Reformatory and Industrial Schools. 
191 
enclose a letter * from a lad now with a fanner at St. Francis Xavier, Winni- 
peg, who left Liverpool in July last. At the school he earned his fare, from 
Quebec to Winnipeg, and 21. pocket money lie had with him. When admitted, 
he was in the 4th Standard ; before he left he had gone through Barnard Smith's 
arithmetic and had acquired some knowledge of algebra. But his employer will 
value more than his acquaintance with algebra his ability to use the spade, 
the hoe, the saw, chisel, plane, and trowel. 
" Richard H. Attt, 
" Superintendent, 
" Liverpool Farm School, Newton-le- Willows" 
The Superintendent of this school is one of the Nestors of 
Reformatories, and it would be interesting to learn more of his 
experience and views with regard to their management and 
results. The school is easily accessible, being within ten 
minutes' walk of Newton Bridge Station, close to which is 
one of the monster paper-making and printing establishments 
belonging to Messrs. McCorquodale. Many of the Reformatory 
boys work there, and others are employed in shoemaking and 
carpentering at the school. Of the boys whose sole occupations 
are farming and gardening — for the greater part of the year on 
the land attached to the school — several are employed by the 
farmers in the vicinity at hay-time and harvest ; and although 
they pay to the school authorities \s. per day for each boy's 
services, it has been difficult to prevent them giving money 
presents to the boys, who consequently get into trouble, as they 
too frequently purchase prohibited luxuries, especially tobacco. 
In the garden, great attention is given to the production of the 
most highly priced commodities according to the demand for 
them, especially herbs and simple medicinal plants such as 
camomiles ; but rhubarb, and other paying market-garden pro- 
•duce of large growth, are not neglected. A noteworthy feature 
in the management of the land is that, after the arable land has 
been used for the production of farm-crops for six or seven 
years, it is converted into a garden, and the old garden is 
restored to the farm. The educational condition of the boys 
is "well advanced;" at the 1884 examination 11 were in the 
Sixth Standard, 22 in Fifth Standard, 26 in Fourth Standard, 
28 in Third Standard, and 34 in Second Standard ; while 4 
in the First Standard (no doubt recent arrivals) were " very 
ignorant." I may add that Mr. Atty showed me a very credit- 
able little book on Canada, which had been written by an old 
inmate of the school, and had been remarkably well " got up " 
by the printer and publisher. 
* This very interesting letter I returiic 1 to Mr. Atty. It is one of a larfjo 
number of ssuch compositions tliat have been shown to me at different Eefornia- 
tory aud Industrial Schools.— H. M. J. 
