The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-02-22 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL RAGGED SCHOOLS.

Tim Tie supporters of the Liverpool
Industrial Ragged Schools was held on Tuesday, in the
Theatre Royal; the Mayor, Samuel Holme, Esq., in the
chair. Amon'Ast those on the platform, were the Rev.
Dr. M'Neile, the Rev. Dr. Guthrie, (Edinburgh,' the
Revds. J. H. Higgins, Thomas Carter, (chaplain of the
gaol,) J. B. Lowe, Wm. G. M.Falloon,Wilson, D. Hume,
F. Bishop, F. Barker, J. R. Conor, Drummond Ander-
son, William Graham, Pollock, Crichton, Warr, Charles
Lawrence, James Lawrence, F. Ould, S. Minton, J.
Lundie, A. Cromer, Messrs. C. Inman, E. Cropper. T. D.
Anderson, Wi!liam Rathbone, Adam Hodgson. John
Campbell, R. L. Jones, J. Beazlev, Charles Langton,
William Hall, E. Heath, T. Sands, T. R. Arnot, J. Burt,
T. Postlethsvaite, J. C. Duncan, T. Tyrer. Grundy, J. R.
Brougham, Neill, R. H. Taylor, S. Kearsley, Arbuthnot,
T. H. Holderness, T. Clarke, R. Dawson, G. Glen, C.
Cotesworth, J. Bold, C. Bushell, Charles Grayson, J. G.
Brown, Ellis Brodie. J. 0. Johnson, Admiral Grenfel,
S. Stitt, T. H. Headlam, Reginald Radcliffe; and John
Eden. The meeting, which commenced at two o'clock,
lasted two hours and a half. The report stated
that there are now enrolled in these schools, 196 boys and
112 girls ; 173 of whom were born in Liverpool, 100 in
Ireland, and 35 in other places. 124 are above, and 184
under, twelve years of age. The average daily attendance
of boys is 69 ; girls, 32. During the last year, out
of the 308 children admitted, 28 boys and 24 girls have
gone to situations ; three boys and five girls have been
sent to parishes, on which they were found to have claims ;
9 boys have gone to other schools, 13 have left Liver-
pool; 64 boys and 29 girls have left the school of their
own accord; 4 have died; and 3 boys have left sick.
Since the schools were opened, in July, 1850, 112 boys
and 52 girls have obtained employment. With the
boys who have gone to situations a communication is
endeavoured to be kept up. Every Sunday afternoon a
member of the committee attends the school to meet the
" Place Boys." Sometimes more than twenty are
present—advice and instruction is given, thrift is en-
couraged by the establishment of a savings' bank, and by
such means it is endeavoured to water the good seed
sown, that fruit in due season may be reaped. Several
boys have been sent to sea, many of whom, on their re-
turn to port, visit the schools on Sundays. To make the
institution still more efficient, the committee have had
under their consideration the desirableness of having, in
connexion with it, a vessel moored in the river, where
lads who evince a predilection for sea may be trained as
sailors. With respect to the financial affairs, last year
the deficiency amounted to £272 15s. 2d. ; this year it is
£228 10s. 10d. ; to wipe off the debt entirely, and to
ensure the continued efficiency of the institution, a vigo-
rous effort will be required. After an eloquent opening
address from the Mayor, in which he called attention to
the fact of the Corporation of Liverpool expending
£160,000 for a new gaol for the town,
Mr. A. HODGSON moved the first resolution,—" That
the Liverpool Industrial Ragged Schools are continuing
completely to answer the end for which they were
established ; namely, to give destitute, and even criminal
children, at least a prospect of becoming honest, indus-
trious, and useful members of society."
The Rev. Dr. GUTHRIE, of Edinburgh, having seconded
the resolution in an eloquent speech of some length,
The Rev. Dr. M'Neree moved the next resolution,
"That the industrial training and diversity of employ.
ment provided in the schools and garden are found
peculiarly attractive and beneficial to this class of children;
and that a ship moored in the river, wherein some of
the boys might be trained as seamen, would, in all proba-
bility, prove a most valuable auxiliary to the institution."
In the course of his speech he adverted to an interference
with the useful operations of the schools in Soho-street,
by the Roman Catholic Priesthood. "It is well known,"
says the report, " that there are many abandoned parents,
who even, when earning a tolerable subsistence, spend
the whole in licentiousness, and leave their children to
misery and want.; and others, again, who not only
neglect, but systematically corrupt, their unhappy off-
spring, endeavouring, through them, to obtain means
for the indulgence of their own evil propensities. A
measure is therefore required, by which the real culprit
can be reached." No doubt of it. Where the parent
was the real culprit the measure was what he had just
read, the magistrate should be invested with power to
take the children from such a parent, and compel such
parent, if able, to pay for the maintenance of such child
at school. But suppose the parent was not the culprit—
(hear)—suppose it was found to be some one else who
went between the child and the parent—suppose it were
discovered that some one had hindered the parent from
sending his or her child, who had been so relentless that
the tears and entreaties of the parent had not prevailed—
suppose it were found in this country that there was some
secret tyrannical power behind the scenes, interfering be-
tween parent and child—absolutely hindering their work,
he asked was that to be passed unnoticed ? (Applause.)
Was the real culprit to be let alone ? was all the blame
to be laid upon the parents ? He knew of parents who
were not to blame. He knew of a mother who, weep-
ing at the sight, was nevertheless compelled to see a
child taken out of an industrial ragged school. Where
was the culprit then ? Where, he asked again, was
the secret tyrant, who was lording it over British society,
that was practically interfering at every turn with our
British liberty, who was hiding himself from the British
view ? Ay, and there were but few Britons who had the
courage to charge him out and show him. (Long and
loud applause.) He said it would never do to ensconce
this and cover it over as if it were not existing, and blame
the unfortunate parents. He did not excuse the " aban-
doned parents" referred to, but he said there were other
parents ; and if blame fell on some, let him be the apolo-
gist for others,—for poor, ignorant, helpless, but affec-
tionate parents, who would gladly send their children to
their schools, who would rejoice and thank them for it,
not only for the porridge given, but the education and
training given. And yet they could not send their chil-
dren to their schools. They dared not. Why ? Why ?
What hindered. " Some measure should be adopted,"
says the report, " by which the real culprit could be
reached." Yes, was it within his worship's wisdom as a
magistrate—was it within the wisdom of any of his bro-
ther magistrates—was it within the reach of the wisdom
of our most worthy senators, in the House of Commons,
the House of Lords, or both combined, or the privy coun-
cil, to devise some plan that should save children and pa-
rents from the secret tyranny that was exercised by the
canon law of Rome, in English society ? (Applause.) He
said that in that case the Roman Catholic priest was the I
culprit. (Hear, hear.) The Roman Catholic priest in-
terfered, and would not allow the child to be brought to
school. It is a fact (said the speaker, turning to the side
of the platform). Gentlemen might deny it, and leave the
room as they denied it. (Cheers.) If he wanted any
proof of the truth and importance of anything he said, it
had been supplied. Truth, truth must be told, no matter
who stood or fell—(applause)—and if we as Britons, in
British society, if we were to be cajoled, and browbeaten,
and hindered from speaking out under whatever pretence,
from courtesy, ar from whatever cause—ifwe were to yield
and allow those secret enemies of our order, ourschools, our
liberty, to see we were afraid to expose them, farewell to
British liberty, farewell our liberty! (Hear, bear, and loud
applause, and a voice, "Go on.") Yes, he intended
in the strength of God and in that good cause, to
go on as long as he was able. (Applause.) But this
was nor mere theory. This had been done within the last
few days in this town. An industrial ragged school,
with which he was happy to stand in some degree con-
nected, had been thus treated, and children had been
withdrawn by the tyranny of the Roman Catholic priests
against the will and against the entreaty of their own pa-
rents; and when the priest was remonstrated with by the
mistress of the school, and told he should take the children
on the streets, not them cared for in tne schools, he said,
" It is the souls of the children I am concerned for. The
souls of the childre.i to the street are not in danger, but
the souls of the children in the school are." (Sensation.)
Now, the mayor had said they were going to ask for some
legislative enactment. Dr. Guthrie was going to London
to lay this matter before Her majesty's government, or
some committee of the House of Commons ; and accord-
ing to the statement of the report they were going to ask
for some plan whereby power could be given to the magis-
trates to send children to the industrial school and compel
parents to maintain them. Oh, it an enactment could but
pass our legislature which should compel the secret irre-
sponsible tyranny of the men he had alluded to, to let
go their hold, and leave parents to their freedom, to leave
fathers and mothers of children to act as they would wish
themselves, to draw that extraneous influence which was
operating here just as it had in Ireland—for it was not the
parents who were adverse to a sound and scriptural edu-
cation in that case—he did not doubt but that in many in-
stances it might be as here ; but generally speaking, in
Ireland and in this town it was not the parents that in•
terfere.—Mr. Inman seconded the resolution proposed by
Dr. M'Neil ; and after brief addresses from the Rev. V.
M. White, Mr. Cropper, Mr. Heath, and Mr. Habbaek,
the meeting separated.