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    THE ABEBDEEH INDUSTBXAL SCHOOLS. 837

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    . -« Bess ¦»- - Duein G A Late Visit To ...

    lious conduct which ensued cannot be described . But the gentlemen who undertook the task were so far successful that on their

    dismissal the children were told begging * could not Ibe tolerated , that they miht return or not as they liked the next dayand if they did ,

    they should g be fed and taught . The greater part returned , , and so much interest did this school excite , that , while the wealthier

    inhabitants of Aberdeen contributed in the course of the year £ 150 towards its support , the working men handed over to the committee

    no less than £ 260 ; for , said they , " this school has cleared the streets of those little vagabonds who corrupted our own children . "

    It would be impossible to give an adequate account of the working of these schools ; we can only say that we have seen for

    ourselves the astonishing proficiency of the scholars in reading , writing , and arithmetic . Their geographical knowledge , too , amazed us , it

    was so thorough . A large black board being placed before us , we desired the children to draw a map of Scotland . Three or four

    little fellows seized bits of chalk , and rapidly began from different points to draw the outline ; riverstowns , lakes , and railway

    sta-, tions , _were filled in as fast as we could name them . Other countries were also mapped out , and in Scotland the different geological

    features were described , together with the fossils and organic remains peculiar to each formation . The hearty pleasure the children

    seemed to take in their work struck us much , and we afterwards found that some of them spend their play-hours in . examining the

    geological cabinet which Sheriff Watson has placed in the school for their use . As proof of the independent spirit of these young *

    scholars , Sheriff Watson told us that a gentleman visitor to the school had iven great offence by calling it a ragged school . A

    sullen spirit g came over the boys , they would scarcely reply to the questions asked , and on the stranger ' s leaving crowded round Sheriff

    Watson , indignantly exclaiming , " He called it a ragged school , sir . " We heartilsympathised in the feeling which made those children

    cling to the y nobler name of industrial school . For a better account of these valuable schools we must refer our readers to a book written

    by Mr . Thomson of Banchory , entitled Punishment and Prevention . " We can only addthat the systemon whicli they are

    conducted is so simple that hearty , Christian zeal , and energy can bring it into operation in any locality ; we trust such schools will be

    mulb ti egun plied and by thousands prospering , and in Aberdeen that this brief will induc outline e some of the one work who already reads

    this paper "to go and do likewise . " N . B . —A school founded by John Pounds at Portsmouth , is the

    nearest approach to those formed by Sheriff Watson in Aberdeen . See Miss Carpenter ' s work on Reformatory Schools , page 117 .

    TOJj , IT . . 2 A

    The Abebdeeh Industbxal Schools. 837

    THE ABEBDEEH INDUSTBXAL SCHOOLS . 837

• Citation
  • English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), Jan. 1, 1860, page 337, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_01011860/page/49/