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imperfect as actors, that we hardly care a button whether they live or die. The villain of the book, Tom Gordon, outrages all our notions of poetical justice, by being allowed to lynch, whip, tar-and-feather, ravish, rob, exterminate, and commit such like atrocities, without a single hair of his guilty head being the worse of it. He may be getting drunk and blaspheming to this very hour, for aught we know, as when Mrs. Stowe dropped him, he was as prosperous as any slave-holding scoundrel could well be. We have certainly the consolation to hear that "Tiff" survives and prospers, and we are glad of it, inasmuch as we think that he and "Milly" are the only two characters worth a maravedi in the whole list. We might probably include "Tomtit" only that Tom evaporates like the rest, in order to make room for casuists and preachers, who, like almost all the other white people introduced, have little to recommend them but the ability to say much and do nothing.

What we regret particularly to learn from the book, are two disheartening facts; namely, that slavery, as an institution, is fixed and likely to be permanent; and that religion, properly so called, is at the very lowest ebb in the southern states of the American union. The Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible, is in the hand of every man, woman, and child; black, white, or cream-colored; their songs are biblical, their sayings are biblical; like the devil, they can quote scripture for their purposes, and never hesitate to do so, by any compunctious visitings, or wholesome remorse. But, after all, the utmost extent of the contrition that even the worst amongst them exhibits, is a momentary inpulse, and may be typified by the exclamation of preacher Bonnie, over Ben Dakin, at the camp meeting:-"Take this poor sinner, now, O Lord! to thyself, for if you don't he will be drunk again in two days." We are presented with pictures of Episcopalians, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and others, and, with the single exception of Dickson, a more selfish, worthlesss or cowardly set of companions we never travelled with. We suppose that Mrs. Stowe has chosen the least disinterested as examples, but we cannot wonder that the whites are as black as sin can make them, when their spiritual affairs are directed by such men; and it is utterly hopeless to suppose that the blot of slavery can ever be removed, when each sect is afraid of giving its rival sect an advantage by counselling its removal from the national banner. If we required any additional

illustrations of the danger which "the Bible let loose" is capable of doing, Mrs. Stowe's "Dred," affords a series of "notes and cominents," which Christians of all creeds would do well to ponder over, and which we cannot but hope will have a salutary effect, if anything can.

ART. V. THE BRISTOL MEETING OF THE
NATIONAL REFORMATORY UNION :

WITH A GLANCE AT IRELAND.

The Law Amendment Journal. Being the Weekly Journal of The Society for Promoting the Amendment of the Law. Vol. I. No. 22. London: Published at 3 Waterloo Place.

We were passing the door of the office of The Morning Post, some weeks since, accompanying an esteemed friend who is one of the chief advocates of the Reformatory Movement, and he stopped before the door and said, "Ten years ago The Post, in describing some efforts I and others were making to bring the Reformatory Question before the country, described me as a well-meaning, philanthropic old gentleman, with an absurd crotchet. See what we have now done !-Erasmus was a great man-Festina Lenti !"

Doubtless there are few points in the history of Bull's legislation which have required so much support, from what Sydney Smith calls "those affecting circumstances," dates, facts and figures, before he could be induced to give to it even a very small share of support, and a still smaller share of earnest attention, as the Reformatory Movement; but he did attend at last, and we trust that through the zealous efforts of The National Reformatory Union and the Reformatory and Refuge Union, we shall be able to make Bull still more attentive, and shall be able, likewise, in the words of Canon Girdlestone, "to combine for the purpose of presenting a firm and united front to the common enemy"-Juvenile Crime, without sectarian or theological differences interposing to check the work we have in hand and in heart.

In the RECORD of our last Number we inserted a full report of the various Sectional Meetings of the Bristol Conference,

but at the period of our publication, the papers read in the Sections were not before us.

As printed in the number of The Law Amendment Journal, placed at the head of this article, these papers were twelve in number, and on the following subjects :

1 On the Reformatory Institutions in and near Bristol. By Mary Carpenter.

2 The Inefficiency of Simply Penal Legislation. Brougham.

By Lord 3 Punishments in Reformatory Schools. By E. B. Wheatley, M.A., one of the Chairmen of the Quarter Sessions of the West Riding.

4 Visit to Mettray. By Frederic Hill.

5 Transportation and Reformation. By Captain Crofton, Chairman of the Directors of Convict Prisons in Ireland. 6 On the Industrial Schools of Scotland, and the Working of Dunlop's Act. By Alfred Hill.

7 On the Connection between Juvenile Crime and the Drinking Habits of Society. By H. Cossham.

8 On the Suggestion of a Measure by which Juvenile Offenders may be Reclaimed, and a regular supply of Seamen be obtained for her Majesty's Service. By Thomas Philpotts.

9 On the Liverpool Akbar Hulk Reformatory. Brougham.

By Mr.

10 On the Relation of Reformatory Schools to the State, and the General Principles of their Management, especially in reference to Female Reformatories. By Mary Carpenter. 11 On the Best Means of Providing for the Inmates of Refor

matory Schools on their Discharge. By Rev. S. Turner. 12 On Previous Imprisonment for Children Sentenced to Reformatories. By Sir Stafford Northcote, Bart. When the National Reformatory Union was founded at Hardwicke Court, one of its chief objects was declared to be the collection and dissemination of facts and experiences bearing upon and useful in successfully working, the Refor matory Principle. Taking this Bristol Conference as the first general meeting held in accordance with the objects as above stated, the members of the Union may feel fully satisfied with the result.

During the year 1856, the members have been active and earnest in their efforts, not alone to carry out the broad principles of conciliation and non-interference with the religious

feelings of any shade of dissent, but they have been enabled by this honest, wise, enlightened system of co-operation to number, amongst their members, men and women of every religion. Not indeed that they deny that religion is, and must of necessity be, the foundation, and the pervading spirit of reformation, and its strongest and most perfect safeguard. As Canon Girdlestone well and truly wrote, last August, to The Daily News, the breadth of the principles of the Union is its chiefest perfection. He writes :

In seconding a resolution at the late meeting of the National Reformatory Union in this place, I took the opportunity of vindicating the breadth of the basis on which that Union is founded. I have been since told in many quarters, and especially by members of the Reformatory and Refuge Union, that the breadth of the basis on which the National Reformatory Union is founded made it necessary at the meetings at Bristol to ignore all religion, and that it is impossible to expect the blessing of God upon efforts carried out in this manner. I think it right that the attention of the public should be directed to the fact, that religion was not ignored at the Bristol meeting. On the contrary, the absolute necessity of the religious element in all reformatory work was so plainly and earnestly stated, both by Lord Robert Cecil and Mr. Miles, on Thursday evening, that it was impossible to add anything to the force of those state

ments.

With regard to not expecting as much of the blessings of God upon the National Reforinatory Union as upon the Reformatory a Refuge Union, the real difference between the two Unions is, not that the one ignores religion and the other does not, or even that one is really more religious than the other, but that the one does not consider it necessary to add to its rules a clause containing the words 'Holy Scripture," and that the other does; though by doing so, as has been confessed to me by one of its members, it will in all probability exclude from its committee both Roman Catholics and Unitarians.

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Now, this is objectionable, because, even in the abstract, it is better to widen where it is possible rather than contract the basis of mutual co-operation, and to dwell on the points on which all agree rather than on those on which we differ. It is objectionable also, because, in the case of a union, whose object it is not to found or manage any particular school or schools, but to provide such a medium of general intercommunication as may lead to the estab. lishment, by those of various religious persuasions, of schools of the best quality for the reformation of the children of parents of the same persuasion, it is of great importance to interpose no unnecessary obstacle in the way of having persons of all persuasions on the committee. If it be the real intention of this addition, which I hope it is not, to discourage the founding of any Reformatories except those in which the authorized version is read, then it is mischievous in a still greater degree; for surely it is better that young criminals

should be reformed on Roman Catholic or Unitarian principles, than that they should remain rogues and vagabonds.

In short, it appears to me that the breadth of the basis on which the National Reformatory Union is constituted, so far from being open to objection, most thoroughly fulfils the idea suggested by the title National, and to an extent hardly otherwise attainable without sacrifice of principle or reference to theological differences, enables all to combine for the purpose of presenting a firm and united front to the common enemy.

Your obedient servant,

E. GIRDLESTONE, Canon of Bristol.

Amongst the most important of the practical papers read in the Sections, are Mr Wheatley's on Punishment in Reformatory Schools, Miss Carpenter's paper on the Management of Female Reformatories, Mr. Turner's on the Means of Providing for the Inmates of Reformatory Schools on their Discharge, and Sir S. Northcote's on Previous Imprisonment for Children Sentenced to Reformatories. Captain Crofton's letter was also most important, but we referred to it at some length in our September number.

Sir Stafford Northcote is one of the most clear headed, earnest, and able advocates of the Reformatory system, and has brought experience, a high position, a trained intellect, and a powerful pen to back the National Reformatory Union. He has, both in his paper, Reformatory Schools, printed in The Quarterly Review, and in this paper now before us, shown himself fully capable of, as a friend of his says, " tackling" any difficulties surrounding the Movement.

He considers that previous punishment should be inflicted on all committed to a Reformatory who can be shown to have understood that they were criminal in infringing the law. He shows, with great clearness, that although the French principle, sans discernement, may be sometimes well founded, yet that in practice it is not acquiesced in by the popular mind of France. He writes ::

Those who have had experience of boy-nature know well that long before the age of 16, the faculties and the moral sense of ninety-nine in a hundred are sufficiently developed to enable the lad to discern clearly what is right and what is wrong, and to estimate the probable consequences of his own actions. It may indeed be true that a bad education and the evil example of those around him may have greatly blunted his conscience and his intellect, and that he may have become on object deserving far more of pity than of indignation; but the same might with equal truth be said of many an adult ; and it would be hard to frame an argument which should lead to the acquittal of a

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