The Express.
London, England, 1850-05-15 00:00:00

RAGGED SCHOOL UNION.

Lest evening the sixth annual meeting of this
lain tick vise: at Hester Hell. Lord AS:ILIT in the
their. The I.rue room was densely crcwded, mad a great
poru ,st of the e 'nips, y were leaves.
Tor CHAIRMAN, in opeming the proceedings, said they
must all see that the Ragged School Gain was erect sad
lessiehlag. Is had unsigned mime smash, hat
these smash' bed set dose it say inepnkia Wary. The
Sambas who wen amesibled la the tram, rid thee who
bed bees snake,* ebbie admitsime. ailerded asessrage-
meat to the sessulthes, sad amared them ei esetiseed
musateesnth smis=riThe report which would be read
to Item offered proofs of the condemn soccer
of the ethos. Seeing s enormous evils which pre-
vailed, sad the greet mischiefs which were thee- I
latiag the metropolis Sad the various large towels,
seeing that fliers was • lugs number of child'ss who harm
neither their duty to Ood nor their duty to man, they had a
right to say to those who refused to join them Is their work,
'O7lll you do anything yourselves to remove this great and
acknowledged evil " (Hear, hear.) If their opponents
would do nothing, let them at ova avow it; U they would
de something, let them state what that ' was; bet
meanwhile the managers of ragged schools would 4 do all is
their Irma to counteract the mischief. Their efforts were
weak, the results ,imperieet, but they were the only efforts
that were being nisale—the only results that oinks be ob-
tained. But be did not think their efforts had been fairly
tested either with reference to the difficulties which they
hid ten obliged to encounter, or to the good which they
bed been enabled to occomplish. Be:salted upon all those
who felt Say interest la the well-being of that clam
of peeve.' whom the ragged schools were intended to
serve to ethtr themselves towards the promotion of a work
which, in his *non, was worthy of their beet energise.
(Cheers.)
The lIICIIITARY this read the report of the committee,
from which we *atria the following particulars :
The snort essamtheed with a matement setting forth the
objects tor which ragged alias had bees designed, and
showing how those objects had been misunderstood sad mis-
represented. It then went en to say 'bat, ander all dis-
couragement', the committee can look bock with matisbales
and great thackfulawss on what bee been athemplislied.
They en refer with coafilence to their former annual re
wet, as as evidence of their having done all that they pro-
bes to do. They can point to the annivensries of all the
heal schools (now 94 in number), at which Christians of
sassy different desominatioss have gives in their adherence
to the system of ragged schools, sad borne their invariable
testimony to their usefulness. they ma point to associatiose
he sway of the large towns of Basked sad Soothed, fonadied
ea similar principles to those of this society, effecting by
1112111 M UMW much real and persthaest good. As 'nowt
the most moment of these they may madam Liverpool,
Manche er, York, Newcastle, Hell, Plymouth. Bristol,
Bath, Glasgow, Edinburgh, sad Aberdeen, from all of
which places the committee in cosetaatry receiving en-
itranglog usstances of good done through the instrumentality
of refuel schools. Of two hundred boys and young
wanes that out to the colonies from the various
reaped schools during the last eighties months almost every
is. (ea far se thonats had yet bees received) is employed
at good wages, and doing well. The committee feint ex-
ceedingly that, owing to the rejection of their noble chaiT-
snan's proposition is the Hoses of Commons in July last,
the government could not be induced to give • second
great towards senile, out ragged school emigrants. An
appeal has since been made to the public, sad the result had
beet that contributions have come in, few emigration pur-
poses, mounting to 1,1291., part of which has been already
expended is sending out 27 boys, sad 11 more are now
waiting for ships. The total number sent oat from the
sathou up to the present time is about 260, and in so in-
seam have the committee, or those frieads who assisted in
the good work, to regret their well timed liberality. The com-
mittee refer with setrafactios to the farther therein ia the MI.
her of schools. The number added to the lindens' the year is
14. The rebooks now consist 0194 In all. The number of
eoluatare teaches was 1,330 ; the diadems, OM week days,
6,174 ; week genie" 6,093; Sudsy maw, 10,366. The
number of paid marten is now 156 The scholars in the
industrial classes an now about 1,111. The amount in spe-
cial grants made dozing the past year is 8661. ; centinaous
grants (promiaed and paid yearly), 6871. • occasional pay
meths to schools and materials, 1951. ; amount spent
In bibles sold to children at 64. rush, 801. The subscrip-
iiOst, which lea year were 3391., now .moot to 5101. ; the
donations, not including the fund raised for emigration, and
• leaace of 1,000/. left by the late James Grant, Esq , amount
to Ththe statemeats, taken is conjunction with many
other &achieving facts, leave the committee no room to i
doubt that the society is still enjoying the confidence of a
diseersiag sad Christina
The halthes-sheet of the Emigration Fund from August
1,1649, to Msy 1, 1860, showed that the contribution'
amounted to 1,2291. la. 103., and the expenditure to
6942. 5.. sd., leaving a balance in hand of 6341. 16s. 2d.

The Earl of HAII,ROWBY moved the adoption of the
report, and took the opportunity of combating in strong terms
the statement' which bad been published in the Morning
Chronicle Appealing ragged school..
Lord EINNAIUII seconded the resolution, and the Bev.
GEORGE 7181 E supported it.
T!..e matins was then carried unaniniqualy.
The Miming resolutioas were they successively proposed
sad agreed to
"Taut this insmitos desires to I :press devout thankful-
ness to Almighty God for the waked and eneoursa lag ma
sees that has hitherto attended the efforts of the society, and
for the blessings claimed by Rapped &kola oa the poet
sadism/Meted youth of this vast metropolis."
" That As committee be encouraged to persevere is their
efforts, aotwithetandiag As opposition and *deems Mils-
awes against which they may have to contend, and that it is
the duty of all professing Christians to unite in helping for
ward this great audgosimeek."

The gentleman who addnesed the meeting in support of
these resolutions were the ROT. Ilr. Aidis, the Rev. Mr.
Fewer, Kr. Payne, barrister, the Rev. J. Branch, and Lwd
Waldograve, and each speaker pre emaranme of his heart-
felt val in the cause of Ragged Schools.
A eolleeticu having been made in the ream, the meeting
separated with a Tom of thank, to the chairman.