Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-06-18
London Ragged schools and Shoe Blacks


The Ragged School Union, of which Lord
Sbahesbury Is at the head, is one of the be-
nevolent organizations of London which ac-
complishes tangible and important results
We copy from a late sketch of one of its
schools:
"Perhaps the most prominent, certainly the
most successful, is that in Field Lane, .by-
street near Holborn Hill and a short walk
from St. Paul's. This School has attached
to it, as several schools have a night refuge
for the utterly destitute place where any
poor outcast, old or young, black or white,
may secure nights lodging free from all eX-
pense, and to this important department ]
will first refer. For long period it was a
source of the deepest and most painful
regret that after dismissal from reading the
Bible at Field Lane, many of the scholars
boys, youth, men-were turned back into the
streets to sleep in dry arches, sheds, on door
steps, or wander shelterless about prey to
hunger and uncurbed desperation. The
knowledge, also, that vast number Of per-
sons were daily released from the metropoli-
ton prisons, who had expisted the violated
laws Of the country by limited imprisonment,
for whom no provision was made-outcasts
without character and without hope of finding
food or shelter, except by the commission of
some offence, through which they might be
taken back to their prison home-induced the
committee to cause these and similar facts to
brought under tlI1-Er -Er1tiv0 vf tIrU rorI OF
Shaftesbury, when his lordship at once
through the munifcence of a benevolent lady,
caused the Refuge for the Destitute 10 be OPEN
ed in May, 1851, and to be enlarged at the
close of the same year. The Refuge can now
sleep one hundred persons nightly-each per-
son having a separate berth and warm rug, AN
excellent layatory, together with hot and cold
baths. A six ounce loafof bread is given to each
inmate night and morning. AChris tian mas
ter takes the superintendent, who does not
| leave his post after the inmates assemble, till
their dismissal. The Scriptures are read night
and morning. to the practice of which very
great Importance is attached, it being believed
that the word of God has a salutary influence
upon the human soul, sitting the bad pas
sions ofmen, andawakeningt the recollection of
that presence under whose eye we live amidst
the struggles and casualties of chequered ex-
! istenee.
"This refuge has become moral fltering
machine for all the different Refugees Of Lon
1 don, and receives many whom all the others
reject Regarded physically or morally its
! introduction has proved great blessing to q
/ large class of miserable outcasts, who have far
! too long been neglected. The Warmest expect
ations as to its utility have been abundantly
realized. It has proved acomfort and shelter.
/ It is systematically opposed to vagrancy. In
the majority of instances the Refuge has been
a great boon in sheltering, rescuing and assist
! ing many really destitute feIlow-creatures it
has been the means of distributing imperisha-
BILE lessons Of hope to hundreds, whose degra-
dation had reduced them to despair"
The shoe-blacks are another of the institu-
tions of London. These lads are a different
class from the tatterdemalions that throng the
City Hall Park and float about other purlieus
of New York. About 1912 the last of the
4 profession had retired to the Aims House. but
with the exhibition at the Crystal Palace the
vocation was revived again by Mr.. John Nc
Gregor, of the Temple. The object did not
meet with favor; but he selected five ladsfrOm
the ragged schools, caused them to be instruct
ed, and set at work His were the first boots
polished; but that day the shOe-blacks OBJ
tained a footing in London. During the ex-
hibition season twenty-five boys were con-
tantly employed, who cleaned 100000 pair
of boots, and received over $500.
"Kind mods of appreciation were bestowed
upon the industrious and polite boot-blacks,
by all classes of the people, and many word
t,osy-
Shop-keepers often took fancy to them and
gave them dinners. Ladies feasted them in
their houses, and called them to their carriage
windows to give them a sixpence, and old
gentlemen asked them many strange ques-
tons, and told them they would all become
Lord Mayors. Boots and shoes were regular
ly brought out from private houses to be clean
ed, and sometimes large establishments en-
ployed the boys; in one instance severslhun-
dred pair of shoes had to be cleaned IN hur-
ry, and cab-load Of the lads went to do the
work A great deal of their success came
from the knowledge of the good auspices IN
der which they were sent forth to their hum
Bile vet honorable employment and from the
honest, courteous and industrious habits Of
the lads themselves Once a half crown was
given by mistake for penny, the regular fee,
but the boy quickly ran after the gentleman
and returned II. Once sovereign accident
ally slipped into boys hand between two
coppers, but the little fellow after searching
some hours, discovered the gentleman Ewho
had given it to him, and was rewarded fol-
his trouble by simple ''thank you"
"The first compsny of shoe-blscks wore
red jackets, and were mainly employed in the
+ city proper, but the business proved so en-
couraging that there are now yellow and blue
jacket brigades or societies, and the well be-
, haved lads are to be found in every quarter Of
the metropolis; indeed they now have posi-
tions regularly assigned them by the police
authorities, and are protected from interfer-
ence by idlers and others who have hereto
fore somewhat troubled them. Each boy
bears on his breast two badges of cloth, on
one Of which the words Ragged School Shoe
Black Society, and on the other his distinc.
j tive letter or number are worked in whit