16 



on the part of the Committee to give to the working classes facilities 

 for reading within easy distance from their homes. Books are not 

 supplied ; but, instead, the principal London and local papers and a large 

 selection of useful and entertaining magazines and periodicals are 

 provided. The rooms are fairly successful, but the school furniture and 

 the difficulty of storing chairs and tables for reading purposes prevent 

 anything like a complete success. 



The attendances are as follows : — 



Atten- 

 dance. 



Chatsworth Street Board School 30,866 



Queen's Road Board School 21,282 



Stanley Road Board School 30,800 



Wellington Road School 25,643 



Totals 108,591 356 116,912 383 



FREE LECTURES. 



The Free Lectures are among the more important and encouraging 

 work of this Institution. The number of lectures delivered during the 

 year have been 49, and the audiences have averaged for each of the 37 

 Winter Lectures 855, and for the 12 delivered in the Autumn 699. 



The lectures are intended to encourage useful reading, but especially to 

 give to artizans and labourers the opportunity of gaining information in 

 science, history, geography, &c., which want of time or deficiencies of 

 early education prevents them acquiring in a more sure and solid, but 

 less attractive way. The total number of persons who attended the 

 lectures was 40,025. The lectures were as follows : — 



Winter Series. 

 Argent, W. I. " How our Fathers Played and Sung ; " with Vocal 



and Instrumental Illustrations. 

 Argent, W. I. " Music I have Heard ; " with Vocal and Instrumental 



Illustrations. 

 BiRCHALL, Jambs. " The Hansa : the Great Commercial Union of 



Medieval Europe ; " illustrated by the Oxyhydrogen Light. 

 Carey, F. S., m.a.. Professor of Mathematics, University College, 



Liverpool. " Horrocks, the Toxteth Astronomer ; " illustrated by 



the Oxyhydrogen Light. 



d 



