No. IV.

IN

DAY SCHOOLS AT WESTON.

the year 1795, a free school,* for the edu cation of the children of the industrious poor, in the village of Weston, near Bath, was established there by a lady; who has since succeeded, in forming and supporting four other similar schools, in the same village. The children are admitted at a very early age. They are kept very clean and neat: and, as soon as possible, are taught the Lord's Prayer, the Gloria Patri, and the Catechism. Their instruction proceeds until they can read, knit, mend, and make family apparel, and do all sorts of plain work. They attend the church regularly on Sundays; and those who are able, join in singing psalms in the church; forming themselves in a circle round their patroness, and vying with each other in exemplary decency of conduct. Her allowance for each child's schooling, is three shillings a quarter; a sum comparitively small, but yet supplying a very * Reports, No. XCVII.

useful and acceptable charity, and contributing to the comfortable maintenance of five widow women; who thereby not only receive eight or ten pounds a year each, (the five schools containing near eighty children) but are also put in the way of receiving some additional benefit, from the credit of their situation in the schools.

I said that the children were admitted at a very early age. The reader will be surprised when I add, that they attend the schools so early, as at two years old: each of the little ones being put under the tutelage and care of one of the elder children, and, as soon as they can speak, being taught the Lord's Prayer, and to be attentive and quiet during school hours. Their parents are, in consequence of their admission to the schools, enabled to go out to work, and to carry their labour to the best and most advantageous market.

She never keeps a girl in the schools after the age of twelve. By that time they are suf ficiently advanced in reading, and in the use of the needle, to be of very great benefit at home; or, if not wanted there, to obtain advantageous situations in service. None of the children are allowed to take any pay for sewing work for

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their poor neighbours. That is all done gratis and a useful charity is thereby engrafted on the original plan; the children assisting in mending and making for all the industrious poor of the village. One of the primary objects of this lady is thus attained ;-the making of them, and of the other poor of the village, habitually kind and affectionate to each other. When, however, a girl can read and work well, and is able to make a shirt complete, she is then allowed to take employ from strangers, and to make a profit of her acquired skill in needle work.

In 1795, the time that this lady first began her system of education at Weston, there was only an evening service at the parish church on Sunday; and that so ill attended, as to afford little encouragement to add a service in the morning. The regular and uniform attendance, however, of so great a number of children in the church, the introduction of psalmody by them, their leading the psalm-singing of the church, arranged in a choral body around their beloved protectress, and the consequent attendance of many of the parents and friends of the children, did so increase the congregation, that a successful application was made to the

worthy rector, to add a morning service. The parish church is now well and respectably attended twice every Sunday. A few years back, many of the parishioners never even entered the church doors: the sabbath was generelly considered merely as a day of leisure and riot. At present, small as is the parish, such is the regular attendance on divine service, that fortyfour persons attended yesterday, being Easter day, to receive the sacrament.

As soon as the children are old enough to understand what they read, this lady gives them prayer books, and instructs them how to use them at church. They follow the clergyman in the responses; and in such good order, that a look from her is sufficient, without a word being said, during divine service; The whole of the Sunday she devotes to them; she hears and explains to them the catechism, and makes them repeat the collects; but she provides no other books of religious instruction. than the Bible and the Prayer Book, and some selections from them; reserving the rest for oral communication. Of her method of communicating information on religious subjects, I can repeat an instance that occurred only last week. A girl in her schools had just attended

the funeral of her father, a pious and honest labourer at Weston. The lady took this opportunity of giving the children a lesson, on the resurrection, and a future state. "That child's "father," said she, "was on Tuesday last

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placed in the grave: but he was a good and "religious man; and we have a well grounded hope, that, through the merits of Christ, he "is now in a state of glory and happiness. "He is indeed, separated from his child; "but, if she is good and virtuous, and if she • performs her duty to God, and to her neigh"bours here, she will be received into the "same glorified and happy state, and dwell "with her father, and with the spirits of just "men made perfect, to all eternity."

The infant age at which this lady receives the children, and the very early period at which she returns them to their families, or enables them to go into service, are features peculiar, in some degree, to the schools estab. lished at Weston, by Mrs. HOCKER ;*-the

* Since Mrs. HOCKER's death, I have the pleasure of stating that, by the exertions and attention of Mrs. GooDENOUGH, and some other ladies, the WESTON SCHOOLS contmue to flourish. There are at present in the five schools eighty-four children; seventy-one girls, and thirteen boys.The children are admitted from three years old, and are