Hon. Mr. lil'Arthur, and Blesses
U. Moore (treasurer of the schools), IL N. Fowler, W:
Squire, W. Gresitorex, &c.
At one point of the proceedings the children were intro-
duced, and walked round the room. Both boys and girls
appeared to be models of neatness, health, and cheerfulness.
After they had undergone their inspection,
The CH ItIIAN proposed the toast of the evening,
" Success to the Commercial Travellers' Orphan Schools?"
In commending this toast to the attention of his audience
the right hon. gentleman congratulated himself upon the
circumstance that those whom he was addressing were bet-
ter acquainted with the value of this institution than be
was himself, and asked those who wanted new induce-
ments to support the schools, to look up into the gallery
(where the children had now taken theirplaces), or into
their own hearts. (Cheers.) There were no charities which
appealed to our hearts with greater force than those which
were connected with the young. Human nature was so
constituted that we all liked to feel that what we did had
a result, and of that we might be confident in regard to
the education of the young. With reference to that, we
might he certain that every seed would produce good
fruit. This was not merely a meeting held for the sake
of obtaining a pecuniary return. It was a meeting of
celebration and congratulation at the results that had
already bee.: attained, and the healthy cheerful appear- ;
ante of the children bore eloquent testimony to the success
of the schools. Both hoes and girls were specimens of
good, honest. healthy English Children. (Cheers.) Com;
metre flow it. highest to its lowest branches was some-
what
of a lottery and it was a great thing for commer-
cial travellers to have such an institution as this to pro-
vide for the education of their children. At Christmas
they were especially bound to remember the orphans. And
they were bound not only to maintain the pecuniary
position of the schools, but to sustain their
tone, so that no mother need to be ashamed,
but on the contrary might be proud, of the education which
bar son or daughter obtained at Pinner. (Cheers.) Upon
the education of all classes of the community would de-
pend the future position of this country among the na-
tions, and it was therefore above all things necessary that
every class should give its attention to that question of
education. He had heard the most excellent reports of
the education which was given at these schools, but he
must impress upon has hearers that one thing which was
essential to the maintenance of the standard of that edu-
cation was that there should be plenty of funds. (Cheers.)
That their funds should be increased waa at this time
especially necessary, because they were going to build, and
building was always an expensive operation. It was true
that they had a treasurer who knew how to count the cost,
but they could not increase the accommodation from 180
to 300 children without great expense. In conclusion,
be warmly appealed to his audience to supply the managers
of this excellent institution with ample funds to enable
them to maintain and extend its usefulness.
The toast was most warmly received ; and the children
wing "The Men of Ilarlech " and the " Minstrel Boy " in
a manner which did great credit to their instructors in
vocal music.
The Co Ile am then proposed the " Health' of the Pre-
sident, Vice-Presidents, Treasurer, and Trustees of the
Institution," coupled with the name of Mr. George Moore,
the treasurer. (Loud cheers.) In doing so he said that
all who heard him were acquainted with the labour that
had been devoted to this institution by its honorary
officers, and the oontributions which they had made to it
not only in money but in still more valuable time. These
gentlemen would have been held responsible for failure,
and they must be credited with the success of the schools.
In their business habits and in the excellence of their
management they exceeded many ministerial departments,
(Cheers.)
The toast having been drunk most enthusiastically,
Mr. GEO. Moose, who was received with loud applause,
rose to respond. He reminded his audience that the first
meeting for the establishment of these schools was held in '
1845 and the first election of children in 1546, and re-
ferred in terms of regret to the number of friends whom
he and this institution had lost since that time. Since
last year indeed two men who had worked quite as
earnestly as himself, Mr. J. B. Walker and Mr. John
M'Culloch, had been called to their rest. It was true
that he had worked hard for this institution, but why
should he not have done so' For 30 years he represented
as a commercial traveller the imam in which he was now
a partner. and at the present moment that house had ,
more travellers than any other in the world. He there- !
fore thought it his duty to work for these schools. '
(Cheers.) Independently of the good which the schools •
had done to the children who bad pained through them,
be believed that they had worked a great moral reform in '
commercial rooms, and that commercial travellers were
now a more respectable body of men than they were when
these schools were first established. 383 children had left
the schools, and many of them were now occupying
first-rate positions in the City of London and elsewhere ; ,
30 of them were annual subscribers to, and 15 were life
governors of the schools. (Cheers.) Last year the ex-
penditure was 5,6611. and the income was 0,9621. Now
however, they had embarked in building operations, and
although the estimated expenditure was only 6,0001., he
should nut be surprised if the cost exceeded that amount. ;
Nor was that all. The increased accommodation would •
enable them to take in 100 more children, whose main-
tenance at the present rate would increase their expendi-
tare by about 3,00 W. per annum. Where was that to '
come from" (" From the travellers.") At present their
expenditure per head per annum was 321. 10s., and as the
London Orphan Asylum, Haventock-hill, with about '
double the number of children, spent 301., he did not think
that teat amount was excessive. Last
.year four children I
went up to the Oxford and Cambridge examinations
and all succeeded. He mentioned that of the 383
children who had left the schools he never
knew of but two who had gone astray, and noticed
with regret that only one eighth of the commercial !
travellers of England subscribed to these schools. He
hoped that the proportion of subscribenwouldsoon be very
largely increased. (Cheers).
IL N. Fowtza proposed the health of " the Chair-
man," in eulogistic terms, expressing a hope that whenever
a liberal ministry returned to power he might become
Chancellor of the exchequer.
The toast was drunk most cordially, and was suitably
acknowledged by Mr. GOSCHEN.
In the course of the evening subscriptions were announced
to the amount of about 1,7001.
The musical arrangements were under the direction of
Mr. Edwin Gray, who was assisted by Miss Ellen Lyon,
Min 'Wes, Mr. Young, and Mr. Farquharson.

THE RONAN CATHOLIC CRUNCH IN ENGLAND.

The official " Catholic Directory" for the year
1868, published perm isks superioricie, has made its appear-
ance. It gives, as usual, • statntioal summary of the
Church is England. Wales, and Scotland, and there is,
smoldering our numbers in Great Britain, • considerable
iamease in the clergy, churches, chapels, convents, and
monasteries' since last year. The total number of
Wisps is, of course, the same—namely, one archbishop
and twelve bishops (besides three retired bishops) in
Ragland, and four bishops in Scotland. The number
of priests in Great Britain amounts to 1,639,
spinet 1,608 last year ; the number of churches
and chapels are 1,233, against 1,1.07 when the
lase Directory was published; the convents of women
are now 227 in number, whereas last year they were 220 ;
sad, lstly, the monasteries number h 7, against G 3 last
year. Total increase: 31 priests, 76 churches and chapels,
7 convents of women, and 4 mooaateries of men. It ought,
however, to be borne in mind that of the 76 churches or
chapels which are more this year than last, about a
doses are private chapels of convents or of 3 arious indi-
viduals ; also, of the four increase in the number of ram
Bunnies, three are merely houses in which two or three
of the regular clergy dwell together for missionary work;
the fourth is .the new Dominican Priory at Haver-
stock-hill. In the convents, or religious houses of women,
the increase LS been very great during the last few
years, but it has been altogether, or with very few
exceptions, amongst the nomuloistered, or active *edam,
such as Sisters of Charity, Sisters of Mtrcy, and the like.
The cloistered or contemplative orders hardly seem to
increase at all, or very slightly, in this country ; but for
nuns to conduct schools fur the upper and middle classes
as well as to superintend poor scowls, houses of refuge,
and the like, the demand is far greater than the supply.
The following is • summary of catholic statistics for
Bngland, Scotland, and Wales during the last three years:
Churches and Religious COMMU- Con-
Year. Priests. Chapels. nitles of meal. yenta.
1556 1.0.9 1171 5s 211
1567 16os 1207 62 220
_ .

ieud it4l: ea 227
The number of colleges and large preparatory schools are
twenty-one. Of these, three—Ushaw, near Durham ;
Osoott, neer Birmingham, and Old Hall, near Ware—
s,a specially under the bishops ; Stonyhuro, in Lancashire,
Mount St. Mary's, near Chesterfield, and Bcaumont-lodge,
near Windex, ere the property of the Jesuits. Ample-
forth in Yorkshire, and Downside, near Bath are ender
the Basecitatines. The Oratory, at Edgbaston (Dr. New-
man's school), belongs to the Onitoriana. ltatclille Col-
lege, near Leicester, belongs to the Fathers of Charity.
St. Chubs, Bayswater, is directed by the oblates of St.
Chariot, and Sicklierhall, near Wetherby, is under the
oblates of Mary. Of the two hundred awl twenty-seven
Prevents, upwards of two hundred are for the education of
girls, either nob, poor, or middle class.— Weals, Register.

FATAL ACCIDENT AT HYDE PINE --A distress-
ing accident, resulting In the death by drowning of a child
st Ryde Pier, occurred on Christmas evening. A lady,
with a chi'al in her arms, went down the pier with the in-
tention of embarking on board the Prince of Wales
steamer, then alongside the pier, and nearly ready to start
for Portsmouth. It was dark at the time, and the unfor-
tunate woman mistook the step, and fell with her child
Ines the sea. After considerable exertion on the part of
the captain and crew of the atowunar, the lady was got on
bawd, but the ohild wee drowned.