The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-25 00:00:00

LORD JOHN RUSSELL ON RAGGED

SCHOOLS.

The inauguration meeting of the Ragged and In-
dustrial Schools at Ardwiek-green, Manchester, was
held on Friday'afternoon, in the Manchester Town-
hall, the large room of which was crowded.
Lord JOIIN RUSSELL took the chair, and was re-
ceived with much cheering. He said—Ladies and
gentlemen, by the kindness of those who have the
management of the ragged school I have been
placed in the position of occupying the chair at this
meeting. It would have been better filled by others
who have been well-informed of your proceedings
and taken part in them from the commencement.
Having tke honour to be placed as I am, it will be,
I think, desirable that I should mention facts which
are better known to you than they are to me, but
which, however, require to be stated on so imnor-
tant an occasion as the present—l mean the occa-
sion of opening the new buildings which I have
had the pleasure to see this morning. Those
buildings are of the most commodious kind, and
fitted Tor the reception of the children whom they
are destined to receive. I should state, however,
that these ragged schools had their commencement
in a society for giving night asylum to the help-
less. The conductors found that on Saturday
evenings many children left who were totally
ignorant, and in a most unhappy state, whom they
recommended should be taught on the Sunday.
From this beginning arose the commencement, now
12 years ago, of a ragged school for the helpless
and unprovided children in Manchester. After
some time, and changing from one building to
another, it was proposed to buy the buildings and
land at Ardwick-green, which were well-fitted for
the school. A great effort was required for this
purpose. No less than a sum of £2,000 was neces-
sary for the purchase. At this With
the ladies
of Manchester gave their aid. With that charity
and that exertion in the cause of humanity which
always distinguish our ladies—(hear, hear)—they
opened a bazaar, the proceeds of which were no
less than £1,600. A sum was still wanting, and
by means of subscriptions that sum was completed,
and the £2,000 was paid for the land and buildings.
At a later period new building have been erected,
which I have already referreeto, and they are well
fitted for • their purpose. The dormitories are ex-
ceedingly airy and comfortable, and there is ample
room for the schools. This being the case, it is a
matter of consideration for you, and for every one
connected with this community, as to what further
can be done. Now, this building has not been
erected and completely fitted upwithout much further
expense. I believe £1,500 is still due to be provided
for on that account ; but while that is the sum to
be provided for, let us consider the immense extent
of the good that is to be done. (Hear, hear.) I
find, according to a statement that bas been given
me, that 1,273 children have been received from
the first commencement of the school ; that among
these were no less than 600 who were match-sellers,
beggars, pickpockets, sweeps, and singers in the
streets ; that the result of the education that has
been given, and the industrial occupations that have
been taught, is that 464 of these have gone to work,
omitting 91 removed to the workhouse, and 82 gone
to other schools ; 154 have returned to beg, and 181
have left without aligning the reason. Therefore,
you have at the commencement a statement that
464 out of these 1,273 have been rescued from the
miserable and, in many cases, criminal life they
were leading, and have now the promise, if not the
assurance, of becoming good members of society.
It appears to me there is nothing in the whole
question of education which is so urgent as this.
It is a question that I think must press upon the
mind of every one—that these children are, in all
our large cities, left without guidance of any kind.
I have seen in the city of London boys who were
out in, the streets, and who had no other resource
if they could not hold a horse, or obtain some casual
employment of that kind, and their resort was to
thieving in order to pay for a night's lodging.
Numbers of these children are without any teach-
ing. .They wished to supply their wants, to get
shelter for the night, to get a meal for the day,
and, what is dreadful to think of, living in a
country which acknowledges the power and the
reverence due to the Almighty—many of them did
not even know the name of God ; and, living in
that which is professedly a Christian country,
many of them have never heard of the name
of Christ. It becomes, therefore, not a question,
I think, of mere humanity and benevolence,
but it becomes a question of duty, that as
civilisation goes on we should not allow in
our great cities this prolific nursery of crime to in-
fest our streets. There is further to be said, that
the very commencement of their instruction in these
schools is the beginning of a better kind of life.
They come in, many of them, in a filthy condition ;
they are at once sent to be washed and cleaned,
arid very soon they have better clothes on their
backs. - Well, it is now discovered and admitted
that all these questions are closely connected—that
the whole question of social improvement is to be
taken as a whole. There must be different depart-
ments, such as those of the ram ged schools are ; but
the question of cleanliness of rag
person, the ques-
tion of a clean comfortable home, are closely con-

netted with moral improvement and with religious
instruction. (Applause.) In former days, about
half a century ago, it was considered as a work of
great benevolence to open Sunlay-schools, and no
doubt that was a great advance at the time it was
made; but without habits of industry, without the
meaßs of obtaining a livelihood, without cleanli-
ness, without a comfortable home, no really advan-
tageous instruction will lay the foundations of a
future harvest. It will be either seed thrown upon
the rocks or seed thrown among the thorns and
choked by the pleasures and temptations of the
world: Now, all this lam telling you is nothing
new in the world—nothing new to you ; but while
our great cities go on increasing, while the propor-
tion of the inhabitants of these great cities which
live in total ignorance, in filthy habitations, and in
vice, continues to increase, it is the boun-
den dutsl
y o t ose 7ho are advocates and friends of
improvement to repeat the same story, to tell the
same tale, and use the same arguments, till some
efficient inroad has been made upon the great mass
of vice and misery which exists in the midst of our
great and justly boasted civilisation. (Hear.) And
now let me touch upon a part of the subject in which
that i 3 now stated which I was sorry to learn—viz.,
as to the assistance given by the State. (Hear.)
With regard to the general subject of education,
great as is the progress that has been made, there
are certain obstacles which are almost insuper-
able to makin,, that education general throughout

the country. V Nov, for instance, with regard to
the education- of children from the age of 12 to 15
or 16, it is found that-at about 11 yeers old boys
are taken from the. schools in order to work for
some small wages that arc given them, and the
parents most naturally, and unavoidably to many
of them, say, "We must give our children the
chance of obtaining wages by which the family
can be maintained ; we are far too poor to omit the
ls. 6d. or 2s. a week that may be earned in this
way." Wqll, there is a stop to education at a cer-
tain age, which is too young an age. Some of the
best and wisest friends of education have met, they
have proposed prizes, and various other methods ;
but I own it appears that there is but one method
at present, viz., that employers of labour, of per-
sons of so young an age as that—should feel them-
selves bound in duty to promote the teaching and
the instruction of these young. persons. It. is an
obligation by law upon a certain part of the em-
ployers of labour. Ido not say that it should be
upon others, but I own I think the present Presi-
dent of the Poor-law Board, .Mr. Estcourt, was
right when he said he employed two boys, and he
took cam that while he gave them work they had .
some instruction also. But while this difficulty
remains, there is an obstacle, to.education about the
age of 11 or 12. If you. speak still further of a
general system of education, there are the objec-
tions that are felt by those-who at present have the
education of the country in their hands to any
change upon that subject. The clergy of the
Established Church, the ministersoosf w
theh Dio
ssenting
denomination, have been the
the most active,
who have ben the who have persons
nthe most benevo-
lent,
have been
must liberalthe of their money
and their time, in promoting great cause of
education. (Cheers.) Bulib,e_ral , benevolent,
and active as they aro-, they are 'cry apt not to
approve, any system. of education except that
which they have been taught is the best, ad the
only education which they think effective. Here,
again, there is a great obstacle, but in this respect
I will not enter now into the question of how these
obstacles are to be met. I wish, however, to bring
you round to this question 'of the ragged schools,
here. I think, we really have, no obstacles of so dif-
ficult a nature to encounter. . In the first place,
these children are taken at an early age, and they
are taught some trade, dr the means of earning
their livelihood. I saw this morning at the esta-
blishment I have already Mentioned, in the range d
school of this town, the bags, and different things
of that kind, which had been made by the children,
and for which there is. a demand among the whole-
sale dealerS in various articles: Now, that is
kind of industry, I believe, which we have not at
present in London ; but there' are various modes of
that kind in which the-children, by learning a
trade, and having at the same time some instruc-
tion, can proceed at-once to • get an honest
liveli
hood. Then, with regard to What is called. the
" religious- diffictilty,";l don't believe in .the ragged
schools there has hitherto been any difficulty of the
Etna. It has been generally agreed that Scripture
herinstern ation should be given to the children. I find
statement of what is done in the institution,

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