:3? .'Ail ESSAY ON CIIARITY-SCHOOLS. gers of these schools to place out some children apprentices hit manufacturers. Many of them are orphans, without father or mother, and they have no friends to provide business for them: Others have parents who cannot provide any employment for them : Now some children in the country, and multitudes who are born and bred up in London, would not know whither to go, or how toemploy themselves, nor where to offer themselves for servants at eleven, or twelve, or thirteen years old : What family will take them in when they are capable of doing so lit- tle of the business of a footman ? But at that age they may be employed in several of the manufactures of the land, ifthey are carefully and prudently placed in such a station. VI. If these children are turned out of these schools to shift in the wide world too early, or to spend their time at random,; many of them will forget their learning, and lose the benefits they had obtained by being taught in schools. Some of them would not only forget the good lessons of religionan'd morality,. but even the knowledge of letters and syllables, till they cannot read their bibles, and run wild again in the world : But when they are placed by the managers of these schools in sober farri- lies, they engage their masters to see that they keep their learn. ing in same good measure and make use of it. VII. I add in thelast place, thatif neither parents nor friends of any kind take care to fix children in some particular business, nor place them in sober families, where they may be under due government, they will be in danger of growing idle and slothful,. they will wander about the streets and lanes, and lie exposed to all manner of iniquity. Sometimes the wicked propensities of nature, and sometimes the necessities of nature will tempt them to cheating, stealing, robbing, &c. And they-will be in dangerof falling into shameless intemperance of every kind. The remains of their younger education,may be some check upon them indeed and lay their consciences under some restraint ; yet at best in this great city, even children who are well instructed in their younger years.; are too much exposed to wicked company and mischief, if there he no care taken to provide any fixed employment for them. But on the other hand, as it is well expressed in Mr. Neal's charity sermon, page 19. " If you give them learning, and put them to a trade, you give them a lasting inheritance ; for understanding even in this sense, is a well-spring of life to- him that bath it : It is a treasure that can never be taken from them ; and therefore this must be the best way of spewing com- passion to the children of the poor." Objection X. But why must these children of the poor be: clothed as well as taught ? Why must they have a suit of new apparel given them yearly ? This clothing makes the young creatures value themselves to highly, especially while their
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