cessary-the number that you will have yearly to deal with falls between 2000 and 3000. Now, under the law as it stands, the utmost period for which juvenile offenders may be committed is five years; the majority, however, are not intended to remain, and will not re'main, in a reformatory school for more than one-half to two-thirds of that period. You may take three years as an average; and the calculation is, if you intend this reformatory movement to be effectually and properly carried out, that you will have sooner or later to provide accommodation in these schools for about 10,000 children at one time. The great difficulty which we have always met with in advocating this cause of reformation is the doubt which many persons entertain as to the possibility of reclaiming one who is framed and trained to criminal habits. I think our course has in some respects suffered by the mixing up of two questions, essentially and in their natures distinct. There are persons, many of them able men, all of them benevolent men-there are many, both of the present and of the last generation, in this and in other countries-who have devoted their energies to the reformation of adult criminals sentenced to periods of imprisonment. God forbid that I should lead such benevolent persons to despond in their endeavours; that is not my purpose; but at the same time we say and none are more ready to admit it than those who themselves have taken part in such efforts that the difficulty of that task is far greater than when you deal with the young; the proportion of success is much smaller, the proportion of failures is much greater. The difference between the two cases is not merely one of degree; they differ altogether in their natures. The adult criminal-one who, after arriving at man's estate, has habitually and successfully practised a life of crime -can hardly do so in entire ignorance of the moral character of his pursuits, or of the opinion which society has formed of him. Of course ignorance and bad training are some excuse for him, but he must be to a certain extent criminal in intention as well as in act. But our case is, that among juvenile offenders there are many-in all probability a large majority of the number-who, though criminal, deeply criminal in act, can hardly be said to be so in intention. Various tables have been prepared with reference to this subject, differing a little from one another, but shewing nearly similar results. In one case it was shewn, that of 100 criminals, 75 per cent., three-fourths of the whole, had been either directly led into crime, or so neglected as that others had an opportunity of leading them into crime, by their parents. Another similar calculation, made in Manchester some years ago, gave nine in ten of the criminals, whose cases were investigated, as the children of dishonest, criminal, or profligate parents, and only ten per cent., or one in ten of the number, as the children of honest parents. All these figures, and many more computations of the same character, agree in this that in crime, as in the analogous case of pauperism, there is a very strong tendency to become hereditary; and the inference we draw from that is, that there is a large proportion of the whole number of juvenile criminals who are so from circumstances and not from choice-whose organisation, whose character does not more incline them to dishonesty than does that of others who have never come under the sentence of the law, but who, from the accident of their social position, have never had the chance given them, from the time of their birth, of obtaining their livelihood by honest means. They are known, they are marked in the places where they reside; honest children will not associate with them, respectable employers will not have any thing to say to them, for another boy to be seen with them is a stigma-a mark of not being respectable. That is their position; they grow up thieves, not because they want to be thieves, but because they have

literally no option offered to them. Now, you see at once, if we can make out that case-and we believe there is a mass of evidence to substantiate it-there is no reason to despair of the reformation of those who are brought within our reach under those circumstances. We do not want to overstate our case; it is not fair, and it never answers, to do so. We quite agree that among the entire number there may be some who are wholly, or very nearly so, incorrigible. We quite admit the existence of such cases. All we say is, that they are the minority, and the curable cases are the majority; and even as regards those who are themselves incorrigible, we conceive that a certain advantage is gained in placing them where they have not an opportunity of corrupting others. I may repeat, in passing, an instance, to which I alluded yesterday, of a lad, an inmate of a reformatory, who had trained, formed, and educated to thieving eight other lads, all of whom were expert thieves; so that even in the case of the incorrigible there is something gained when you can isolate them so that less criminal youths cannot come within their influence. Criminality does not, as we believe, follow the ordinary law of supply and demand; it does not at all follow that because you have a certain amount of property, and only a certain number of police to guard it, you will always have a certain and fixed amount of crime. We believe-and the experience of at least one town where a reformatory has been for some time in active operation confirms our opinion—that when you have once succeeded in clearing the streets, as it were, of these regular, trained, educated criminals, you will find that the cases of crime with which you will have to deal in future will be fewer in number, and less difficult to deal with in point of quality. Now, what has been the actual success obtained in reformatory institutions in our own and other countries? Mettray, the great reformatory of France, has recovered eightynine per cent., and of the eleven per cent. who relapsed a certain proportion were again in the way of recovery. There are many cases where relapses are only temporary, and the per-centage they bear upon the whole number of boys should not therefore be a subject of alarm or discouragement to the promoters of the movement. You are probably aware of the extent to which the Legislature has taken up this movement. The law gives power to the magistrates to send boys, not exceeding sixteen years of age, to reformatories for a period not exceeding five years. The State grants 58. weekly137. a year-for their support. It endeavours to recover that from the parents; and by the minute of last June large and liberal assistance is afforded in other shapes to those who desire to set up and carry on reformatory schools. The object of the National Reformatory Society is to render the law practically available. We want to put its provisions in force; we want to assist in the establishment of new reformatory schools where they are needed; we want to give facilities for comparing the various methods in use at the different schools; we want to furnish opportunities for the discussion of the general subject; we want, if changes in the law should be required, to discuss those changes; and, which is most important of all, we wish to furnish to those inmates of reformatory schools, who in course of time will leave them, a fair opportunity of getting a start in life, and of obtaining respectable employment. We have sometimes been asked to include within the scope of our operations the other subject of adult reform. That, I confess, I should be unwilling to do. I attach great importance to keeping the two distinct. I think if we were to go beyond that line of operations which we have immediately traced out for ourselves we should run some risk of diminishing our utility by attempting too much, and, by combining the more hopeful with the less hopeful cases, might, I will not say incur the prejudice, but to some extent might

be held accountable for failures, which in the other enterprise are inevitable. There may be a future field of operations open to us in connexion with that wide question of industrial schools for vagrant children. It is a question at present rather for the Legislature than for society; therefore, though we gladly receive information and accept discussion upon it, we at present, so far as practical action is concerned, confine ourselves rather to cases of schools, reformatory in their character, provided for criminal children. In discussing this subject there are three general heads under which the whole inquiry falls. First, on what conditions and in what manner are children to be admitted to reformatory schools? Secondly, on what principles are those schools to be conducted? Thirdly, when the boys come to leave the schools, what is to become of them? As to the first question, we have had here and elsewhere very animated and important debates upon the question of previous imprisonment. By the law as it stands, it is necessary that a boy should have been convicted before he enters a reformatory schoolshould have gone through a short term of imprisonment. There are some of our friends who think that that should not be made compulsory upon magistrates, but that it should be left optional with them. There are others who think that in every case a boy should be sent at once to a reformatory. On the one hand it is contended that there is danger, in sending a boy to gaol, of affecting his mind with the idea that he has received his allotted punishment for his offence, and is therefore entitled to his liberty; that the superadded detention in a reformatory is looked upon as so great a hardship that it materially interferes with the success of the system. On the other hand, it is urged that a short period of separate confinement gives the boy time for reflection, and that he comes again into the society of other boys, even though that society be accompanied with hard fare and hard labour, with a feeling of pleasure rather than of pain. If I were to express any opinion of my own upon the subject, which I would do with great deference, I should be inclined to steer a middle course to apply the previous imprisonment in some cases, but to leave it as an optional matter with the magistrates, instead of, as at present, making it compulsory on them to commit to prison. The next branch of the subject relates to the actual management of these schools. Boys are detained for periods varying from two to five years. They are taught habits of hard work and industrial occupation; in some cases being made to learn a trade; in other cases, as in the Ship Reformatory at Liverpool, they are prepared for service It is held, I think rightly, as an essential point, that he is to be lodged and treated generally in the simplest and plainest manner, so that no honest parent need have any cause to envy, on behalf of his own children's condition, the condition of the convicted child. That is a point on which we lay great stress. Another fundamental rule is, that where you have a large number of boys, the "family system" should be adopted the system of associating together not more than forty, probably not so many, boys in one house under one teacher, so that the personal character and personal influence of the superintendent may have their effect, and his personal supervision exercised over all. Another important rule is, the obtaining from parents, wherever it is possible, either the whole or a part of the sum which Government pays for the maintenance of the child. This system puts a check on parents, who, anxious to get rid of the responsibility of maintaining their children, put them in the way of being committed, and sent to these schools. Another question on which, to some extent, there is a difference of opinion, relates to the character of the instruction to be given. I, for my own part, hold most strongly, and shall always express my opinion most openly, that the

at sea.

6

training ought to be of the plainest and simplest character. The object you have in view is not an intellectual object-it is a moral object. I do not hesitate to say, that on the whole it would be a disadvantage, rather than a benefit, if any large number of those, who had been trained in reformatories were to rise far above their class, and become eminent members of society. One would not regret it on account of the boys themselves, but for the danger of exciting in the minds of honest parents a degree of envy as to the fate of their own offspring. The last point on which I would touch is the very important question, what is to become of the children on their dismissal? There are various methods in which their services may be made available. There is the field of ordinary agricultural occupation at home; there are the colonies; there is the chance of admission into the army and navy; and there is the merchant service at sea. Now, what I say of one of those outlets applies equally to all-that you must take great care not to introduce to them these criminal elements in such proportions that the influx shall be noticed and made a subject of comment. The great rule you must adopt is to scatter these children abroad as much as possible. But if it were made a practice (in the army or navy, for instance) that such a per-centage should be composed of these criminals, there would be a feeling that the profession was lowered in the public estimation, and would seriously affect the chance of enlistment from among other classes. We all know what has been the feeling in several of the colonies on the subject of transportation to their shores; it has been overdone, and there is now so strong a feeling against it that to a great extent we are debarred from availing ourselves of that system of outlet. A valuable suggestion was made to-day, that in every leading colony where friends to this cause may be found agencies should be established. I think the plan is practicable, but I repeat that great caution must be exercised. What has been accomplished as yet with regard to this reformatory movement? I am sorry to say, if you look to actual results, not much as yet. I am afraid there is a little misapprehension on this point. I believe the actual state of the case to be this-that the number of boys in the reformatory does not exceed 600 or 700; the number of girls 100. But though the results actually accomplished are small, there is a great deal doing; all the counties, or nearly all, are exerting themselves; well-informed teachers are called for in all directions, and it is with a view to increasing the progress of the movement that these meetings are held and that this society exists. I must just add a word with reference to another institution similar in kind to ours, which calls itself the Reformatory and Refuge Union. The difference between that society and ours is as to its mode of operation. It is established on a basis somewhat more sectarian than ours. Our principle is unsectarian. We exclude no one on account of diversity of theological opinion; but feeling as I do that our real danger in this cause arises from apathy, from indif ference, and from neglect, I for one shall quarrel with no display of sectarian zeal out of this society, which may have the effect of advancing the cause. The two societies work in friendship, differing only in their methods of doing the work. As to the assistance you can give to this movement, of course pecuniary aid is important; but there is another support you can afford, namely, in the provision for those boys who will shortly be leaving the Reformatory. The difficulty of disposing of them does not press upon us, but we ought to take early precaution to provide for the necessity when it arises; and I would suggest that the best and most practical service which any one can render us is to express a willingness (which they can do by addressing the secretary) to provide employment for at least one of the boys who will be leaving

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