New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-11-22
yEW-yoRK HOUSE eF REFUGG-No. II
WHAT AT TIE PRESENT TINE.

SIN. In the addresses Of Robert Kelly, esq, Pres
dsnt Of he Board Of Managers, at laying the cofhe'
,o,. a the pre- sent House Of Refuge aud at the open
-, hereof. I find the following gosiug Language
- u; ,sfer,pce to the children OF tais House OF He
formation ,,,..,.,nn 3, ,A. II, .fs.h
$3.50 :, ,e.tor.s Stained indeed, u a. eat tns i
.r bs y.shed swsy They ere ,sf aenty tSrr al. nat
s.ce -" ,s no, ia. seahs. Pss sH'e' may %
Tsned.t BY instruction ard ei'eip me
The restoring Of these moral hheasenS
.,er. IN instruction and di,cp!ine we nave ,ooH'
in on he depa, mept Of labor t us GO 50 WIN 'na'
Of INSTRUCTION sud discipline, and see 'ne Aua
of the whole TO restore the " mora hnea"ehs"
these stained sous 49,.
Taking up at rs1 dom couple OF scnooI reP''" VI
the HDuse-the ore ? the year ls'2' the o''e' '''
1851 find that during these two years Inc nuuoei
of children received iao the school was seutq hEHaea
and srenty thee. OF tbes. thst did not know the
,lrhsbet there we're one bundled and thirty; thai
cnnId .neu essy wOrdf tr0 HUNDRED and eighty pre-
ccnld rea0 cav k.sous, trj hundred eRd tea cohd
read seI erslli one hundred Ghd NtHe cOald read
welt 10. rs.niae were u. acquSnfef WIN arltamelc,
IRE hundred and sereAts .tcO and OF tbls ole nun
hr tn.ntv nee had been tlush II the Refuge oetore,
being / suppose returned children. In other words,
or,-srxth had not learned the al hsoet; somewhat
more ban one-tbrd could spell easy words; htile
pore thsn oLe-fouith could resd easy lessoa-i o0e-
seventh couo read 10 general reading; one Ia III cen
could read well while more than Ave IN every seven
we're wholly unacqusinted with srihneuc Tors Is
the Mid of stsris inee tualy oonsideret tha' mas
10 be zeal. with ~ the Refuge. Add TO tbs tle tsc
tra- ,cy CRIMINALS aud there 20 oe ~ nmSs
and btS in 20 have snme data or csculttihg "nss
sbeulo be done for tsese neigobors children ny
tbis we zee is intellectual and mo o. development
that is .n,ed far more I, an ap1ysical. Now what
is the ime devoted to each For sX months, rom
April 10 September the boys are three-q atHrs OF An
! 81 hefor pak
thirds of them 20 10 their manual emplcyments; the
residue remain IN school another hour am het tll
O'Clock. when they slO 90 to work. AZ % II the
afternoon they again nearly all repsit 10 tue sc1o0'
room TO be instructed till T. making three hours a
day in school for the boys-sho work eight hours
day in the shops and four aud half hours IN school
for those Fix hours in the Stops. Dulng the remiin
der o the year the boys work little less, ihouyh
having the time in school ~ before Thus about
ont half many hours are passed 10 scnoOl as IN the
| shops which shows either thu great suoeriorlty OF
phN sCs labor 10 D oduce mental culture and moral
form or else The low estimate place this culture
and reform aud the SURPRISING ion oftance ot char
bottorbing WheD also take into account the por'
ton OF the cay devoted TO labor, from u m. II II
n m W. NAV well s.op and ask how from these da's,
Il can be made 10 sppear is pretended AMI asserted,
that the shops teld TO be altogether of secondary
importance. Candid reader, can you make IL seen so
TO YOU Aud yet you 90 10 me house aud you Will DO
tolc So And again-which ia a little Suspicious
lookipc-.wo of the four male teachers do not go
into ser ool af'er breakfast "a nigh be supposed,
]
tie chops to take charge of the boys while
driving pegs end weaving char bottoms--thess
"teachtrs places In the school room being
filed by monitors TAKEN from the inmates
Nearly every day the pact Sunni or the boys en-
ploy ed working the GROUNDS bsongng to the insti-
tuition were debarred the privileges OF the evening
Sc of the school, being kept az work to so ate an
hour as only get in 10 evening" devOtous and go to
bed-thus having but forty five minutes iostracton
day. Chapter II, section Of the bylaws of the To-
stitution says: "The ntroc ucdon OF labor Into the
D.<~. aIallk Id ally
! preference to the moral benefits, IA her than the
"profts to be derived from IT," Surely if this be So
the Refuge is setting noble example of Intellectual
ard moral Improvement. Who heDcef nth will dare
question complete success IN bringing into sight
the divney imaged soup' which " lies wrapped up
I" in the life Of each one Of these children, aud In
restoring to it "the moral linz aments' which have be-
come early, AID for the most part too, so deeply
"stainee \" Let not be alarmed. A recent cor
respondent of The TRIBUNE says the Refuge 81 is in
good hands When tae prisciPl OF the school, in
! bic apnual report recommended that more time be
spent in the schOC and less IN The shops that portion
Of the report we Rst s Shps e Of to 20
IL. The shops, being twice effect a the school
in bringing about mental and moral growth should
have two hours 10 one of the cbildrens time Alas !
lear am hDdlDg u too nearly true, put forth in
the twenty eighth annual report of the House, that
"the attention given TO The moral and religions train
ling Of our inmates cannO. be exhibited by any
! " tistics."
| word or tvo con ,erDing teachers employed at
this school, and Ii tie more will remain to be said 10
give it Just repute with those who may desire Gu
vate an acquaintance with IT. aud tina. little We will
endeavor TO supply when speak Of incentives and
punshments. Ii is, believe, considered unfortunate
to have frequent change of teachers ia schools for
the youDg. Let tbese changes every few weeks
where seyerol are emplOyed and the effect is quite
| disastrous A. the Refuge seventeen teachers have
been in the employ OF the rsntuoD the las, thirteen
months, and only one who there thirteen months
$50 is there TO cay When vacancies occur, monitors
taken from among The boys made to supply their
places in the class rooms. To the qualifications of
sssis'sDt teachers little regard is bsd-s novice and
dolt being folly as acceptable az man of experience
End letters. | am sorry cannot present better ex
hi OF the Intellectual training received by the needy
inmates Of this New York House of Refuge bat must
be excused, az have engaged to give the Refuge
az il 10.
We come now TO the religious element Of the House.
On sabbath morning the bows are an hou 10 sabbath
school previous TO the chapel exercises. They put
to getDg Scripture proc TO the number Of six or
eight ver,es per month. This occupies tue morning
hour. Alter this they have service in the chspe con-
dBcitd as in churches generally. Alter dinner is
another Lour al learning proofs il religious speaker
be present 10 occupy the time Then another service
in the chapel and the religious exercises of the dsy
are cone except prayers st going to bed Throughout
tue week morning prayers sre conducted by the pru.
cipa teacher on the assembling of the boys in the
tchoorooD, and evening prayers by the superin,end-
eni before they retire TO 1er dOrmitories Chapter o.
section 2 OF toe by laws says: There shall DO no
meetings for vine sery ce, except on Thanksgiving
" and fast.days held a; any other line plt,e' (than
" that many OF the children unfit TO attend az ar
their daily schooling and labor finished So,
theD lie wto raid " Seek ye fnt the kngoom Of Goa
"sno bis righteousness and ell these things sh all be
" added unto you il in these days Of greater WISDOM
and 1eeper knowledge OF the human heart aud of he