The million-peopled city
Garwood, John
1853
Erection of a New School-room, with a large Dormitory.
The great numbers of wretched children who applied for admission into the School beyond what it could contain, led to the erection of new and spacious rooms, capable of accommodating 500 children, which were opened in 1848, six years after the previous school had been established. The present average attendance is on Sunday, in the morn- ing 110, in the afternoon 200, and in the evening, 400 : with a staff of 58 voluntary teachers. In the week, the daily attendance averages 200, and the evening attendance 170. | |
A dormitory has been of late added to this school, as to several others, which is thus described in the "" for :- | |
" In the year , a missionary of the ,] with two friends, visited in the night- time the arches near the school, and found 17 wretched, homeless, and friendless creatures huddled together, having crawled thither, being unable to procure any other lodging- place. They were invited, and came to the School the next morning, when bread was given them, and subsequent instruction. hearing of it, with his accustomed promptness and philanthropy, visited this scene of wretch- edness at midnight, and found a large number of these poor creatures, some of whom were sent and received into the , and similar institutions, until an attic in a neighbouring court was taken, into which eight were admitted, who were exceedingly grateful, though they had naught but the bare boards to rest their wearied limbs upon. Friends who were made acquainted with these facts contributed bread, left-off clothes, mattresses, &c. A small | |
60 | house of four rooms in was shortly afterwards taken, and fitted up as a dormitory. Concerning 50 of these poor creatures, it was ascertained that 33 had lost both parents, 14 had only one parent, and 3 only had both parents living; 23 had no shirt, 16 no shoes, and most of them had their clothes in a most tattered and filthy condition. Some of them had not slept in a bed for five weeks, others for five months, and a few, seldom for years. At length, by the munificence of a benevolent lady, through the , the present Refuge was fitted up underneath the school-room. It was opened in , and accommodated 98 persons. Had the accommodation been for twice that number, it could have been filled every night. It has, therefore, been enlarged so as to sleep up- wards of 160 persons nightly." |
No persons are admitted into this dormitory, but such as attend the | |
The same article from which we have just quoted, adds:- | |
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It is an interesting circumstance that a sermon on behalf of this School, begun so very humbly, was preached in , at the , by the . How little did the founders of this school dream that they should live to behold patronage so exalted given to their unpretending efforts! | |