Page:Navvies and Their Needs.djvu/19

 very diminutive apartment for the school-mistress, who sleeps in a little chamber more like a small ship's cabin than a room, and has for sitting-room another almost equally diminutive. The school-room is furnished with tables, desks, and benches, and all the apparatus necessary for day-school and Sunday-school. I must say a word, before I go further, about the day-school. We had been at work at L W a long time before we could obtain this boon for the navvies. The building in which it was held was built by the men's employers for general purposes. It was to be a place of worship, a place of amusement, or instruction, as occasion might offer. For some time it was used on Sundays by representatives of various denominations, who held meetings, preached, and had a Sunday-school in it. its destinies were next affected by the appearance of small-pox amongst the men, when it was used as an hospital. The small-pox departed, the school was thoroughly cleansed, and was handed over to us for the use of our Sunday-school, which had hitherto been held in the church. A very unsatisfactory attempt at a day-school had before this been made, but with no visible result. The children of the place were a little band of wild savages—wild in appearance and in manners. Most of them knew a great deal more of the world and its wickedness than their age warranted, and were as ignorant of better things as it was possible to be. We succeeded at last in obtaining the appointment of a trained schoolmistress. Fortunate in our choice, we secured one who, in spite of great difficulties, and even some hardships, remained with us till the work was ended. She proved admirably suited to the work, and before long the aspect of the place, as far as the children affected it,