The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1861-03-06
A SCENE IN A RAGGED SCHOOL.

ly graphic, as reported in the London Rec
ord -
A SCENE IN A RAGGED SCHOOL.
''The children came al seven in the morn
ing-aud come in rags and not in decent
clothes, for that wouldn't do /; they would
go TO the pawn shop too soon. The first
thing they do is to strip-not TO be thrashed,
but washed and we have long bath, as
long as this gallery, and we make them
march along il as slow as if they were at
tending funeral, and the consequence is
that they get, what many people are fools
enough not to get, a delightful bath. What
comes after the bath Some of you are, |
dare say, Scotchmen and will understand
me. They get grand breakfast of por-
ridge and milk. Then comes prayer, and
a portion of the scripture is read 7: then the
work of the school begins, and occupies
four hours OF the day /; the children learn
10 read, and 10 write and TO cipher aud
they learn carpenlering, and box-making,
and shoe making. They come to MS at half
past seven in the morning, and al half past
seven az hight we take off their school dress
and give them back their rags, and they 90
pawning. We never keep a child from
home unless the house is an Infamous den
of iniquitv or the parents cruel ; we know
that in the bosom OF the child, worthless as
the parents may be, God has planted link
of affection, and what we want TO do is %
have known instances where these poor
children have even carried salvation 10 their
homes. But all this, ladies and gentlemen,
requires expense we must feed and we
must clolhe them il entails the expense
of teaching and Of housing few of them
and say that they deserve this fostering
care-they deserve The most fostering pro-
lection and help of the government.
"You will very naturally say, you have
told us what these ragged boys do in school;
now tell wha: they do ont OF school =
"Well, they just get on as well out of school
as they do in-they get on in a way we
never expected" When they were getting
up banquels to the soldiers of the Crimea,
men;, we thought we'd give banquet 10
our ragged BARNS, who had fought as great
baule as any Crimean soldier and far har-
der too. All of sndden the thing was re-
solved on all of sudden the thing was
done. We have them, you know-these
ragged school scholars that were-cutting
down the forests in America; we have them
herding sheep in Australia .we have them
in the navy and-what dye think !-ihere
was an odd thing in this way-we had a
competition among boys in the navy, and
the ragged school boys carried of the
highest prize We have them in The army,
too. Just the other day had in my draw
ing room one of my ragged school scholars
'What was he doing there q you ask
Well, he was just standing beside a very
pretty girl, dressed like duchess, with an
enormous crinoline, and all that. There he
was on his breast he carried three med
ais. He had fought the battles of his coun-
try in the Crmea be had gone up the
deadly march 10 Lucknow, and rescued the
women and the children and our soldiers
there-and was proud of my ragged school
boy when | saw him with his honors.
"Well as ! said, we resolved TO give a
banquet we furnished one of our bes,
rooms, and had it brilliant with gas, and
laurel, ard ivy, and the coral beaded holly
and the quantity OF lea and toast Ii isn't
TO be told We just sent away through Ed
inburgh, and in day we got one hundred
and fifty, all doing for themselves. was
master of the ceremonies. So heard a
great rush of feet-I was standing al The
door, you know, TO receive my company
and ! could moi believe my eyes when |
saw the succession of good looking respec
table young men. and the succession OF
comely, virluous looking. happy young wo-
men. A girl came up 10 me smiling, and
she said, You will remember me, DR..
Guthrie this is my man'-and then a
great. big, honest-looking, hurley fellow
came up, and he said, 'You will remember
me, Doctor this is my WIFE And they
filled the room never saw a more re
spectacle company. And how they laughed
and sung and we prayed, too-we prayed
ard we gave them good advice. / never
spent happier night-no, not in the great
est nobest house ! ever was in-than l
spent when entertained my Ragged School
children"
IA young urchin visited our office the