IV. That unprotected and destitute children shall be deemed to include all children above 7 and under 15 years of age under the following circumstances,—Children driven from their homes by the bad conduct of Parents—Children neglected by their Parents—Children who are Orphans and neglected by their friends—Children who are Bastards, and children who are Orphans, and have no one to protect them or provide for them, or for whom no one does provide—Children who from their own misconduct have no protection or provision found them—Children who are idle or dissolute, and whose Parents or Friends cannot controul their bad conduct—Children who are destitute of proper food, clothing, or education owing to the poverty of their parents or friends, but whose parents or friends do not apply for, or receive parish relief—Children who are destitute for want of employment, and children of the class which become Juvenile Offenders generally.
V. That any such Child as aforesaid may be brought before any Two Justices of the Peace by any Constable or other peace Officer or by any Overseer of the poor or other parish Officer and evidence on oath being given to the satisfaction of such Justices that the Child is one of either of the classes enumerated in the foregoing clause, such Justices may sign an order for the admission of the Child into the Asylum.
VI. That when in the Asylum if not claimed or redeemed as hereinafter provided, the Children shall be subject to be dealt with as the state thinks proper, to serve as Sailors or Soldiers or Workmen in public works, or as Artificers or Tradesmen, or as Household Servants, or as and wherever the state may require.
VII. That on a Child being admitted into the Asylum, enquiry shall be made by the Commissioners as to the circumstances of the Parents or other persons now by law bound to support the said Child, and if found able to support, or to contribute to the support of the said Child, the Justices sending the said Child to the Asylum may make orders from time to time for any amount of contribution to be paid, for or towards the support of the said Child in the said Asylum.
VIII. That such sums be collected for the use of the Asylum by the Overseer or Rate Collectors of the Parish where the persons on whom the order is made reside, and that power be given to attach the property of such persons, or wages in the hands of Masters, or due from Masters of such persons, in cases of working people or servants, to satisfy the amount named in such order.
IX. That all Children sent to the said Asylum be taught several useful Trades, Arts or Occupations, besides the usual education of Reading, Writing and Arithmetic.
X. That if at any time any Parent or Friend should be able and willing to afford proper Protection and Employment for any Child in the said Asylum, subject to the approbation of Two Justices the Child may be permitted to leave the Asylum on such Parent or Friend’s paying a sum to be settled by the Commissioners of the Asylum for such Permission.
One general Feeling which any suggestion for the taking of Children away from parental care usually creates is, that it will be immediately abused by unfeeling Parents wishing to get rid of the burthen of maintaining their Offspring, but it is conceived that the plan of taxing the Parents or Relatives for their maintenance in the Asylum as provided in the 7th and 8th clauses will be an adequate check for the prevention of any such abuse, while the Children becoming valuable by the sort of useful Education that is given them, will no doubt induce many a Parent to seek the means of getting their Children home again to assist by their valuable labour in support of the Family. We know perfectly well that the first years of a Boy’s Apprenticeship are never spent in really learning the Trade he is apprenticed to learn, he is used by his Master as an errand boy, a servant, a groom, or even doing house work for some years in many cases before he begins to learn his Trade, and why? because if he learned his Trade at once, he would become so valuable that he could easily get work for himself, and so impatient to work upon his own account that he would be sure to run away before his time was up. We know by our experience in the House of Correction at Cold Bath Fields, that a boy may be made an excellent Shoemaker in Twelve Months, and that he might be made an equally good Tailor in an equally short time, admits of no doubt, while the business of a Tinman, a Shoeing Smith, a Painter, and an hundred others are learned with similar facility. Each Child taught a few of these useful Arts, instead of being a burthen upon, would be a valuable addition to a Family. I know I shall be told that the difficulty of providing for these Children however well taught, will be almost insuperable, and I shall see Parkhurst pointed at as a great example of this sad truth. It is in fact no example for me. There all the Children have been criminals, have been allowed to drink deeply of the cup of vice, and if not after trial, have at any rate before trial been subject to the, I may say almost electrical, contamination of Gaol Association, so rapidly does it take effect. There the foul impress of Felony or Misdemeanour is stamped upon them all before they are offered to the Public as useful members of Society. The Children of the Asylum will be of a far different class. They will be taken before the actual commission of crime has been brought home to them, when surrounded by want destitution and injustice from the poverty or drunkenness or depravity of those who should be, but are not, their natural protectors, they would inevitably have fallen a prey to those who are ever on the look out for just such suffering creatures to make them, though only yet half willing, the tools of practiced crime; to become, when further advanced in sin, hardened and emboldened in Iniquity, and thus proper Candidates for Parkhurst.