Generous Proposal of a Benevolent Lady—Her Labors among the Poor—Miss
Andrew's Teaching—Pestalozzi's System—Old Systems too Mechanical and
too much Memorizing—Effects in Loose Habits of Thinking—Inaccurate
Observation—Children Found Incompetent for Practical Life—Object
System begins with the Senses—First Learning of Colors and of
Numbers—Sounds Taught before Names of Letters—Dr. Leigh's System—Mr.
Caulkins's Views—Words to be Learned First, Letters Afterward—Spelling
to be Learned After Reading—Quotation from Mr. Caulkins's Work—New
Method of learning Geography—Geography Becomes a Natural
Science—Natural History Taught by Objects—Lessons in Morality and
Religion given in a Similar Manner—Weights, Measures, and Geometry thus
Taught—Definition Learned through Objects—Spelling and Grammar in like
Manner—Great Effort on part of the Teacher……………..pp. 181-193
CHAPTER XVII.
THE LITTLE ITALIAN ORGAN-GRINDERS.
Italian Quarter in Five Points—Cruelty of the Padroni—Rev. Dr.
Hawks—Signor Cerqua—Description of the Five Points' Italian
Settlement—Characteristics of Poor Italians—Foundation of Italian
School in 1855—Opposition of Bigoted Italians—Anathemas of the
Priest—Increase of the School—Mental Improvement—Moral
Progress—Gratitude of Poor Italians—Visits among the Rookeries of the
Five Points—Dens in Baxter Street—Feeling of Italian Children towards
their Teacher—Assistants by American-Italians—Co-operation of the
Italian Government—Generosity of Italian Children to other
Charities……………………………………………pp. 194-211
CHAPTER XVII.
THE "LAMBS" or COTTAGE PLACE.
Mr. Macy's Efforts—A Free Reading-room—Earnest Nature of the
Work—Self-sacrifice of Lady Volunteers—Miss Macy's Treatment of
Colored Children during the Riots—Good Effects of the School in
Preventing Thieving and Begging—Cottage-place School—The Little
Beggars of the First Ward—Application to Trinity Church—Mr. Lord's
Valuable Assistance—Interesting Incident—Reform of a Street-sweeper in
the "Lord School"—A Ragged School on St John's Park—Fourteenth-ward
Industrial School—The Colored Poor—Other Industrial Schools—The
Shanty People near the Park—Interesting Night-school—Efforts to
prevent a New "Nineteenth street Gang"—No Children Admitted who can
attend Public Schools—Improvement In the Teaching—Superintendent of
Schools and Visitors………………………………….pp. 212-222
CHAPTER XIX.
THE BEST REMEDY FOR JUVENILE PAUPERISM.
Effects of Overcrowding—No Local Charities a Complete Remedy—Asylums
not Sufficient—Best Asylum, the "Farmer's Home"—Advantage in the
United States—Unlimited Demand for Labor—Best Remedy Emigration to the
West—Objections to the Plan—How they were Met—Incident of a
Waif—Humanity of our Countrywomen—Method of Placing Out the
Children—Difficulties of the Local Committees…………..pp. 223-233