The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-30 00:00:00

REDUCTION OF RAGGED SCHOOL GRANTS.

A meeting of the friends of the Original Ragged
Schools (Dr. Guthrie's) was hold at Edinburgh 0
Monday to consider what steps should be taken tot
obtain the reeall of the Privy Cotincil minutes
which have so seriously reduced the grants to
Ragged Schools, and in order to enable the directors
to carry on the institution on its present footing
•until a new appeal shall be made to Parlianlent in
behalf of these schools. The Lord Provost prebided.
Mr. BLACK, M.P., moved the first resolution,
which was the same as that moved by Sir Jol'in
Pakington in the House of Commons on the 14th o
August :
" That the grants annually made by Parliament for the
promotion of education ought to be expended with a fair
' and just regard to the requirements of the different elapses
of schools recognised by the minutes of the Committee of
Council ; and that the ragged and industrial schools, *Mai
are alone adapted to meet the wants of a considerable n um-
ber of destitute neglected children, do not receive the
amount of aid to which they are entitled."
The Rev. Dr, MACLEOD, Barony parish, Glasg o vr,
, seconded the motion, which was unanimously

carried.
Mr. DUNLOP, M.P., moved the second resolution,
which was an appeal for funds to enable the in tot.-
tution to tide over its present difficulties.
'Mr. MURE, M.P., seconded the lootion.
Dr. GUTHRIE supported the r esolution. a
characteristic speech, in which, after some indig-
nant remarks on the Privy Conocil's wi
draw, al of funds, he made an urgent appeal for
help in the present emergency. If rou do not
help us, he said, we must either sink into the tide,
and by accumulating debt ruin the whole concern,
or we must east seventy children overboard. Now,
who is to select the seventy victims ? We einnot
go into debt. I'll never agree to that. I'll n ever
work with money that is not my own ; lie the sin
and guilt where they mu, I'll be no party to goi.lg
into debt. We must, nil less you come out, turll
out 70 children, and cast them overboard. It'll be
a black day for Edinburgh when these children are'
turned out into the streets, cast out to go and beg
their bread of you ; to hold out their hands for a
piece of bread, to leave the happy school and their
happy home, and to lie like houseless dogs in stair-
foots, and to go to ruin ! That is the question now ;
and that question must be settled soon, and can only
be settled by you. That day, I hope, will newer
come ; it will be a dark day for our city if it do.
Fancy 70 of these children walking weeping out of
our school, not, like our first parents as tney went
out of Eden, weeping for their sins ; they have
done no sin ; they have been more sinned against
than sinning; that is the truth. They are
suffering innocents, but out they must go, and
when they go out let them muffle that drum and
beat the funeral march of their good fortunes and of
their highest hopes. And then let Mr. Smith (the
governor of the prison) open his prison wards. The
prison is well-nigh empty ; it will be filled by and
by. Let them cry, " Room in the prison." God
cries, " Room in Heaven for the guilty ;" here they
cry, " Room in the prison for the innocent." I say,
it will be a black day when that is done ; and it is
clean contrary to common sense ; it is clean con-
trary to the best interests of our country. It Is
the spirit of our country 'to help the weak and let
the strong fight their own battle. As to the pre-
sent question, I am confident the people of Edin-
burgh will answer my present appeal. I was
astonished at the wonderful way in which they
answered my first appeal on this subject ; I shall
be more astonished still if this appeal I now make
is not answered.