148 J^roceedings of Public Societies, 



ply of labour in the metropolis has been 

 fai- greater than the demand ; and the 

 Committee are of opinion, that the dis- 

 tress, to which the poor have been ex* 

 l)osid, lro;n this cirenmstance, has, in a 

 gi"Pat measure, produced that laxity of 

 morals, which has rendered a conside- 

 rable number of parents regardless of 

 the welfare of their children. The want 

 of emjiloymciit— the prevalence of im- 

 })rovident nianiages— llie (irg;radin2f ten- 

 dencies of the jjoor laws — and the in- 

 creased faciliiies for the consiunption of 

 spirituous liquors, have doubtless contri- 

 buted much to deteriorate the moral 

 •character, and, consequent ly, to weaken 

 the natural affections of the lower 

 classes of society. To an evil so p,encral 

 and cxtensi\e, it is impossible at once 

 to ai)ply a remedy. TliLs can alone be 

 found in measures, which are calculated 

 to raise the condition, and promote the 

 religious and moral improvement, of the 

 poor at large; upon whom it should be 

 .3mpre.s;cd, that the best security wiiich 

 the parent can have for the hapj.incss of 

 his family, consists in the regard which 

 he pays to his own moral conduct, and 



in the via:ilance and care with which he 

 drains up his oiVsjirins;. 



Among the cases which have come 



wnder the notice of the Society, it ,ap- 



pears that a considerable number of the 



fjoys have received no instruction what- 

 ever; and that, although several have 



j-cpresented that they had attended 



schools, yet few have been able to read 



or write with tolerable accuracy. Ke- 



f,arding, therefore, th<? want of educa- 

 tion, as a powerful cause of the alarming 



depravity which prevails, and is hourly 



cxlendiiij;: its inlluence over the youtli 



among the p(K)r of the metropolis, this 



important (pirstion presents itself — 



"VViiat are the most elticacious measures 



for rendering the instruction of the poor 



universal .' The Committee apjwehend, 



that this desiral>le object can only be ef- 

 fected by interesting every class of the 



• romnnuiity in this great work. ^Vitb 



• Il)is view, il is absolutely necessary, that 

 local societies be established, for the pur- 

 \->os' o' ;i'oviding selioob in those parts 

 ■where there is at present a deficiency in 

 till- respect, and for s'.ippoi ting institu- 

 tions of this nature, wliicii may have 

 lu-en already formed. In the manage- 



• mnit of such x\ssociations, the poor 

 themselves i^iould be permitted to take 



• a share. Each neighbourhood should 

 be visited from house to house — every 

 faidividual should ba iavited. to give \iis 



[Sept. T, 



support. The effect of thus calling into 

 action the energies of the poor would be 

 speedily felt, not only in a pecuniary, 

 but in a moral, point of view ; for, whil^ 

 tiic Associations would deri\c all lh» 

 benefits which arise from the weekly 

 contributions of the many, parents, who 

 thu:s subscribed, would feel a greatoi' in- 

 terest than they at present manifest, in 

 keeping their children constantly at 

 school. That no legislative measnro, 

 M'hicl) Parliament can enact, will super- 

 sede the exerticms of the public at large 

 on this inijMirtant subject, has been ac- 

 knowledged by the Commissioners ap- 

 pointed to iiiquiro into the best means of 

 cxteudiiig the blessings of education in 

 Ireland. It is stated in their Report, 

 that this object will be most eficctually 

 promoted, by means of public associa- 

 tions, voluntarily formed for that pur- 

 pose. Whilst, therefore, the friends of 

 education shonld be encouraged to con- 

 fide in the wisdom and liberality of Par- 

 liament for legislative enactments, if ne- 

 cessary, and for pccnni.ary aid, when ab- 

 solutely reipiired, it is right that the pub- 

 lic siionld bo i.ppievsed wvtli this impor- 

 tant truth, — that to their own exertioms 

 alone are they justified in looking for 

 tlie success of those means, by which 

 knowledge can be nniversally diflused. 



A very considerable number of the 

 boys whose cases have occupied the at- 

 tention of the Committee, have attri- 

 liuled the course of life, in which tl>ey 

 have been engaged, to an association 

 with bad companions. Rut, althongli 

 these youths have been either nnwiiling 

 or unable to retrace their steps in tha 

 progress of ciime, it has appeared on fur- 

 ther examination, that such associations 

 were .seldom the origin of the evil, but 

 that they have been the effect of some 

 cause acting jjrimarily npon the charac- 

 ter. In many instances this cause has 

 been the want of employment. Tlie 

 moral culture of the boys has been neg- 

 lected, and often the poverty of their pa- 

 rents has induced them to endeavour to 

 place their children at an occupation ra- 

 ther than send them to s(;hool. Until a 

 situation could be prociued for a lad un- 

 der these circumstances, his hours have 

 usually been at his awn disposal. The 

 %ivaci(y of youth has impelled him to ac- 

 tion: he has had no legiiimate object for 

 the attention of his mind. Thus exposed 

 to temptation, the wonder wonid ration- 

 ally be, if be did, rather than if he did 

 not, abstain from the suggestions of folly 

 and vice. lu tbo public streets, ho has 

 . . witucissed 



