In all probability advancing years will prevent me in future from personally labouring much in the cause, and from

personally overcoming
objections, by presenting publicly, facts that cannot be refuted. It is out of my power now to employ agents and pay them. I cannot take infants
by sea and land to convince unbelievers, and silence gainsayers. Neither circumstances nor remaining strength, will allow me to repeat these
things. I must trust then to my pen, to the thinkers amongst us, and above all to the good Providence of God, for further success in behalf of the
rising generation. Those who doubt what I assert about children should recollect one fact—twenty-seven thousand have passed through my
hands, and were for a short time under my training, and have then been examined by me to convince a doubting public, on the spot where they
happened to be in each town and country, all this for the period of one-third of a century. Ought not this to entitle me, as respects the education
of children, to say such a thing is right, or even such a thing is wrong? The abuse of a plan is no argument against its use. That it has been
abused I am well aware,—that the parrot-system has been revived and also applied in infant-schools. It was never intended to injure the young
brain by over-exciting it, or to fill the memory with useless rubbish; yet this is done. I cannot help it. I have done and will do my best to prevent
such a violation of the very first principles of infant teaching. To conclude, there is much to be thankful for! Since the infant-system was
evolved, a very great improvement has taken place in the character of school-books, and also in prints. The graphic illustrations and the
simplicity of style, on a variety of subjects, is admirable. The same may be said with respect to nursery books; I see a great improvement in all
these. This is comforting to one situated as I am, and leads me to hope much from the future. I trust the intellectual character of the age will
advance, and not only the intellectual but also the moral and spiritual, and "that truth and justice, religion and piety may be established amongst
us for all generations."

CHAPTER II.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY.

Teachers of theft—Children the dupes of the profligate—An effort at detection—Affecting cases of early depravity—Progress of a young delinquent
—Children employed in theft by their parents—Ingenuity of juvenile thieves—Results of an early tuition in crime—The juvenile thief incorrigible—
Facility of disposing of stolen property—A hardened child—Parents robbed by their children—A youthful suicide—A youthful murderer.

*****

"An uneducated, unemployed poor, not only must be liable to fall into a variety of temptations, but they will, at times, unavoidably prove restless,
dissatisfied, perverse, and seditious: nor is this all, even their most useful and valuable qualities, for want of regular and good habits, and a
proper bias and direction from early religious instruction, frequently became dangerous and hurtful to society; their patience degenerates into
sullenness, their perseverance into obstinacy, their strength and courage into brutal ferocity."—The Bishop of Norwich.

*****

It has long been a subject of regret as well as of astonishment to the reflecting and benevolent, that notwithstanding the numerous institutions
which exist in this country for the education and improvement of the poor, and in defiance of the endeavours of our magistracy and police
establishment, crime should rather increase than diminish. Many persons have been induced to conclude from this fact that our Sunday,
parochial, and national schools, as well as our Bible Societies, and institutions of a similar nature, are of little or no use. Absurd as the inference
is, I have known more than one or two persons draw it; not considering, that although these means may be insufficient to counteract the cause
of crime, or to prevent all its evil effects, yet, nevertheless, they must certainly check its progress;—that if there be many offenders, despite of
these institutions, there would, doubtless, be many more were they not in existence; and hence to revile or neglect them is unworthy of good
sense or good feeling.

It is not my purpose in the present chapter to dwell on the commission of crime generally, but on juvenile delinquency in particular; and on this
only so far as regards the case of young children. I will, therefore, make public a collection of facts, some of which were obtained at
considerable personal hazard and inconvenience, which will place it in a clear yet painful light.

It is said, that in the year 1819, the number of boys, in London alone, who procured a considerable part of their subsistence by pocket-picking
and thieving in every possible form, was estimated at from eleven to fifteen hundred. One man who lived in Wentworth-Street, near Spitalfields,
had forty boys in training to steal and pick pockets, who were paid for their exertions with a part of the plunder; fortunately, however, for the
public, this notable tutor of thieves was himself convicted of theft, and transported. This system of tutorage is by no means uncommon, nor is it
confined to the male sex. I remember reading some time back, in the police reports, of a woman who had entrapped eight or ten children from
their parents, had trained them up, and sent them out thieving; nor was it until one of these infantile depredators was taken in the act of
stealing, that this was made known, and the children restored to their homes. Here we see eight or ten children, probably from the neglect of
their parents, enticed away, no doubt by the promise of a few cakes, or of some other trifling reward, and in imminent danger of becoming
confirmed thieves, from which they were rescued by this providential discovery of their situation; and we know not how many children may have
been led to evil practices in like manner.
I will give another instance which occurred at the office at Queen
Square.—A female, apparently no more than nineteen years of age,
named Jane Smith, and a child just turned of five years old, named
Mary Ann Ranniford, were put to the bar, before Edward Markland,
Esq., the magistrate, charged with circulating counterfeit coin in
Westminster and the county of Surrey, to a vast extent.

It appeared that the elder prisoner had long been known to be a common utterer of base coin, in which she dealt very largely with those
individuals who are agents in London to the manufacturers of the spurious commodity in Birmingham. She had been once or twice before
charged with the offence, and therefore she became so notorious that she was necessitated to leave off putting the bad money away herself;
but so determined was she to keep up the traffic, that she was in the habit of employing children of tender years to pass the counterfeit money.
On one occasion two Bow Street officers observed her at her old trade, in company with the child Ranniford. The officers kept a strict eye upon
her movements, and saw her several times pass something to the little girl; and she, by the direction of her instructor, went into different shops
(such as hosiers, where she purchased balls of worsted, pastry-cooks, tobacconists, and fruiterers), where she passed the bad money, and
received in return goods and change. On the other side of the bridge, the patroles saw the prisoner Smith deliver something to the child, and
point out the shop of Mr. Isaacs, a fruiterer, in Bridge Street, Westminster. The child went in, and asked for a juicy lemon, and gave a counterfeit
shilling in payment. Mrs. Isaacs had no suspicion from the tender age of the utterer, and its respectable appearance, that the money was bad,
and was about to give change, when one of the officers entered, and took the deluded child into custody, whilst his companion secured the
elder prisoner (Smith), and on searching her pockets he found twelve bad shillings, some parcels of snuff, several balls of cotton and worsted,
and other trifling articles, which the child had purchased in the course of the day. The officers who had secured them, learned from the child
that her parents lived in Cross Street, East Lane, Walworth, and that Smith had taken her out for a walk. The patrol instantly communicated the
circumstance to the child's parents, who were hard-working honest people, and their feelings on hearing that their infant had been seduced into
the commission of such a crime, can be more easily conceived than described. They stated that the woman Smith had formerly lived in the
same street, and was frequently giving half-pence and cakes to the child, who would, in consequence, follow her anywhere. Some time since,
she removed to Lock's Square, Lock's Fields, and they (the parents) had not seen her for some time. On the day referred to the child was playing
in the street, and not finding her come home they became alarmed, and went everywhere, broken hearted, in quest of her, but they could hear no
tidings of her till the sad news was brought them by the officers. The poor mother was now in attendance, and her feelings were dreadfully
affected, and excited the commiseration of all present.