dren of the lower orders. There is hardly a day passes on which, besides the regular inspection of the managers, four or five ladies do not visit the School, and in one way or other make their coming a desired event to the children, and leave upon their young hearts the impress of their beneficial presence. Meanwhile, the whole admirable routine of infant education is car ried on in the adjoining room. The separate little classes are formed and gathered round their tiny monitresses. The general reading lesson and the particular writing lesson, are given by the teacher. The gallery lessons, so often amusing, from the ludicrous answers, given by the children in their anxiety to show their proficiency, are listened to with breathless attention. The lectures on history, common science, trades and arts, which a well trained teacher contrives to render plain and acceptable to the understanding of a mere infant, and yet knows how to make interesting to minds of a larger growth, are all eagerly expected. And then at fixed and frequent intervals take place those exercises of voice and limb, and those marching processions to and from the play yard, which effectually break up the mere school work, and prevent the tediousness of monotonous instruction. During the intervals alluded to, such of the children on the infant roll as are old enough to get industrial training also, are allowed to go to the work room to learn the stitch, or get off a new pattern. Thus they gain something which will keep them safely occupied when they go home in the evening-giving them, moreover, occasion to run with joy to school in the morning to receive praise for having finished a star or two during the previous evening, and allowing them to look forward with pride to the ceremony of sitting on the gallery with the regular industrials on Saturday to receive their proportion, no matter how small, of wages for the week's work. At three o'clock the infant children are sent home, and the Industrial School generally breaks up at the same time; although it frequently happens that some of the children pray to be allowed to remain some hours longer to finish their work the quiet, the clean room and bright fire being an attraction to them; and in such cases, when leave is given, the poor children run home to dinner, the merest ceremony unfortunately too often to them, and then return to enjoy the privilege of working in peace by the light of a candle subscribed for by themselves. The average attendance during the last five months has been ... 30 ... Total ... All this when read may seem small enough; it may be thought that it is hardly worth while to speak of a school which does not count its classes by hundreds, or of an industrial establishment in which few of the children enrolled, earn three shillings a week. The motive principle must be greater than has yet found expression in action; and it is even so. Want of funds is a crushing fact. The hard necessity of keeping within narrowed possibilities is most disas trous in the wearisome annoyances, obstacles, hinderances consequent on the fatal limitation According to the means in this, as in other instances, must the progress be calculated. The object aimed at, be it well understood, is by no means to give a trade for life to the children of St. Joseph's; nor is it for a moment pretended that all the children received into the classes are to earn at once their support, or in any extraordinary way assist their parents. But it is sought above all things to tempt into the school, the numerous class of female children, who, in a neighbourhood which without being absolutely immoral, is notoriously idle and disorderly, lead a vagabond life in the filthy lanes and byways, between Ballybough Bridge and Mud Island, and give as an excuse for non-attendance at the National and Convent Schools their poverty, and the wretched necessity of driving asses carts, trafficking in pennyworths of turf and canal water-running to and fro with cans, tubs and pitchers, on the same profitless errand-minding neighbour's children for a few pence a week, and multiform avocations of similar kind. It was determined that opportunity should be given to these girls, by which they should receive a sound education, and at the same time, be enabled to earn in money wages, more than their attendance at school obliged them to forego. Above all, it was determined to give them while at school, steady habits of industry, and so prepare them for being put to trades, or sent to situations when they should arrive at the proper age of being so placed. In the short history of the school, are many instances of the successful attainment of these objects, and many also in which happily even more has been achieved. One wild unruly girl who was taken from the streets, and persuaded to remain in the school, and who, though she never could be made a proficient in crochet work, was soon so thoroughly reformed, as to acquire the character of a model girl, has lately been apprenticed by her parents to a trade, and continues to conduct herself steadily and becomingly. A smart intelligent young girl, who from sheer wildness was perfectly useless to her parents, after some months training in the school, was so altered as to be able to give her father, a boot maker, considerable assistance in finishing and taking home his work; and when, as unfortunately is too often the case, he is forced by bad health to remain idle, the girl runs up to the Indus. trial, gets a share of the work on hands in the school, and instead of pernicious loitering at home, readily earns half a-crown or three shillings a week. Two children in the infant school, being industriously disposed, before they were three weeks in attendance, managed to earn from 1s. 6d. to 1s. 10d. a week in the intervals of school business and in the course of the evenings at home. Four girls of one family living near Ballybough Bridge are in daily attendance at St. Joseph's; one of them, the youngest, is kept altogether in the infant school; another is the established messenger of the Institution, and being a stout girl and able to do rough household work, she is occasionally hired for a day by the ladies frequenting the school. Though still somewhat uncivilised in appearance she is thoroughly trustworthy, and is frequently sent to the city with bills, invariably coming back safely and regularly, sometimes with large sums in her hand. The remaining two are so wretchedly sickly as to be often unable to work at all; yet, with all these disadvantages, they are able to bring home three or four shillings at a time: and this with frequent gifts of clothes from the manager's very precious store of cast off garments, brings considerable help to a father, who, at the best of times, earns but nine shillings a week at road mending or cleansing, but who, when the weather is fine, and no mud even in Mud Island, finds himself without even that pittance to support a wife and four children. Another family of four girls in the same neighbourhood bring home fifteen or sixteen shillings every Saturday—a sum including the very moderate item of four shillings to the eldest girl for superintending the school work. This forms the entire support of the family; the mother, a sickly broken-spirited women, is barely able to wash for and keep an eye on the girls; the father is worse than useless-a hopeless, helpless, drunkard. A deaf and dumb child of eight or ten years of age, who from her unhappy condition, was excluded from the benefits of ordinary schools, and seemed destined to idle away her child life in companionship with the dogs and donkeys of the district, was led up one day to the Industrial by a little neighbour, and after playing extraordinary pranks for some weeks, and exhibiting manners every way befitting her antecedents, she has been quite gained over, principally it is evident by the friendly notice of the lady visitors, sits still during school hours, plays quietly with the other children, begins to use her little fingers with rare aptitude, and already knows so much of the value of money, that meeting her father one day as she scampered home with her well earned sixpence fast closed in her hand, she laughingly resisted his attempt to obtain it from her, and to the great amusement of her young companions made a sign that if he got it, he would go straight over to the opposite public house. A number of the children seldom get beyond one shilling a week; and yet the managers are satisfied, the end is gained even by this; the moral training is perfected all the same. The smallest weekly earnings prove what may be done by each young Industrial when the time comes for beginning a life of real labour, and instead of the few hours spared out of a school life, all her time shall be given to serious and profitable toil. Some of the children continue their work at home, but not many. As is inevitable in the houses of the poor, the children are early made to bear the burthen of household duties, and those who have been made tractable and industrious at school, are certain to be found far more useful than of old to their parents, and their assistance comes to be in demand accordingly. To separate a child from home ties and her natural duties is not the object of the Institution, any more than it is to drill the young life to the premature toil of the factory, or burthen the fresh heart with the care and unrestful labour of the money getter. If the spirit of industry were indigenous to the soil of Mud Island as it seems to be to the quicker clay of more southern provinces, the attendance would be far larger. There are few indeed among the surrounding population who would not be fit subjects for such an Institution; though now in their mistaken ambition for expensive education, the parents when not actually suffering the pangs of star vation, prefer to send their children to a private, or what is called a master's school; and so by a conceited expenditure of three pence a week, secure for their ragged unruly offspring something according to their own ideas like a University Education. If moreover, the managers could do what, with it is hoped a pardonable envy, they find other schools enabled to do-if they could offer breakfast to some starving children, and hold out the prospect of gaining at Christmas such substantial prizes and rewards, as warm flannels for the hard season, and decent covering for all seasons, they would have a very large school indeed. Such inducements, however, it is not in their power to provide. They have no regular distribution of clothing, they give no food; but what help they do give is of the best kind, namely-self help. It must be noted, that the money earned by the children, is almost without exception carried home to their parents, and used at once for the needs of the day. Some of the children have been induced to lay by part of their earnings during the past few weeks in boxes appropriated to each individual, as a provident preparation for Christmas time. On Christmas Eve, the boxes with the little savings will be carried home in triumph by the young depositors. Many, however, of the steadiest and most industrious children in the school have put by nothing; the shilling or two earned during the week having been already promised to pay the rent. Few, however, of the children have resisted the temptation to purchase and carry away as their own property the books provided by the Board, and according to the rule, sold at low prices. The first supply of books was sold off at once. Copy books, and other school requisites, are also eagerly purchased by the children. Thanks cannot be adequately given for the invaluable assistance which the managers have received during year from the friends of the Institution. It is not in money alone that the help has been given. Many ladies, as noticed already, visit the school every day, giving their time a free gift to the poor. Many others, as their varied engagements allow, from time to time look in, catechise the children, talk to them, notice their progress, at the very least by their presence make the school hours pass pleasantly. And there are others who, though seldom appearing in the school, are yet, in the all absorbing cares of their household duties, far from unmindful of the children of St. Joseph's; or who in the midst of the many interruptions, and varied calls of a life in the world, still find means to turn to good account for the struggling poor, the opportunities and social influence they possess. It is sufficient to mention, that one lady's donation of cast off garments, has clothed three families during the year; and that another lady by the sale of work done in the school, has brought in £24 in the same short period. Nothing comes amiss to the exchequer or old clothes-store of St. Joseph's. A cast off dress, especially if a lady's ample skirt makes a whole suit for a small Industrial-odd remnants of cloth and linen add valuable patches to the cloak or jacket; an old bandbox makes a sanctuary for the best or only bonnet of a tidy girl. Old toys, which have lost their charm for more fortune favoured children, set the bright eyes of an Infant School in a dance of wonder and delight; new old books discarded from the nursery or school-room, make their owners proud and thankful possessors of a treasure; old pictures, which need not be by old masters, form the text and illustration of very valuable lessons. Too much cannot be said in thankfulness for the help that has been given in so many ways. The hope of the managers is, that many who have till now been unaware of the objects and necessities of their struggling institution, will be touched by a recital of the difficulties and obstacles which beset their path; and that being assured of the laudableness of the undertaking, they will come forward willingly to help in the good work. Rent of £32 a year is a heavy burthen for the managers to bear; while the salaries of mistresses, which are barely half paid by the Board, are an additional weight. The special assistance which they had hoped to receive from the Board of Education for the support of the industrial branch of the school has not been given; and to meet all the recurring expenses of such an establishment, there is absolutely nothing but the subscriptions of a few ladies and gentlemen, already by their own be. neficence too heavily taxed. A crowning difficulty at the present moment, is the interruption caused by the late suspensions in America. The consequent stoppage of crochet work in Ireland, which has forced most of the great Industrial Schools in the North and South to shut up for a time, has had the injurious effect of closing the market to the poor children of St. Joseph's-obliging the managers to forego the easy and expeditious transfer of work to an extensive trading establishment, for the tedious and hazardous system of private sale-a system, which more than capital in hand, as the workers must be paid at once, and long before other any pre-supposes the bill furnished becomes a bill receipted. The following is the Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the year commencing, the 1st of December, 1856, and ending the 30th of November, 1857. To Cash received for ... £ s. d. By Cash paid Wages 189 10 64 do. for Rent and Sundry Expenses £ s. d. 224 16 9 By Work sold surer ... ... 82 2 33 £271 12 10 £271 12 10 This account appears very favourable, but it must be noted, that half a year's rent is due and payable in January, that an account of £11 is also due; and for repairs which can no longer be deferred, as well as for additional school requisites, there is nothing in hand. Add to this the total want of capital to carry on the work in the manner above described, and it becomes plain, that the Institution is in a most critical position at the present moment, and that the managers are fully justified in calling most earnestly for public support. Hun |
