The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-06-06
Tho Charleston Orphan House School
Examin 1tion.


The Charleston Orphan House School
Examin 1tion.
In compliance with an invitation from the
Chairman OF the School Committee, we re-
paired yesterday morning to the Orphan House,
and as this was our first visit since the war, we
made use of the opportunity to look about u.s. and
at every turn to institute q comparison with the
condition Of the house and grounds and the ap-
pearance Of its inmates, as we saw them yester-
day, and as We had known them fifteen and
twenty years ago. The building itself presents
more imposing appearance than the two-story
house Of former days, and is as little suggestive o,
an eleemosynary character as any public institu-
ton Of the kind we have ever seen anywhere. We
need scarcely say that We like it none the less for
that The euonymus hedge in the front yard has
grown up much within the past few years, and IN
its rich foliage Of delicate verdure is in itself o
sight pleasing to the lover OF natures nobler trea
sures. The greensward, used as playground, is
in excellent order, offering tempting carpet ol
velvet green to the little feet, cramped and weary
from long constraint in the school room. The
geraniums, the cactuses, and the many other e1.
| otics that adorn the windows, throw grace and
charm around the building pleasing to the eye
cultivating the taste, and generally refining II
| their influence,
We enter under the guidance Of chubby little
cioerone and soon find ourselves in the large, ele
CANT and airy school room, where the examination
| was in progress, under the direction Of Miss
IRVING, and of Gen. WnMoT G.. DESAussURE
Chairman pro tenn. of the School Committee, the
A hainO ab
sent from the city. There were number Of vis
tors present, both ladies and gentlemen; among
the latter we noticed several olergymon, and Com
missioners Of the Orphan House. The City
Fathers, we regret to say, had very small repre-
sentation there; whereas the press was out in full
force. -
We spent abont six hours yesterday, in the
school-room, and thus had ample opportunity to
satisfy ourselves in regard to every topic OF inter
est that can suggest itself in connection with the
subject in hand. There are nearly three hundred
children in the house, two hundred and forty-one
of whom are on the school roll one hundred and
ffty-two of these are boys, and eighiy-nine girls
Why SO large q preponderance Of the masculine
gender is natural source Of speculation. 1t may
be because girls are more useful at home, 70 do
sewing or to mind children while boys are Gin the
way" and up to certain age an expense and
burden oD their widowed mothers. Another
reason may be, because there is Catholic
Orphan Asylum in the city for girls, but none for
boys. We have no positive information on the
subject, but we surmise that the greater number
of these children are half orphans, their fathers
having died in the war perhaps, leaving their
mothers in destitute circumstances. Heretofore
the majority Of the inmates of the Institution we're
either foreigners or children OF foreigners, while
now the preponderance, we celieve, is on the side
Of natives. Another OF the baneful results Of the
war. r.
The children are much better looking, more
sprightly and cheerful than their predecessors as
we knew them under the old regime. This for
various reasons one, because many children are
now there Of parents who had seen better days
another, is that the general management of the
Institution is ON more liberal scale than was the
case formerly. It is as far possible from the Do-
the-boys Hall" style OF school, and no "Smikes'
are to oe seen here But the principal reason Of this
happy change, we fell assured, is to be looked
for IN the impessprable improvement introduced
little over dozen years ago into the school
department. We have never seen better public
school, at6 few as good, anywhere, as we have
found this to be. Miss IRyNa is a thorough dis
ciplnarlan, and everything is arranged in ad-
mirable order and harmony every movement as
regular and as noiseless as clock work. The best
proof we had that the children understood what
they were doing was that We could read it
in their countenances. They were perfectly
grounded and thoroughly trained, not to say drill,
ed in all their studies, and there was not the least
reason Tor suspicion that this almost marvellous
readiness was the result Of cramming.
Their quickness at arithmetic, both mental and
with slate, was m itter Of surprise to every one
present. We followed with slate and pencil, ano
not unfrequently found the little urchins quicker
in their answers than ourselves holding up theil
states and singing out zone" 'two," etc, Editor
are not usually good calculators, and our defeat
therefore, need prove nothing; but we had the sat
isfaction Of seeing the President OF an Insurance
Company, sitting by our side, similarly distanced
and surely he may be considered good &C
countant.
The recitations in geography history and gram
mar reading, spelling and defining, were all equal
ly satisfactory, and worthy of the highest prais
to children, teachers and Commissioners, who's
united cooperation was necessary to secure 81
brilliant result. The singing, as may be readll.
supposed, was very fine, delightfully."- pleasing II
the fastidious, no less than to the untrtored ear
Miss IRVING is ably assisted in her labors b.
Miss KING, Miss TARRANr, Miss RYBURN, Miss 8
GRIFFITH, Miss HAYS, Miss LEoUEUx, and Miss A
GRIFFITH. All the assistants, with one exception
received their education in the Institution, ant
have thus established the fact that the Orphan
House is self-supporting, Two young ladies ar
at this time undergoing training, qualifying them
| selves for teachers.
But we must bring our lengthy account to
Close having been betrayed to this prohxlty BY TIL
| attractiveness Of the subject.
We clip the following from the Savannah Fear
| and Herald:
Loss OF THE STEAMER CRoToN AND HER En-
TIRE CREw.-On the night Of the 10th Of May tn
steamer Croton, Captain B. W. Tilton, was lost OF
- u Eah