CHAPTER IV.

REMEDY FOR EXISTING EVILS.

Means long in operation important—­Prisons awfully corrupting—­Deplorable condition of those released from jail—­Education of the infant poor—­Its beneficial results—­Cases of inviolable honesty—­Appeal of Mr. Serjeant Bosanquet—­The infant school, an asylum from accidents, and a prevention of various evils—­Obstacles in the way of married persons obtaining employment—­Arguments for the plan of infant training—­Prevalence of profane swearing—­The example often shewn by parents—­Anecdote in illustration—­Parents ill used by their young children—­Christian-like wish of George III.—­Education for poor children still objected to—­Folly of such objections illustrated—­Lectures on the subject of infant training.

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“The most likely and hopeful reformation of the road must begin with children.  Wholesome laws and good sermons are but slow and late ways; the timely and most compendious way is a good education.”—­Archbishop Tillotson.

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Having brought the prevalency of juvenile delinquency immediately before the eyes of my readers, by various examples in the second chapter, and in the third exhibited a few of the causes of it, I shall now proceed to point out what, in my humble opinion appears to be the only efficient remedy, namely, the education of the infant poor.  It may not be amiss, however, to glance at the means which have heretofore been employed, and found, though productive of some good, inefficient for the end proposed.

As preventives, I may notice the numerous national and Sunday schools, tract societies, &c., established throughout the kingdom.  These have doubtless much good effect, and deserve the zealous support of every one who has at heart the welfare of society in general, and the improvement of the labouring classes in particular.  Many have been plucked, “as brands from the burning,” by these institutions; which are a blessing to the objects of their benevolence, and an honour to their conductors and supporters.  That Sunday schools are not wholly efficient, in conjunction with other institutions, to accomplish the end desired, is to be attributed, on the one hand, to the small portion of time in which their salutary influence is exerted; and, on the other, to their not admitting children at a sufficiently early age.  At the period usually assigned for their entrance, they have not only acquired many evil habits, but their affections have become so thoroughly perverted, as to offer great, and, in some cases, insuperable obstacles to the corrective efforts of their teachers.  Each child brings into the school some portion of acquired evil, making, when united, a formidable aggregate, and affording every facility for mutual contamination.  Add to this, the counteracting effect which the bad examples