This attempt is being made in certain of the most obscure and squalid parts of the Metropolis10, where rooms are opened, at night, for the gratuitous11 instruction of all comers, children or adults, under the title of RAGGED12 SCHOOLS. The name implies the purpose. They who are too ragged, wretched, filthy13, and forlorn, to enter any other place: who could gain admission into no charity school, and who would be driven from any church door; are invited to come in here, and find some people not depraved, willing to teach them something, and show them some sympathy, and stretch a hand out, which is not the iron hand of Law, for their correction.
Before I describe a visit of my own to a Ragged School, and urge the readers of this letter for God’s sake to visit one themselves, and think of it (which is my main object), let me say, that I know the prisons of London well; that I have visited the largest of them more times than I could count; and that the children in them are enough to break the heart and hope of any man. I have never taken a foreigner or a stranger of any kind to one of these establishments but I have seen him so moved at sight of the child offenders14, and so affected15 by the contemplation of their utter renouncement16 and desolation outside the prison walls, that he has been as little able to disguise his emotion, as if some great grief had suddenly burst upon him. Mr. Chesterton and Lieutenant17 Tracey (than whom more intelligent and humane18 Governors of Prisons it would be hard, if not impossible, to find) know perfectly19 well that these children pass and repass through the prisons all their lives; that they are never taught; that the first distinctions between right and wrong are, from their cradles, perfectly confounded and perverted20 in their minds; that they come of untaught parents, and will give birth to another untaught generation; that in exact proportion to their natural abilities, is the extent and scope of their depravity; and that there is no escape or chance for them in any ordinary revolution of human affairs. Happily, there are schools in these prisons now. If any readers doubt how ignorant the children are, let them visit those schools and see them at their tasks, and hear how much they knew when they were sent there. If they would know the produce of this seed, let them see a class of men and boys together, at their books (as I have seen them in the House of Correction for this county of Middlesex), and mark how painfully the full grown felons21 toil22 at the very shape and form of letters; their ignorance being so confirmed and solid. The contrast of this labour in the men, with the less blunted quickness of the boys; the latent shame and sense of degradation23 struggling through their dull attempts at infant lessons; and the universal eagerness to learn, impress me, in this passing retrospect24, more painfully than I can tell.
For the instruction, and as a first step in the reformation, of such unhappy beings, the Ragged Schools were founded. I was first attracted to the subject, and indeed was first made conscious of their existence, about two years ago, or more, by seeing an advertisement in the papers dated from West Street, Saffron Hill, stating “That a room had been opened and supported in that wretched neighbourhood for upwards25 of twelve months, where religious instruction had been imparted to the poor”, and explaining in a few words what was meant by Ragged Schools as a generic26 term, including, then, four or five similar places of instruction. I wrote to the masters of this particular school to make some further inquiries27, and went myself soon afterwards.
It was a hot summer night; and the air of Field Lane and Saffron Hill was not improved by such weather, nor were the people in those streets very sober or honest company. Being unacquainted with the exact locality of the school, I was fain to make some inquiries about it. These were very jocosely28 received in general; but everybody knew where it was, and gave the right direction to it. The prevailing29 idea among the loungers (the greater part of them the very sweepings30 of the streets and station houses) seemed to be, that the teachers were quixotic, and the school upon the whole “a lark”. But there was certainly a kind of rough respect for the intention, and (as I have said) nobody denied the school or its whereabouts, or refused assistance in directing to it.
It consisted at that time of either two or three — I forget which — miserable rooms, upstairs in a miserable house. In the best of these, the pupils in the female school were being taught to read and write; and though there were among the number, many wretched creatures steeped in degradation to the lips, they were tolerably quiet, and listened with apparent earnestness and patience to their instructors31. The appearance of this room was sad and melancholy32, of course — how could it be otherwise! — but, on the whole, encouraging.
The close, low chamber33 at the back, in which the boys were crowded, was so foul34 and stifling35 as to be, at first, almost insupportable. But its moral aspect was so far worse than its physical, that this was soon forgotten. Huddled36 together on a bench about the room, and shown out by some flaring37 candles stuck against the walls, were a crowd of boys, varying from mere38 infants to young men; sellers of fruit, herbs, lucifer-matches, flints; sleepers39 under the dry arches of bridges; young thieves and beggars — with nothing natural to youth about them: with nothing frank, ingenuous40, or pleasant in their faces; low-browed, vicious, cunning, wicked; abandoned of all help but this; speeding downward to destruction; and UNUTTERABLY IGNORANT.
This, Reader, was one room as full as it could hold; but these were only grains in sample of a Multitude that are perpetually sifting41 through these schools; in sample of a Multitude who had within them once, and perhaps have now, the elements of men as good as you or I, and maybe infinitely42 better; in sample of a Multitude among whose doomed6 and sinful ranks (oh, think of this, and think of them!) the child of any man upon this earth, however lofty his degree, must, as by Destiny and Fate, be found, if, at its birth, it were consigned43 to such an infancy44 and nurture45, as these fallen creatures had!
This was the Class I saw at the Ragged School. They could not be trusted with books; they could only be instructed orally; they were difficult of reduction to anything like attention, obedience46, or decent behaviour; their benighted47 ignorance in reference to the Deity48, or to any social duty (how could they guess at any social duty, being so discarded by all social teachers but the gaoler and the hangman!) was terrible to see. Yet, even here, and among these, something had been done already. The Ragged School was of recent date and very poor; but he had inculcated some association with the name of the Almighty49, which was not an oath, and had taught them to look forward in a hymn50 (they sang it) to another life, which would correct the miseries51 and woes52 of this.
The new exposition I found in this Ragged School, of the frightful53 neglect by the State of those whom it punishes so constantly, and whom it might, as easily and less expensively, instruct and save; together with the sight I had seen there, in the heart of London; haunted me, and finally impelled54 me to an endeavour to bring these Institutions under the notice of the Government; with some faint hope that the vastness of the question would supersede55 the Theology of the schools, and that the Bench of Bishops56 might adjust the latter question, after some small grant had been conceded. I made the attempt; and have heard no more of the subject from that hour.
The perusal57 of an advertisement in yesterday’s paper, announcing a lecture on the Ragged Schools last night, has led me into these remarks. I might easily have given them another form; but I address this letter to you, in the hope that some few readers in whom I have awakened58 an interest, as a writer of fiction, may be, by that means, attracted to the subject, who might otherwise, unintentionally, pass it over.
I have no desire to praise the system pursued in the Ragged Schools; which is necessarily very imperfect, if indeed there be one. So far as I have any means of judging of what is taught there, I should individually object to it, as not being sufficiently59 secular60, and as presenting too many religious mysteries and difficulties, to minds not sufficiently prepared for their reception. But I should very imperfectly discharge in myself the duty I wish to urge and impress on others, if I allowed any such doubt of mine to interfere61 with my appreciation62 of the efforts of these teachers, or my true wish to promote them by any slight means in my power. Irritating topics, of all kinds, are equally far removed from my purpose and intention. But, I adjure63 those excellent persons who aid, munificently64, in the building of New Churches, to think of these Ragged Schools; to reflect whether some portion of their rich endowments might not be spared for such a purpose; to contemplate, calmly, the necessity of beginning at the beginning; to consider for themselves where the Christian65 Religion most needs and most suggests immediate66 help and illustration; and not to decide on any theory or hearsay67, but to go themselves into the Prisons and the Ragged Schools, and form their own conclusions. They will be shocked, pained, and repelled68, by much that they learn there; but nothing they can learn will be one-thousandth part so shocking, painful, and repulsive69, as the continuance for one year more of these things as they have been for too many years already.
Anticipating that some of the more prominent facts connected with the history of the Ragged Schools, may become known to the readers of The Daily News through your account of the lecture in question, I abstain70 (though in possession of some such information) from pursuing the question further, at this time. But if I should see occasion, I will take leave to return to it.
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entreating
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的现在分词 ) | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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gaol
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| n.(jail)监狱；(不加冠词)监禁；vt.使…坐牢 | |
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throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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gratuitous
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| adj.无偿的，免费的；无缘无故的，不必要的 | |
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ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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offenders
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| n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物） | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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renouncement
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| n.否认，拒绝 | |
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lieutenant
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| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
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humane
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| adj.人道的，富有同情心的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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perverted
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| adj.不正当的v.滥用( pervert的过去式和过去分词 )；腐蚀；败坏；使堕落 | |
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felons
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| n.重罪犯( felon的名词复数 )；瘭疽；甲沟炎；指头脓炎 | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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degradation
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| n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变 | |
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retrospect
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| n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯 | |
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upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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generic
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| adj.一般的，普通的，共有的 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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jocosely
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| adv.说玩笑地，诙谐地 | |
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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sweepings
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| n.笼统的( sweeping的名词复数 )；（在投票等中的）大胜；影响广泛的；包罗万象的 | |
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instructors
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| 指导者，教师( instructor的名词复数 ) | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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stifling
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| a.令人窒息的 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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sleepers
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| n.卧铺（通常以复数形式出现）；卧车( sleeper的名词复数 )；轨枕；睡觉（呈某种状态）的人；小耳环 | |
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ingenuous
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| adj.纯朴的，单纯的；天真的；坦率的 | |
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sifting
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| n.筛，过滤v.筛( sift的现在分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审 | |
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infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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consigned
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| v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的过去式和过去分词 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃 | |
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infancy
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| n.婴儿期；幼年期；初期 | |
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nurture
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| n.养育，照顾，教育；滋养，营养品；vt.养育，给与营养物，教养，扶持 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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benighted
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| adj.蒙昧的 | |
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deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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51
miseries
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| n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人 | |
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woes
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| 困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉 | |
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frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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impelled
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| v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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supersede
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| v.替代；充任 | |
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bishops
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| （基督教某些教派管辖大教区的）主教( bishop的名词复数 )； （国际象棋的）象 | |
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perusal
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| n.细读，熟读；目测 | |
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58
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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secular
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| n.牧师，凡人；adj.世俗的，现世的，不朽的 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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appreciation
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| n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨 | |
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adjure
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| v.郑重敦促(恳请) | |
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munificently
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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hearsay
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| n.谣传，风闻 | |
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repelled
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| v.击退( repel的过去式和过去分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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abstain
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| v.自制，戒绝，弃权，避免 | |
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