A BAND OF MERCY. 
23 
success of our Band is due. They talk and listen to the 
children’s little anecdotes, encouraging them in every way 
that lies in their power, and only the other day one of them said 
to me, “ You cannot think what a help I find it in the school. 
As for myself, often when I am irritable and vexed with the 
children I think of the Band of Mercy, and remember that we 
have to be kind to and help all God’s creatures, and that helps 
me. Again, when there is anything neighbourly wants to be 
done in or out of school, and it is the duty of no one especially 
to do it, I have only to say, ‘ Is there any member of the Band 
of Mercy here who would like to do a kind act ? ’ and always 
some child comes forward.” 
At these monthly meetings I give the children a short address, 
mentioning any cruelty or kindness that may have happened in 
the neighbourhood, and give out a short text, such as “ Be mer- 
ciful,” “ Be pitiful,” “ Be strong,” &c., and explain it in a practical 
form for the members to think of during the month. Then I tell 
them one or two anecdotes about animals, which they greatly 
enjoy, and often members recite a poem or read a story (always 
about kindness), and, if well done, the reciter or reader is clapped 
by us all. Then the magazines are handed out. Each child, on 
its name being called out, comes to the table and takes a maga- 
zine, and receives three good marks if it has medal and money, 
but a o, which takes away one good mark if either is missing, 
or a X if the child is absent, excepting for a really good reason. 
We then sing a Band of Mercy hymn or song, and finish with 
the Band of Mercy prayer. In “ the protection of God’s 
creatures” we include human beings, birds, beasts and flowers, 
as all having been created by God for our use, care, or pleasure. 
This makes the Band of Mercy an every-day help to children 
in hundreds of ways. 
May being the month when our Band was started, we had 
our Band of Mercy treat (which we hope to have annually) in the 
samemonth. Our Yarmouthchildrenhad to come by train, and the 
railway company kindly allowed me return tickets at single fares 
for them. The Freshwater and Totland children joined them at 
Freshwater station, and all the members (children and teachers) 
formed into a procession, the two prize winners heading their 
own schools with a banner. Every member had been told to 
bring a nosegay of either garden or wild flowers, but had also 
been warned against taking them from neighbours’ gardens, 
which I fear is sometimes done on such occasions. Our artillery 
volunteer band, which had lately been formed, had been engaged 
to meet the children and lead the procession and play during 
the treat, which was held in one of our home meadows. On 
arriving at the meadow, the children sang one of our songs, and 
then brought up their nosegays to be packed in two hampers, 
which were at once sent off to London — one to the very poor 
Camberwell Band, the other to a Band in the East End. This 
part of the programme was an enormous pleasure to our chil- 
