Masonic Charities.

« 'It occurs to me , that I did not sufficiently draw your attention to the & ct of there being among our children a large number whose respeetahUity of birth renders it probable that they wdl eventually fiH ^ S." ^ many hundred private schools in this country , a wiile opening for competent assistants ; and we find that pur children uDonTeavin ! this institution may , if they possess ( besides a sound Xlish education ) a competent knowledge of music , be advantain ladies' schools where they will

geously placed as junior teachers bo Qualified for first-class situations " < I must also add , that several of my ex-pnpils , who had not , while here , the opportunity of learning the piano , are , at the present time , sacrificing both position and salary iu consequence . " 'It is upon these considerations , that our board of managers have resolved that musio shall be a part of the education of such children whose circumstances and general abilities warrant their being brought

fnnviird for governesses . ,. ,, , '" It was at one time feared that a spirit of discontent would be engendered in the school in consequence of the partial selection ot music pupils ; the result , however , has proved it to be otherwise ; tor , Z &' during the last two years upwards of forty girls have been " , joying the advantage of regular instruction , no ill-feeling has been manifested by their schoolfellows , who clearly , understand hat a knowledge of p ianoforte music would be a positoe disqualification , to domestic servants

those who are to enter life as . '" Iain , & e ., ( Signed ) "' MATILDA BRANDENBURGEE , Head Governess . "' Mr . John Symonds . ' "In the St . Ann ' s Society Schools , the number of girls . is . eightyfive- and to the upper class only , consisting of twenty-six , is instruc-French music being taught to those pupils whose

tion in given ; friends are willing to contribute towards the expenses . The payment at present is £ 5 si . per annum , and ten children only aval themselves of the privilege , but the cost is about to be very considerably reduced , and a corresponding increase in the number of musical pupils may be ° " The Freemen ' s Orphan Girls' School consists of thirty , instruction in French and music being regarded as a reward of merit , there being limitation iu to numberThe advantages of a musical

no respect . education are in this school much insisted upon , and in this branch of study , as well as in drawing , wo had the opportunity of witnessing very srreat proficiency . " 2 The nature of the household arrangements pursued therein . "As veaards these , we have closely inspected the three last-mentioned establishments , and are of opinion that the Freemasons Girls School will bear comparison with either . . In all , however , we feel bound to sav we have found a decided objection to the employment arduous of the household duties

of the children in the more portions , such as heavy washing , and the laborious services m the culmary department . And here we conceive it will not be out of place to state that representations to the same effect ( as regards the washing ) have been made bv your medical officer , Mr . Howell , and the matron , Miss Janvood . On the advisability of contracts for provisions , & c , opinions are divided , while they are unanimous in P ™ fcrnng to purthan bake their breadwinch we allude to simply on

chase rather own , account of the question having recently been mooted , at a meeting of the house committee of this institution , with a view to inquiry thereon . " 3 The expense and modes of instruction m French and music . "This ( certainly not the least important item for consideration ) is niturallv dependent upon the system adopted in the event of the memset

general principle being affirmed . Two modes present resone the engagement of additional teachers for the children generally ; the other , the affording a certain amount of tuition to the present choomliress and assistant schoolmistress and also or by heir mean to such of the elder girls as it may be though tomb e o vnstrnct , with a view to their imparting instruction to other children The solution of this question will also depend upon the decision arrived a as " * classification , and advisability of receiving payment from such of the parents friends as be willing to con tribute

or may ; toward " the expense . These are so much matters of detail as hardly to fall w bin he scope of the enquiry undertaken by us . We may , however observe that we have ascertained from the varying pract . ee in Tl os ' institutions with the authorities of wl , eh we have been in communication , the practicability of both systems . The cost win necTsa riy be regulated by the amount of extra talon employed and cannot be more than moderate , inasmuch as no addition is contemplated to the resident staff for the purposes of either French music or drawinir Tea expense of two sound useful pianofortes for the use of pupils in the latter branch we estimate at £ 55 , and we believe no difficultv will be found in securing the services of a teacher well

qualified to give the requisite amount of ms rue ion on teims that w 1 & . i " 4 Tie nature of the duties , and the kind of employmeu undertaken by children who have left the institution during the last ten y ° "fo the prosecution of our enquiry under this head ^ caused the following circular to be sent to . the parents or friends of tho * children who had left the school during the last ten years :-

« ' Roual Freemasons' School for Female Children , St John ' s Hill , Baiterseit Rise . "' Office—16 A , Great Queen Street , Lincoln ' s Inn Fields . '" A suction having been made for an extension of the education imparted to the children of this school , the committee are anxious to rSve hiformation as to the nature of the various duties undertaken by yonr daug hter since she quitted the establishmen « o that they form conclusions as to the sufficiency of the

mafbeEnabled to some Stotln and whether any real benefits would be derived from its f "Si ;; Si ° ; iy is requested , and any hints or ideas with reference to the school which you or your daughter may think proper to add , will be greatly esteemed . ' By order , "' February , 1858 . "' FB- « CIS CREW , Secretary . number these amount to 112 but change of residencedeath

"In , , and other causes have militated against that full response we had anticipated . Thirty replies only have been received , affording the followin g approximate result as regards opinion : — "In favour of extension pf education , 9 ; placed at schools for improvement 3 ; contented with present system , 10 : expressing no opinion , 8—total , 30 . " While the modes of employment are as ollow . — " Needleworker , 1 ; engaged in home duties , 8 ; domestic servo ,. its , i 2 dressmakers 3 -

5 ; shop , & o . assistants , ; emigrated , ; , govern esses , 2 ; pupil teachers , 2 ; companion , 1 ; no information'of , 2-t 0 « With regard to the tone of many of these replies , it is fair to presume that in the cases of some at least of those who either express themselves as contented with the amount of education the . ' received when in the school , or forbear from giving any opinion whatever , a fear of being thought guilty of ingratitude towards those at whoso hands they have received the benefits so thankfully acknowledged , may have induced them to refrain from any decided enunciation ol

"It may also without unfainiesss be remarked that all the letters which fall within this category evince an unquestionable deficiency in regard to educational attainments , and emanate from persens in an undoubtedly inferior position of life . » Jn addition to the confessedly somewhat scanty data afforded by these replies , we are able to add from other , sources the following infoimadon regarding twenty-two of the remainder of those children who have left the school within the time specified :-p duties 0 2 domestic servants

' Waged in home , ; governesses , ; , 2 ; dress makers , 2 ; milliners , 2 ; married , 4- emigrated , 1 ; at school for further improvement , t ; dead , 2—total , 11 . " We are by no means anxious to obtrude our opinions or recommendations on the committee , but confining ourselves wttluii the ™ io ? 7 facts , we believe that we are not exceeding our duties in stating that the opinions of all those whom we have consulted ( and their connection with of the leading educational

who from many establishments of a similar class , are in every respect emmenrty qualified to form a sound udginen as to the advan ages of such improvement as those now contemplated ) , are decidedly favourable to their adoption . The acquisition of a knowledge of domestic dut . es , so important and useful in after life , we regard as of paramount mpoSce and iu the Freemasons' Girls' School , the industrial rainii »• being so excellent , and forming so integral a portion of the S . n ' of education , the committee need not fear to raise the standard addition of Frenchdrawingand music It . i »

of education by the , , suggested that , in an establishmen like the t recrnasons Girl , S ,. hnnl where the welfare of the children is so studiously cared ior , ™ ftfcprSsK ta after-life so anxiously regarded , . the aim should be to " them such educational advantages as it is lair to nvesume they would have enjoyed had their parents continued in the possesion of means by which ' they could have been afforded ; that they should , in fact , be qualified to fill situations as governesses and assistants hi private schools , or to avail themselves ol any opportnm « es that mM . t offer for the advaucemeut of their interests or the efevaton of " their positions in life . This they are now certainly ninble to do , and therefore contrast unfavourably with the children