Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1857-03-25

Ragged School Shoe-black Society, when ex-
anined before select committee Of the House
of Commons on terminal and destitute juve-
niles. " declared it as his convection, founded
on experience, that boys could be taken as
nuisances from the streets, and as criminals
from the Ijails, and made useful servants to
the public, able to earn an honest livelihood
during their reformation and finally become
religious and respectable lads or leave as use
ful colonists. The experience of subsequent
years corroberates still more strongly and per-
manently this report. When further examin-
ed on the means employed to achieve this no.
bic object and the character of the work to
which the boys were set, Mr. MGregor re-
Piled - that the nature of the occupation was
comparatively uninlportant, if industry were
immediately rewarded, and not merely enforc
ed !: If permanent employment were held out
in prospect; if good and bad conduct were
directly apparent to the other lads and to the
managers; emulation promulgated by classiG-
cation honesty, by constant money transac-
tions where trust is involved; economy, by
daily saying attention to responsibility of
appearance, by enforcing proper clothing /;
punctuality by ed hours steadiness. by
reduiring prolonged attention to duties at a
certain post; learning. by promoting to sta
tions requireing it, love of home, by provide
ing for those who would be otherwise without
shelter " 1t is highly gratifying to our
natures to know that youths who, but year
or two since perhaps but few months since,
ware wandering about the streets pilfering
and begging, have been so transformed in
their conduct and affections and that of these,
large number support their parcnts-parents
who probably have entirely neglected them
and through whose immoral and dissipated
habits they had themselves been obliged to
roam about, aimless, houseless, and breadless
TO show the special adaptability Of the
shoe-blacking system to carry out this great
work. it is only necessary to give short ac-
count of two employ ynlents which We have al
ready alluded to, and which starting almost
contcmporaneously with the above society. Or
rather issuing from it about the same time,
ceased shortly after--tile Broomers. a name
invented for the occasion, and the Messen gers
The duty of each broomer was to keep the
payements clean IN front OF twenty shops
Regent Street, Bond Street, and Waterloo
Place were divided into districts; and on the
10th of November, 1851, boys were sent out.
BY the 10Th of January following, twenty-one
boys were employed bat from this time their
number was gradually reduced, until in the
end of March the enterprise was altogether
abandoned it being found insufieien.Iy remu-
nerativc, though we believe the Pecuniary
difficulties were not so much the motive for
its abandonment as the impossbility of preser-
ing so strict discipline over the broomers as
over the shoe-bIa cks. In 1852, the other
variety of labor was introduced into the work
ing of the society -Four boys were employ
ed as messengers, dressed in blue trousers and
scarlet jackets and pro vided with check
book to enter the addresses of parcels, and
to give receipts if required. The sum char
ged was twopence for the first half-mile, and
one penny for every additional half mile ; the
BOYS being stationed at the Bank, the Ex
change. and the Electric Telegraph Oihces.-
The committee promoted to this employment
the most industrious boys, who had in their |
banks a sufficient sum to guarantee the value
of parcels to the amount Of 93. The Eiec- |
trie Telegraph Company occasionally intrusted
the messengers with their dispatches ana |
one of them was employed by the Crystal Pal
ace Company to distribute their circulars. A |
respectable publisher also employed four OF
the society's boys for several weeks in sending
out the copies of new serial Notwithstan-
ding this patronage. the occupation of mes |
sencer was found to be less remunerative than
that of shoe-tlack, especially as it was ne
cessary to promote to that Office the most ac-
tive and intelligent of the boys Towards
the close of 1852, therefore. this project was
abandoned
Since that time the committee have eon6n- |
ed the employment of the boys to the ordinary |
occupati On of shoe black-with what result |
we have endeavored to show Chambers |
EdinJHy jour nal.