The Western division of the metropolis contains 39 ragged schools, with upwards of 4200 children. Of these schools, 8 are in Westminster, 5 in Chelsea, 1 in Brompton, 5 in Paddington, 2 in Bayswater, 5 at Notting Hill, and 2 at Hammersmith.
The Central and Northern division comprises 38 schools, with about 5500 children. These schools are pretty equally distributed over the district, which is an extensive one, reaching from Bedfordbury, Covent Garden, to Heston, and from Clare Market to Agar Town. Five of the schools are in the vicinity of Drury Lane and Lincoln's Inn Fields; 2 in and near Seven Dials ; 5 in Field Lane, Saffron Hill, and Clerken well Green ; 3 in Camden Town ; and 10 in Islington.
The Eastern division includes 38 schools, with about 6000 scholars. Of these schools, 2 are in the City, 5 in Whitechapel, 7 in Spitalflelds 4 in Bethnal Green, and 10 in the neighbourhood of the Docks, Ratcliffe Highway, Shadwell, and Poplar.
In the Southern division are 40 schools, with about 5500 children. Two of these schools are situated in Lambeth; 3 in the vicinity of the New Cut ; 7 in the Borough ; 4 in Newington and Walworth ; 5 in Bermondsey ; 6 in Rotherhithe, Deptford, Greenwich, and Black heath; 2 at l'eckham ; 2 in Camberwell and Brixton ; and 2 at Clapham.
Bristol was amongst the foremost in dealing with an unhappy juvenile population by the agency of the ragged schooL The name of Miss Carpenter, as a writer and as an active worker, is necessarily associated with this good work in the city where she resides. Few persons have done more to advocate the claims of the children of the ragged school than this energetic and benevolent lady. Tho Bristol ragged school for males and females, established in 1846, has accommo dation for 150; the Bristol industrial school for males, established in 1849, for 50. At Liverpool the first ragged school was established in 1844. In 1848 a Ragged School Union was formed. This union comprised, at the commencement of the year 1860, 60 schools, of which 33 were evening schools, 12 day ragged schools, 3 industrial schools, and 12 Sunday schools only. The aggregate attendance of scholars was 6974 ; the number of teachers 453 ; and of monitors (in the day ragged schools) 20. During the year 489 obtained situations. In eight of the evening schools, at which the aggregate attendance was 378, a charge of a penny a week is made to the scholars, who are generally ragged school children who have gone to situations. Several of the schools have penny banks in connection with them. York industrial ragged school, commenced in 1846, has accommodation for 100 orphans, destitute children, and vagrants. Manchester possesses a ragged and industrial school at Ardwick Green, commenced in 1846, with accommodation for 300 poor and vagrant children and unconvicted juvenile thieves, from which, since its commencement, about 500 children have gone into situations. In connection with the Manchester and Salford Ragged School Union, formed in 1858, there are 15 schools, with an average attendance on the Sunday evenings for the year 1859 of 3564 children, with 426 teachers. Each school has one or more
evenings in the week devoted to secular instruction, with attendance, in all, of 1916. During the year more than 200 scholars were transferred to Sunday-schools of a higher class ; 60 were sent to day schools, and 65 obtained situations. The penny banks connected with the schools received upwards of 200/. from nearly 1200 depositors. In Birmingham. aand industrial school was commenced in 1846.
The free industrial commenced in 1849, provides for 120 children of both sexes. Bath established industrial schools In 1848 ; Derby, IIul, Ipswich, and Sunderland in 1849; Cambridge in 1850; Chester, Clifton, and Gloucester in 1852 ; Bolton in 1853 ; and others followed in quick succession. At Bradford, where the first ragged school was established in 1855, there were in that year 111 eases of juvenile delinquency. In 1856 the number fell to 70 ; in 1857 to 47; and in 1853 to 26. These results are ascribed to the operation of the ragged school.
In Scotland the subject of juvenile delinquency was first dealt with in the city of Aberdeen, where vagrancy and street begging, with their usual accompaniment of petty pilfering, had become formidable nuisances. With 100/. subscribed by himself and some friends Sheriff Watson commenced in October, 1841, an industrial school for boys. The number of scholars at starting was 20. Two years later a similar school was opened for girls. Another, called Sheriff Watson's Female School of Industry was opened in April, 1847, with 53 children. The juvenile school of industry was commenced in 1845, in co-operation with the police authorities, who undcrook to scud to the school every child found begging in the streets. At the end of 3846 was instituted the Child's Asylum, the committee of which investigates the cases of begging and delinquent children, and hears applications from parties for the admission of destitute children into the schools of industry. The children are instructed in reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, geology, and religious knowledge. The boys are employed in net-making, which is found to be a healthy as well as a remunerative occupation ; and they occasionally work in the garden. In the girls' schools the scholars do all the household work ; they receive an education similar to that which the boys receive ; and they are trained for domestio service. The present state of the Aberdeen industrial schools is as follows :— It is scarcely necessary to remark that juvenile begging has been en tirely got rid of in Aberdeen,and that the number of juvenile criminals is very greatly reduce& In 1841 the number of juvenile offenders in prison was 61 ; in 1858 it was 15. Upwards of 3000 children have attended the Aberdeen industrial schools since their com mencement. Of these 200 girls have gone from school into domestic service, and 400 boys into situations, and are, with few exceptions, known to be doing well : mans' have been taken home by their parents.