The four companies are subdivided into sections of eleven, over each of which one of the boys is placed, with the title of overseer, or corporal, and he is responsible for the good order of his section, and may be assisted in his duties by one chosen from it. From among these corporals one is selected for the general control and superintendence of the others, and marches the company to the lavatory, to meals, to the dormitory, &c., being responsible for them whenever they are collected as a company. The boys composing a section are placed at meals upon the same side of the table with the corporal who has charge of them. The younger pupils do not join these companies at once, but are kept together in a division which is under female superintendence, has a separate overseer, and is under different regulations as to rising, going to bed, and other particulars of discipline and police from the elder pupils.
All the duties of domestic and personal police, and some of those of domestic economy, are performed by the boys enrolled in the four companies. They clean their own shoes, brush their own clothes, attend to the police of the different parts of the building, serve the meals, and make their beds. That the various duties may be attended to in an orderly way, there are, besides those already spoken of, special overseers appointed among the pupils, who have general charge of them while engaged in certain duties, and of particular localities. Thus there is an overseer of the room where the clothes and shoes are kept, who has charge of the exchange of the Sunday for week day dress, and vice versa; an overseer of the room where the shoes are brushed and blacked; an overseer of the lavatory; four superintendents of cleanliness, who direct the pupils while washing and combing their hair; one of hair cutting; two of serving the table, who have charge of a detail of thirty pupils, who serve and clear the tables and clean the knives and forks; one, of the manual labor classes; one, of the sick in the hospital; one, of those who are unwell, and must report to the physician; one, of the lights; one, to prevent the passing of bounds; one the pupils who sing the liturgy in the church; one to conduct the pupils, whose shoes require repairs, to the shoemaker; besides, those for the classes and the younger boys, already mentioned, and a few others. I make this enumeration in order to show the minuteness of the arrangements for police and discipline, and the extent to which they are conducted by the pupils themselves. The selections for appointments are made by the teachers and officers, and submitted to the chaplain and director for their approbation. A part of the pupils employed as superintendents receive small pecuniary allowances, and all enjoy many privileges.
Some of the pupils, who are found to have a taste for music, receive special lessons, and are employed, when sufficiently proficient, to give the signals for the different duties of the day. Eight pupils are thus selected to be taught the bugle and fife, and twelve the drum.
In regard to conduct, the pupils are divided into four grades, according to the reports of the teachers and officers, a revision of the classification taking place every quarter, and the director having, in the meantime, the power to displace a pupil in a case of emergency. The first class grade is composed of pupils distinguished for unvarying good conduct, and on holidays its members are allowed to leave the orphan-house alone to make small purchases at discretion, and are neither subject to corporal punishment nor to the stoppage of their meals. The second class is composed also of meritorious pupils, but of a lower grade of conduct than the first; they are permitted to leave the school sometimes, but not so often as the others, and are generally under supervision. From these two grades only, the superintendents or overseers are taken. Pupils of the third grade stand between those who are decidedly good or bad, and are treated accordingly. They are the last who are permitted to pass from the elementary to the trades’ school, on completing their course in the former. Those of the fourth, or lowest grade, are kept constantly under supervision, have no allowances, no leaves of absence, are separated, when possible, from the rest of the pupils, and are even punished by an inferior diet.
The health of the pupils is promoted by frequent bodily exercise, and, when the weather permits, in the open air. Thus they have regular gymnastic exercises four times a week, are drilled by companies four times, and by battalion twice a week, take frequent walks, and in summer, bathe every day. The regular manual labor in this department of the school is confined to knitting and tailoring. The gymnastic exercises are conducted by two teachers, each taking charge of one of the companies, of which two attend the lesson at the same time, and assisted by pupils selected from among the most proficient in the exercises. There are two swimming lessons given to each company, in summer, every week. In the ordinary division of the day, in summer, between two and three hours are allowed for manual labor, the same for recreation, two hours for exercise, and nearly eight for sleep.
Their clothing is a neat uniform jacket of blue cloth, of a military fashion, gray or white pantaloons for the winter, and a brown linen jacket and white linen pantaloons for the summer, and their officers are distinguished by badges similar to those worn in service. The diet is generous, and, besides the three meals, bread is served as a luncheon in the morning and afternoon intervals.
An opportunity is given to those who are to pass into the trades’ school, to ascertain the trade which they may wish to follow, by a trial during the last year of the elementary course.
The order of the day, with merely slight variations during four days of the week, in summer, is as follows:—The pupils rise at a quarter before five o’clock, and proceed by companies to the lavatory, two companies occupying it at once and alternating, the other two being, meanwhile, engaged in cleaning their shoes. Wash and comb their hair. At half past five the boys detailed to serve the meals proceed to the refectory under their two superintendents. At a quarter before six the bugle sounds, and the companies assemble, by sections, in the court-yard. Morning prayers and breakfast. Those who are slightly sick report to the physician. At a quarter before seven, the boys assemble according to classes, and at seven are marched to the school-rooms. At a quarter before nine a luncheon of bread is served out to them. School closes at eleven, and the pupils are free for three-quarters of an hour. Dinner at about a quarter before twelve. The pupils brush their clothes, and are inspected by the officer of the day. From a quarter past one to half-past two, review the morning lessons in school. From a quarter to three until five, are occupied with manual labor in the work-rooms. Part of the pupils receive instruction in music, and the first and second classes in drawing; a stated number take a swimming lesson; the drummers, fifers, and buglers also have a lesson. A luncheon of bread is distributed. One of the companies is at drill, one at gymnastics, and the other pupils bathing or walking until seven. Evening prayers in the refectory, and supper. Wash, and have recreation until nine, when they retire. The younger pupils retire at half-past eight.
In winter, the different occupations of the day are each one hour later than in summer, until half-past two, when the hour of review of the lessons is omitted, and the exercises, as far as appropriate to the season, follow in the same order as in summer, until half-past five, at which hour the pupils go to the school-room, and remain until a quarter before seven.
On Wednesday and Saturday, an hour is devoted to religious instruction, the other lessons being omitted, except the physical exercises on Wednesday. Stated days and periods of the day are assigned for the exchange of the weekday clothes for those of Sunday, for taking clothes or shoes requiring repairs to the tailor or shoemaker of the establishment, for hair-cutting and combing, for washing the neck and shoulders, the feet, and for other minute matters.