induc'd the promoters of the late Erected Free School in Westminster to Attempt it, (wch briefly were the pernicious consequences yt arise from the too great Liberty wch is given to the poorer Sorte of Youth) & observing the great Likelihood of its answering their Design, from the great Change they see already wrought in the Mañers & Carriage of the Said poor Children, & the further happy Results wch may reasonably be hop'd for from them, under their Intended Education, (comparatively with what they woud otherwise have had) & withall considering how greatly this Parish aboundeth with such poor Children, who for want of being better engag'd were seldom out of the Feilds, where from the Company that frequents those places, they generally learn & contract such evil Customs & Acquaintance whereby they become not onely a perpetual Grief & Vexation to their friends, & Annoyance to all about them, but often bring their own lives also, by their wicked Actions, to Shamefull and Untimely Ends. Hereupon Communicating their Minds to some of their Acquaintance, who approving the thing, & Spontaneously offering their Assistance towards the Erecting the like in this Parish, not onely by their Purses, but by their Time, & Recomendation thereof to all those whose Vertuous Conversation they should think would incline them thereto; D' Hern also upon our Application to him for his Advice therein giving many Wishes to it, we quickly procurd Subscriptions amounting to eighteen Pounds p. An. wch we thought soe hopefull a Beginning, that there was no Ground to Suspect the Design could Sink. Whereupon at our Assembly Nov (10, 16)99 the Persons undernam'd agreed upon a Certain Day of Meeting once a week to Consider and Advise, what ways & Means were most probable to Effect their Design, or bring their Purpose to a perfect Establishment.

(Signatures. . ..)

From the Prospect of Success we have in this Matter from the Subscriptions already made, & our Hopes of their further Enlargemt through the general Approbation of the thing, 't is Resolv'd, that M' Edmd Holmes & Mr Cook do take a Room or Roomes convenient for that Purpose.

That because a Schoolmaster sir for this Business, is not to be had, at every Juncture of time, Enquiry be made after such an One.

At a subsequent meeting it was Resolv'd, that the Number Boys first admitted into the School be no more than forty;

That the said forty Boys be Cloath'd by Christmas Eve with Caps, Bands, Coates, Gloves, Shooes & Stockins;

That afterwards, if we find ye Subscriptions rise, so as to answer, the said Number of forty be advanc'd to fifty. Order'd.

That M' Cook and M1 Webb desire M' Mewit (ye Church Warden)

wth

to give us his Company at our next Meeting, to ye End, we may Consider how the Boys may be Accomodated wth a Pew in ye Church, ye least Inconvenience to the Congregation.

That Mr Ed. Holmes and M' Cook do make all ye Enquiry they can, what Boys are ye greatest Objects of Charity, & consequently fittest to be reciev'd into this School, & make their Report ye next Meeting.

238. Charity-School Organization and Instruction

(An Account of Charity Schools Lately Erected, etc., p. 4. London, 1709) The following regulations as to the master, instruction, and pupils were common in the organization of charity-schools in England. They state well the aim and purpose of the schools maintained, and the nature of the instruction imparted.

In many schools the Orders were to the effects following:

(a) Qualifications for the Master

I. The master to be elected for this school, shall be

1. A member of the Church of England of a sober life and conversation, not under the Age of 25 years.

2. One that frequents the Holy Communion.

3. One that hath a good Government of himself and his Passions. 4. One of a Meek Temper and Humble Behaviour.

5. One of a good Genius for Teaching.

6. One who understands well the Ground and Principles of the
Christian Religion, and is able to give a good account thereof
to the Minister of the Parish or Ordinary on Examination.
7. One who can Write a good Hand, and who understands the
Grounds of Arithmetick.

8. One who keeps good order in his Family.

9. One who is approved by the Minister of the Parish (being a Subscriber) before he is presented to be Licensed by the Ordinary.

(b) Purpose and Nature of the Instruction

II. The following Orders shall be observed by the Master and Scholars. 1. The Master shall constantly attend his proper Business in the School during the Hours appointed for Teaching, viz., from 7 to 11 in the Morning and from 1 to 5 in the Evening the Summer half year: And from 8 to 11 in the Morning and from I to 4 in the Evening the Winter half year; that he may improve the Children in good Learning to the utmost of his Power and prevent the Disorders that frequently happen for want of the Master's Presence and Care.

2. To the End the chief design of this School, which is for the Education of Poor Children in the Rules and Principles of the Christian Religion as professed and taught in the Church of England, may be the better promoted; The Master shall make it his chief Business to instruct the Children in the Principles thereof, as they are laid down in the Church Catechism; which he shall first teach them to pronounce distinctly, and plainly; and then, in order to practice, shall explain it to the meanest capacity, by the help of The whole Duty of Man, or some good Exposition approved of by the Minister.

And this shall be done constantly twice a week; that everything in the Catechism may be the more perfectly repeated and understood. And the Master shall take particular care of the Manners and Behaviour of the Poor Children.

And by all proper methods shall discourage and correct the beginnings of Vice, and particularly, Lying, Swearing, Cursing, taking God's name in vain, and the Prophanation of the Lord's Day

etc..

3. The Master shall teach them the true spelling of Words, and Distinction of Syllables, with the Points and Stops, which is necessary to true and good Reading, and serves to make the Children more mindful of what they Read.

4. As soon as the Boys can read competently well, the Master shall teach them to write a fair legible Hand, with the Grounds of Arithmetick, to fit them for Services or Apprentices.

[Note.] The Girls learn to read etc. and generally to knit their Stockings and Gloves, to Mark, Sew, make and mend their Cloaths, several learn to write, and some to spin their Cloaths. [5, 6. Provides for Church going on Sundays and Saints' days, and Prayers in School twice daily from the PrayerBook.]

7. [Names-calling at beginning of School] ... Great Faults as Swearing, Stealing etc., shall be noted down in monthly or

FIG. 56

weekly bills to be laid before the Subscribers or Trustees every time they meet, in order to their correction or expulsion. 8. [Holidays.]

9. [Provides that the School is to be free, no charge whatever being made.]

10. [The children are to be sent to school clean.]

II. The Children shall wear their Caps, Bands, Cloaths, and other marks of Distinction every Day, whereby their Trustees and Benefactors may know them, and see what their Behaviour is abroad.

The ordinary charge of a School in London for Fifty Boys Cloath's comes to about £75 per annum, for which a SchoolRoom, Books and Firing is provided, a Master paid, and to each Boy is given yearly Three Bands, one Cap, one Coat, one Pair of Stockings, and one Pair of Shoes.

The cost for a School of 50 Girls is put at £60 a year to include Two Coifs, Two Bands, one Gown and Petticoat, one Pair of knit Gloves, One Pair of Stockings, and Two Pair of Shoes.

239. Textbooks used in an English Charity-School

(Allen, W. O. B., and McClure, E., History of the S. P. C. K., p. 187. London, 1898) The following list of books for the use of the pupils in the charity schools of the Society, published by the printer for the Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (S.P.C.K.), and listed in their catalogue of publications for 1719, gives some idea as to the nature of the instruction in the schools of the time. The list is:

(a) BOOKS Proper to be Used in Charity-Schools

A Bible, Testament, and Common-Prayer Book.

The Church-Catechism.

*The Church-Catechism broke into short Questions. Lewis's Exposition of the Church-Catechism. Worthington's Scripture-Catechism.

The first Principles of practical Christianity.

Dr. Woodward's Short Catechism, with an Explanation of divers

hard Words.

New Method of Catechizing.

Prayers for the Charity-Schools.

The Christian Scholar.

An Exercise for Charity-Schools upon Confirmation.

Pastoral Advice before, and after Confirmation.

The Whole Duty of Man by Way of Question and Answer.

*Abridgment of the History of the Bible, which may be well bound up at the Beginning of the Bible, or at the End.

The Anatomy of Orthography: Or, a practical introduction to the Art of Spelling and Reading English.

The Duty of Public Worship proved, &c.

Lessons for Children, Historical and Practical, &c.

Hymns for the Charity-Schools.

*The title-pages of the two above indicated by asterisks are reproduced here, somewhat reduced in size.

(b) Digest of Lewis' "Exposition of the Church Catechism" W. W. Kemp, in his Support of Schools in Colonial New York by the Society for the Promotion of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (New York, 1913, pp. 273-74), gives the contents of the fourth book in the above list, the full title of which was: "The Church Catechism Explained by Way of Question and Answer and confirmed by Scripture Proofs: divided into Five Parts and Twelve Sections; wherein is given a brief and plain Account of: - I. The Christian Covenant. II. The Christian Faith. III. The Christian Obedience. IV. The Christian Prayer. V. The Christian Sacra