"I was in Mrs. B. -'s shop," said the teacher, "when a woman came in, and said, 'Do you know where a Mr. Swho preaches at Whitechapel, lives? My girl is very ill, and she will not give me any peace till I find him out. She says

she wants to see him directly.' I said I knew where you lived, and I would fetch you. I am very glad I have found you." The teacher told Mr. S- where the little girl lived, and he went to see her directly. It was not very easy to find the place, for he had to turn out of the wide street into some little streets, and then into a dirty court, and then into another dirtier and darker still. The opposite houses were very near together, and the cheerful sky could not be seen from them. When he found the house, he saw that it was not clean and pleasant, like the houses in which many of my little readers live. The panes of the windows were broken and stuffed with rags. There were no chairs to sit upon, only one or two stools, and the room smelt badly. There were children crying and quarrelling, and a woman with a loud voice scolding and swearing at them. Mr. S hardly liked to go into so dirty and wicked a place; but he was a minister of the Gospel, and he knew that he ought to be ready to go wherever there was any good to be done.

The room was so dark, that when Mr. S- first went in, he could scarcely see about him. As he looked around, however, he spied a little bed in the corner. Indeed, I ought not to call it a bed, for it was only some straw laid on an old wooden bedstead. A little girl about thirteen years of age lay upon it. She looked very ill; and she had no nice blankets and sheets about her-nothing but a piece of dirty sacking as a counterpane. When she saw Mr. S- she rose up on her bed, and stretched out her thin hands to him, and said, "Oh! Mr. S I am so glad to see you; I have been wanting to see you so long."

"How is this? I do not know you, my little girl," said Mr. S.

"Oh! sir, but I know you! I heard you preach, and I wanted to see you," she said again.

"Where did you hear me preach ? " Mr. S asked.

"I should like to tell you, sir, if you please," said the little girl; and she began her story:-"I have been ill for a long time," she said, "and one Sunday afternoon I felt weary and ill, and I tried every place in the room, but I could not rest; and mother said, 'Why can't you

sit still? You had better go out and take a walk.' So, sir, I went out, and I walked down Whitechapel till I was very tired, and I wanted to sit down and rest. I did not like to sit down in the street. Just then I came to a church, and I thought that if I went in there, I should find a place to sit down. It was your church, and you were preaching to the Sunday School children. The text was, 'It is time to seek the Lord.' I thought, as I listened to the sermon-I am very ill. I get weaker every day. Perhaps I shall die soon. It is time for me to seek the Lord. So I did seek Him, and I hope I have found him; and I am so happy. I wanted to see you, sir, to thank you, and to tell you how happy I am.'

You may be sure that it gave Mr. S. much pleasure to hear all this. He talked to the little girl, and asked her many questions. It seemed as if she had indeed found her Saviour, and as if he had himself taught her by his Word and his Spirit, for she had no one else to teach her. She could read; and she had a little Testament and an old hymn-book; and she read these very much. Mr. Sasked a good woman in his congregation to visit her; and she, too, was much pleased with her. He went again himself very soon, and talked to the little girl for some time. He took up her hymn-book, and found several of the leaves turned down. He read some, and asked her why she liked them. "Because it is just as I feel, sir," she said. They were beautiful hymns, and such as no one could feel who had not been taught to feel them by the Spirit of God. I think Mr. S but I am not quite sure. The next time he went, he saw the little bedstead in the corner, but the little girl was not on it. The mother was in the room, and Mr. S- turned to her for an explanation. "Well, I will tell you about it," she said. "On Saturday I was peeling potatoes by the window, and she called, "Mother!' I went to her, and she raised herself up in the bed, and put her arms around my neck, and said, 'Mother, I want to speak to you, and I want to kiss you. I am going to die; but I am so happy. Oh! mother, do go to hear Mr. S preach, and ask father to go, and do let my brothers go to the Sunday School. Oh! mother, I am so happy!' She went on so till she was quite tired, and she let go my neck, and fell back on the bed. I went on peeling my potatoes; and when I had turned round, she was dead."

saw her a third time,

Mr. S- was very sorry that he had not been there when the little girl died. Two or three days after, he thought that he ought to go and see the poor wicked mother, and try to do her good. He found the house shut up, and he knocked and knocked without getting any answer. At last a woman looked out of a window in the next house, and asked what he wanted. "I want Mrs.," he answered. "Oh!" said the woman, "you will not see her. The father has been sent to prison, and the mother and children went away in the night, and no one knows what has become of them." Then Mr. S felt thankful that God had taken the dear child to be with himself.

My dear little readers, this little girl had only heard one sermon, but she attended and believed. Perhaps you have heard many without feeling or minding them, or being any the better for them. Is it not time for you to seek the Lord ?— Episcopal Recorder.

THE IRISH BOY AND THE PRIEST.

A PRETTY Irish boy in humble life,
Whose father took a Protestant to wife,
To mother's church an inclination had,
But father unto mass would force the lad.

Yet still the boy to church on Sunday stole,
And evidenc'd a wish to save his soul.
The Rector eyed the youth, his zeal approved,
And gave a Bible, which he dearly loved.
This made the enraged father storm and curse,
Lock up the book, and use his son the worse.
Yet still the boy to church on Sunday stole,
And evidenc'd a wish to save his soul.
At length one Sunday morn it came to pass,
The father dragged the struggling boy to mass;
The zealous papist helped to force him in,
And begg'd the priest to pardon all his sin.
"No, by the mass," he said, "I cannot bless,
Nor pardon, till the culprit first confess."
"Well," quoth the boy, "supposing I were
willing,

What is your charge ?" "I'll charge you but a shilling."

"Do all men pay, and all men make confession ?" "Yes, every one of Catholic profession." "And whom do you confess to ?"

"Why, the dean." "And does he charge you?" "Yes, a white thirteen."

"And do the deans confess ?" "Yes, boy, they do,

Confess to bishops, and pay smartly too."

"Do bishops then confess, pay, and to whom?" "Why they confess, and pay the pope of Rome." "Well," quoth the boy, "all this is mighty

odd,

But does the pope confess ?" "Oh yes, to God."

"And does God charge the pope ?" "No," said the priest,

"He charges nothing." "Oh, then God's the best,

He's able to forgive, and always willing,
To him I will confess, and save my shilling."

WESTMINSTER JUVENILE REFUGE. ON Wednesday Evening, March 12th, the Annual Meeting of the Westminster Juvenile Refuge and School of Industry was held in the Lower Room, Exeter Hall, Lord Ashley, M.P., in the Chair.

The Chairman said, the Committee had nothing very new to state. There was the same necessity for exertion as before, and therefore there must be the same appeal for assistance. Improvements had been effected during the past year by the present master, who had introduced a new branch of industry which was likely to be attended with excellent results. It was true that no

decided or permanent effect appeared yet to have been introduced on the condition of society at large, so gigantic was the evil to be contended with; but in many instances children had been reclaimed from vice, and placed in a respectable station in society. A vast amount of the pauperism and wretchedness with which they had to deal arose from the demoralization of parents; and intemperance was, he believed, the real cause of two-thirds of the vice which prevailed. Mr. Porter had shown, that in the three articles of spirits, beer, and tobacco, the working people of these three kingdoms expended annually no less than £57,000,000. If that amount were saved, and employed in the education of the rising generation and in providing for old age, the benefits which would accrue would be enormous. Notwithstanding the fearful impediments which existed, much

good had been effected by Ragged Schools; and evidence of this was afforded in letters which had been received from boys who had emigrated. A letter had been received from a boy settled near New York, who out of the ten years before he was received into a Refuge, spent no less than six in prison. The noble Lord then read a letter from this boy, from which it appeared that the writer was earning a respectable livelihood, and at the same time felt extremely grateful for the benefits he had received. He also read a letter from two other boys, who stated that they were in good employment, and receiving five dollars each per month in addition to board and lodging. Such facts ought, said the noble Lord, to lead to renewed exertions. He was sorry to say that the institution stood greatly in need of funds, and, without increased pecuniary assistance, there was a probability of its doors being closed.

For Abstract of Report see page 86. On the motion of the Rev. H. Hughes, seconded by the Rev. E. Pizey, the Report was adopted unanimously.

The Rev. Mr. Leask moved a Resolution pledg ing the Meeting to extended and permanent support of the institution in its enlarged form.

The Resolution was seconded by Mr. Williams, and adopted.

On the motion of Carter Wood, Esq., seconded by Mr. Haselden, a vote of thanks was given to the Chairman.

LAMBETH RAGGED

SCHOOLS.

Munificent Gift by Mr. Beaufoy. WEDNESDAY, the 5th of March, having been appointed for the opening public meeting at the newly-erected Lambeth Ragged Schools, large crowds of persons, of both sexes and of all ranks, assembled at and immediately opposite the building, between the hours of one and two o'clock. The occasion was certainly one of no ordinary occurrence, seeing that these schools, the largest of the kind in the metropolis, and by far the most spacious and elegant in construction, have been built at the sole expense of Henry Benjamin Hanbury Beaufoy, Esq., of Caron Place, South Lambeth, at the munificent cost of £10,000, in addition to which the benevolent donor has invested the sum of £4,000 in the funds, the interest derivable from which is to be appropriated to the keeping of the building in permanent repair. Such an instance of princely bounty and practical sympathy for the poor--one so wholly unexampled in the history of Ragged Schools-naturally caused the meeting, or, rather, we should say the meetings-for two had to be held simultaneously, the one in the boys' school, and the other in the girls', in order to satisfy and accommodate the hundreds who attended-to be an occasion of heartfelt

gratitude towards the respected gentleman we have just named. The building he has thus presented in perpetuity to the most wretched and hitherto almost uncared for of his fellow-beings may be truly said to be a striking ornament to the neighbourhood in which it stands. It is situated in an obscure street called Doughty Street, Lambeth Walk-a district of the parish of Lambeth, where thousands of the most ragged and neglected children reside, and where squalid poverty may be met with in every direction. We may add, that the rear of the building, in which there are yards and washing-rooms for the pupils, is bounded by the arches of the South Western Railway. In the centre of the front, which is slightly elevated above the adjoining wings, is engraven over the portico the following welldeserved inscription to the memory of the deceased wife of the munificent donor :

"Eliza Conjugis bene merita ut impleret votum ad usum Egentissimorum, has ædes scholasticas Posuit, dedit, dotavit Henricus B. H. Beaufoy, Maritus superstes Anno Domini, MDCCCL." The inscription under the sculpture at the back of the building is as follows:-"Those that do teach young babes, do it with gentle means and easy tasks."-Othello, act 4, scene 2. Over each of the doors leading into the boys' and girls' principal school-rooms, marble tablets have been erected by the Committee, which bear the subjoined testimony to the public and private worth of Mr. Beaufoy and his esteemed partner :

"This Tablet is erected by the Committee of
THE LAMBETH RAGGED SCHOOLS,
as a grateful record of the munificence of
HENRY BENJAMIN HANBURY BEAUFOY, Esq.,
of Caron Place, South Lambeth,

by whom these Schools have been built and endowed;
and also in grateful remembrance of
ELIZA his Wife,

whose unspeakable private worth
has here

a fit memorial,

and whose benevolence and special kindness to poor children will live in the gratitude of generations who shall enjoy the benefits of these Schools. "She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.' "Children arise up, and call her blessed.' "Prov. xxxi. ver. 20 and 28."

One of the meetings was held in the girls' school-room, and was presided over by W. Williams, Esq., M. P. for Lambeth. It was

crowded.

The principal meeting was held in the boys' school-room, and was presided over by the Right Hon. Lord Ashley, M.P.; and on the platform were several clergymen and ministers of the district, and other gentlemen. The room was densely filled, chiefly by the middle and upper classes, among whom were several very fashionably-dressed ladies.

The Rev. Mr. Wix having opened the proceedings with prayer, the noble Chairman said, they were assembled there that day to celebrate the opening of an institution that was consecrated to the training of the children of that district in the faith and fear of Almighty God. They were there, he hoped, also, to express their unfeigned thanks to Almighty God that he had put it into the heart of the pious and munificent donor of that building to erect such an edifice for the great and sacred purpose for which it was designed. It would be clear to them that another person, on such an occasion, ought to have occupied the chair. The chair should have been occupied by the individual whose munificent act they were met to acknowledge, but his modesty forbade it; he was unwilling to appear amongst them to receive the congratulations and thanks of the public, and therefore it became his (Lord Ashley's) duty to act as his coadjutor on this deeply interesting occasion. Now, many persons might say, as he knew they had said, that that new edifice was somewhat too grand for the purpose for which it was intended-that its extent and magnificence exceeded the object for which it was designed. Upon that he would not stop to remark, but he would direct attention to thisthat if it were in some measure on a higher character and on a greater scale than that which had hitherto been the lot and portion of this neglected class, let the edifice be taken, not as a sample of the condition in which they are, but as a sample of the condition to which we would raise them. (Loud applause.) Let them see that this is the level on which we would place them, and however low they may be grovelling in the mire-however much they may be in physical and in moral condition below the level, not of the wealthy, but of the comfortable and easy of the land-let them see that it is by means such as these that we would raise them to a higher level, and place them in that condition in which every born subject of this realm ought to be, and, by the constitution of this land, could be, with a career open before them to rise by virtue and merit to the highest position, to sit with the princes of the earth, and to take their station with the noble and the wealthy. (Applause.) But he would direct the attention of the meeting to other matters, and tell them at once that it would not be sufficient, with views such as he had just expressed, to content themselves with the erection simply of schools. They must go much further. They must look into the whole condition of the people, more especially as concerned their sanitary relations. They must look, particularly in districts such as Lambeth, for it had obtained an unenviable notoriety for filth and misery-they must look into the state of the dwellings of the poorer classes, into the supply of water, into everything which contributed to decency and comfort, and which exalted and preserved their physical condition-for he need scarcely observe that the physical condition was intimately interwoven with the moral condition, and that it was impossible for a man that was trampled down below the level of the brute to walk as a moral being in all the rectitude and newness of life. (Cries of "Hear, hear.") Therefore, let the meeting give all their aid to these objects. Let them engage in this great work, for they might depend upon it that if they would examine into all these matters they would come to the conclusion

to which he had long come, owing to the inquiry he had been necessitated to institute-namely, that a very great part of the pauperism, misery, and vice of large towns arose from the sanitary condition of the people, from exposure to sickness, from depression of health and spirits, from all the evil influences of intemperance, and from a thousand other causes. After cautioning the conductors against making the schools the means of parade, and display, and annual exhibitions, his Lordship stated that he had no objection to any amount of secular knowledge being imparted that might be of use to the pupils in after life, but the great basis of all their teaching must be true, sound, evangelical Protestantism. (Loud cheers.) The pupils must have put before them the saying of the great Chillingworth-"The Bible, and the Bible alone, is the religion of Protestants." (Renewed cheers.) Let the conductors stand upon that great truth, let them build no edifice upon the sands, but let them lay it upon that immovable rock, and they might depend upon it that the school would never fail.

Mr. F. Doulton, the honorary secretary, then read the following statement :

"The Committee of the Lambeth Ragged Schools, in appearing before the public on the interesting occasion of opening this splendid and commodious building, desire to lay before the meeting some facts respecting its origin and erection. In 1845, a few of the destitute and degraded children, below the level of those for whom instruction is provided by the ordinary means, were gathered together on Sabbath evenings, in the Palace Yard School-room, formerly used as the Welsh Chapel, but for some time past devoted to the purposes of Sunday School instruction. Large numbers of the ragged class of children were thus brought together, and in 1846 Lord Ashley, desirous of extending the benefits of Ragged Schools, after visiting the courts and alleys of this district, met a few gentlemen of the neighbourhood, who formed themselves into a committee for the purpose of providing secular instruction during the week. Soon afterwards the number of children became too large for accommodation in the Palace Yard School, and the South Western Railway Company kindly granted the use of one of their arches. About this time the schools excited the benevolent sympathy of the late Mrs. Beaufoy, who aided it by pecuniary contributions. Her much-lamented death did not deprive them of that good she had purposed in her heart to bestow, for after several munificent donations, Mr. Beaufoy intimated his intention of building new and substantial schools, which should be at once the fulfilment of her benevolent wishes, and a lasting monument to her worth. The result is, the splendid schools in which we now meet, replete with every convenience, and erected at a cost of about £10,000. Anxious that so extensive an erection should at no future time entail expense upon the Committee, Mr. Beaufoy further purposes to invest the sum of £4,000 in the funds, the interest of which shall be devoted to maintaining the fabric in substantial and perfect repair for all time. The Committee are thus wisely left to provide for the educational purposes of the school, which has a tendency to keep them in the healthful and active exercise of watchful oversight and careful prudent management; and while, on the one hand, they call upon all to join with them in gratitude to the founder of so noble an institution, they also make an earnest appeal to Christians of all denominations for that liberal and hearty support which shall best attest their gratitude and prove their sympathy with the objects contemplated in this important enterprise. The Ragged School, which has hitherto been held in Palace Yard and

in the railway arch, will now remove to this building, and will meet on Sabbath evenings for religious teaching, and on five nights in the week for secular instruction. The infant school, which has been held in Palace Yard, will also be drifted hither, and will meet in the mornings and afternoons. The sum required for the thorough working out of the plans contemplated by the Committee will not fall short of £200 a year, and it is confidently hoped that those who have faith in the power of education to raise the masses, and thus surround us with a safer and more hopeful community, will not be backward in seconding their purposes. The Committee have only to add, that the Annual Meeting, which has been postponed from December, will be held on the 23rd of April, when the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor of London is expected to preside; and as some slight mark of respect, the Annual Meeting will in future date from the 23rd of April, being the birthday of the founder of this Institution.'

The Meeting was afterwards addressed by the Rev. Mr. Christmas, Rev. Dr. Mortimer, Rev. J. B. Brown, Rev. Mr. Aldis, Rev. Mr. Saull, Rev. Mr. Hill, etc.

RAGGED SCHOOL, NORWICH.

ON Thursday, the 20th of February, 1851, the first Public Meeting in aid of this Ragged School was held in the Assembly Rooms, Norwich. The chair was taken by the Sheriff of Norwich, Edward Blakely, Esq., who manifested great interest in the object of the meeting, and warmly advocated the cause of the perishing poor.

The Report was read by Mr. B. T. Sharpe, the Treasurer. It showed that the school had been in existence for nearly three years; that, on an average, one hundred and seventy children of the lowest class, of both sexes, were receiving instruction in it every Sabbath evening; and that on three other evenings in the week, classes had been formed for writing, arithmetic, and general instruction, which were well attended. It also showed that much good had resulted from the school by inducing habits of order, cleanliness, and decency. The school was reported to be entirely unsectarian, and open to all denominations, and to be the only one of the kind in Norwich. The Committee found themselves greatly in debt, and for that reason wisely determined to make the claims of the school known to the public, many of whom were ignorant of its existence.

After the reading of the Report, several interesting addresses were delivered by the Rev. J. Alexander, Rev. P. Bland, Rev. G. Gould, Rev. R. Sedgwick, Mr. Fletcher, Mr. Tillett, Mr. F. Pigg, and the Rev. T. A. Wheeler. Letters were received from the Mayor, the Recorder, Sir J. P. Boileau, Bart., and other gentlemen, expressing their regret at not being able to attend the meeting; and donations and subscriptions were announced by the worthy Sheriff, (who is himself a liberal contributor,) from Professor Sedgwick, James Colman, Esq., the Rev. P. Bland, the Rev. R. Sedgwick, Mr. R. French, Mr. Fletcher, and other gentlemen.

DOVER RAGGED SCHOOL.

THE first Annual Meeting of this school was held at the "Royal Oak" room, Dover, on Friday evening, March the 21st, on which occasion the Mayor presided. The school was said to be in a prosperous state, through which much good had been effected among the juvenile poor of Dover. The meeting was well attended, much interest manifestedin the work, and a liberal collection made on behalf of the school.