Ragged Schools.

Ragged Schools. The Ragged School, as distinct from the Certified Industrial School, is a voluntary agency providing education for destitute children, and so preventing them from falling into vagrancy and crime. Vagrant children, and those guilty of slight offences, are provided for in the Certified Industrial School; but the two institutions are frequently combined. The movement which established ragged schools was almost simultaneous with that which instituted reformatories. John Pounds, a poor shoemaker at Portsmouth, has the honour of originating the idea. For twenty years, up to the time of his death in 1839, he gathered the ragged children of the district round him as he sat at work. They came freely, and were taught gratuitously. The success attending his humble efforts soon led many more influential friends of the 'outcasts' to engage in the same work. In 1838 London had a Ragged Sunday School, which eventually became a free day-school. Field Lane followed in 1843. But the first ragged feeding-school was opened in 1841 by Sheriff Watson, in Aberdeen. In 1845 the Rev. Dr Robertson, not then aware of the existence of Sheriff Watson's, opened a similar school in the Vennel, Edinburgh. Soon afterwards Dr Guthrie's famous Plea for Ragged Schools appeared, a work which gave an irresistible impetus to the movement, and caused the author to be generally regarded as the father of ragged schools. A ragged school was founded at the Castle Hill in 1847 (since 1887 at Liberton). After this ragged schools spread over all the land, until there was scarcely a town of any importance that had not one or more. The Education Acts—England, 1870, and Scotland, 1872—introduced the principle of compulsory attendance at school; under this provision, a large number—especially in England—of such as were merely free day-schools became public schools. But, as the Education Acts make no provision for feeding the children, the managers of feeding-schools find themselves compelled to continue their efforts. In places where the system has been efficiently conducted juvenile crime has sensibly diminished. The ragged schools do not receive government aid. The capitation grant of £2, 10s., allowed by a Privy-council minute in 1856, was withdrawn in 1859.