103 to the Inspector; while in November 1854, when you visited the school last, the numbers were respectively 161 and 132. I may add that we contemplate making a further rise in the prices of some of the books after Christmas, and that after carefully noting the progress of my school during the last two years, in which we have enforced the purchase of school materials, I may safely assert that we have hardly lost one lad through our so doing. Where it may have appeared that such was the case, further inquiry has proved that the lad was one whom his parents were thinking of sending to work, and therefore they did not care to make any unnecessary outlay at school for him. The books which the different classes require, and the prices at which they will be sold to the boys of the school only, are as follow: Each boy must be provided with a bag for his books. At the last inspection I have said that the names of 161 boys were on the school books. These were the children of persons following the undermentioned avocations : together with six others, the occupation of whose parents is not recorded. This last table shows that we are not driving away the poor by our insisting on the purchase of school materials. The Rev. H. W. Bellairs. I have the honor to be, &c. (Signed) RICHARD HOLMES. P.S.-During the last year I have established a school library of nearly 300 volumes. I began with a few of my own, and when these had been well thumbed, and were well known, I proposed to the boys, or rather led them to propose to me that funds should be collected to purchase more. They took up the idea, and collected 17. 12s. themselves, which I increased to upwards of 107.; the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge added 51., altogether enabling me to procure the really good collection of books which I had the honour and pleasure of showing you. R. H. COVENTRY, ST. MICHAEL'S SCHOOL. 9 October 1854. At the beginning of the nine months, during which I have had charge of this school, the Rev. H. W. Bellairs paid a special visit. He suggested the plan of requiring each boy to purchase his own reading-book. We are gratified to state, after about five months' experience, that its effects have been beneficial to the school. The attendance and children's payments have steadily increased, and another advantage is, we are enabled to give the boys such evening lessons as the parents of our children can appreciate, and which consequently are better done, than when set in grammar geography, &c. I do not find, generally, that the parents will encourage their children to do lessons at home which they do not understand themselves. The boys now purchase a reading-book and a slate on being admitted into the school. In cases where the parents are very poor, the whole amount for book and slate is not required at once, but a small deposit for each, as a guarantee that they will supply their children as soon as they are able. I have not, I am happy to say, had a single instance of a parent refusing to pay the whole or part of the sum required on the day of admission. In order to introduce the plan among the children already admitted, I began with one class. When they had paid about half their money, I allowed them to take their books home. This appeared to please the parents very much. I took the smallest deposits, even farthings, and consequently they soon finished paying for them. I followed the same course with the other classes, and have now succeeded in supplying nearly all the children with books and slates. Occasionally a parent was obstinate, but I overcame the difficulty by giving the boy a halfpenny or a penny as a first deposit. The books are now sold at the ordinary prices. The following list, sold during the last five months, does not include copy and other writing books, map books, poetry books, &c. which the children purchase for themselves: BIRMINGHAM, ST. PAUL'S SCHOOL. The system of the children purchasing their own reading-books, was introduced into the boys' school on the 1st of April 1854, and from that time to the end of June following the amount paid for books and slates is as follows: £ s. d. 0 11 0 074 20 copies of the Manual of Arithmetic, (Irish Board) 11 copies of the Manual of Book-keeping 10 copies of Bromby's Abridgment of Pupil-teacher's Grammar 0 6 8 copies of Juvenile Atlas 040 £1 8 0 BRISTOL, ST. PAUL'S SCHOOL. Books sold to children from January 9 to March 31, 1854. 19 Slates at 3d. 15 Second-class Book (Irish Board) at 4d. 4 Third-class Books at 8d. 13 Fourth ditto at 9d.. 8 Grammars at 4d. 12 Arithmetics at 4d. £ s. d. 049 0.5.0 060 0 2 8 099 02.0 040 1 Dozen Pencil-cases at 4d. 003 2 Arithmetics, by Ingram and Trotter, at 2s. 040 1 Composition, by Cornwell 1 4 £1 19 9 WORCESTER, ST. PETER'S SCHOOL. List of Books purchased in about Ten Months. 72 Third reading-books, ditto, old and new 30 Wilson's Grammars (small) ld. 40 Scripture Proofs, at ld. 70 Miracles, at Old. 100 Parables of our Lord, at Old. 150 Catechisms, at Old. 90 Copy-books, at 2d. 200 Pencil cases, at Old. 70 Pen-holders, at Old. Bags, various Slate pencil APPENDIX C. INDUSTRIAL WORK. THE following extract, from a short review of the life of the late William Davis, Esq., of Leytonstone, will give some idea of the success which, under certain circumstances, may be made to attend schools of industry : · In 1807 he built and endowed the Free School in Gower's-walk, Whitechapel. From the first he perceived the defect which pervades the education of the poor, and he applied the remedy. The children then, as they do now, to earn a shilling or two a-week in wages, left school at the age of ten or eleven, before the merest rudiments, to say nothing of any higher objects, of education were attained. D D |