Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1854-11-22
CLEARFIELD, WEDNESDAY, NOV. g. 1854.


The management Of one, we take this ac.
count from one Of the teachers journals,
IN the Brooke street school, London -
1--WE opened our school this first Sunday
afternoon, with about twenty lads, from
twelve to twenty years of age. We at.
tempted TO teach them, but they immedi.
oteIy wished TO leave the school. This
we opposed the boys got resolute; so
did some of the teachers. This very soon
broke out in open rebellion, and had the
teachers all been as resolute as some were
we should have had our heads broken"
They at length, however, managed to di-
vide them. "We soon got" he says far
ther, "some Of the bigger boys on our side
and such a scene followed as | shall ncy.
er forget; some swearing, some dancing,
some whlstIng, and the teachers looking
some Of them pale as death, and others
quite exhausted, and thus we got over the
first afternoon" A great obstacle in the
English efforts has been the ignorance Of
the children. The accounts in the teach.
ers' journals are very curious in this par.
ticular. One class ask what the Bible is
They do not understand the meaning of
prophets, but express their faith in for.
tune teIlers. A teacher reads them Jo-
sePh's history, atwhich great wonder and
unbeiei is expressed. One asks if Egypt
is still standing Another, if all books
are true ! The parable of the prodigal son
was read, without very great effect until
/ it was explained. The conduct Of the
youngest son did not strike them as very
foolish. 1t was too much like their own
They did not pity him for keeping swine !:
some Of them would have been very glad
even 10 do that. They were struck at his
honesty in not even taking the husks with.
out leave. 1t seemed n matter Of course
with them that the father should receive
him with joy, and they we're indignant
with the older brother. One of them re.
marked, 81 like t'o,hcr brother best. =
The ragged schools which visited in Eng.
land and Scotland were generally mana.
ged on the following plan Some com.
mon plain building is usually hired, or
obtained from benevolent persons, the
poorest and darkest room of which is used
as a school room. Another room is fitted
up as q workshop and the rest as dormi.
tories. As many Of the children sleep in
the building as it will accommodate; the
rest come early in the morning and get
their breakfast, consisting Of a piece OF
bread. All their meals are taken there,
us most Of them, poor creatures, would
have little other chance fer something 10
eat. The day is divided into the usual
common school branches, and some reg,
uIar work at trade. Various trades are
worked at in these schools; mat weaving,
shoemaking, tailoring, box manufacturing,
the making Of paper bags for groceries,
and all laundry and kitchen work. The
ragged school experiment in Great Brit
ain may now be considered successful
enterprise. The observations in legisIa.
ton have been so minute that the compar.
Iatiye success can be pretty accurately cal.
cuated oi improving boy or reforming
him. The net expense Of each child in
the Aberdeen schools is about SIG per
nnnum, each meal costing three cents a
head in the London reform institutions
about $40, and in the famous reform
school Of Westminster S93. The officers
Of these institutions tell us that very few
Of those who pass through the assigned
course Of probation ever turn out badly.
Look, on the other hand, at the cost OF
crime. Mr.. Barnall states that in the
$4,000 prisoners Of the MiddIesex iaiIs, the
average expense Of each is about $3.50.
In return presented 10 the house Of com.
mons, by Mr.. Sergeant Adams, it appears
that there were $50 juvenile offenders
comWit,ed for trial at the Middlcscx ses.
sions during lS46. The property stolen
by these lads amounted only to G702 -
the cost Of prosecution was about 1920
Of their maintenance in prison, near ST..
ESTIMATING the expenses of these $50
boys, in one year, to the public, over I ;.
GOO, and then of transportationst to thirty.
six Of them, some $4,000 more. Truly
is not economy hard lesson for govern.
! ments to learn
AN ANGEL.--ln describing the death
and burial ola lovely child, a corre5pon.
dent Oft the Ohio Cgliyator gives this beau.
tiiul and touching gIimso OF real life:
"And now there came a sadder moment
than ALL totering with feeble slep, the
grandmother, with her weight Of years,