very pleasant there. Removed from all objectionable home connections our girls have the first advantage of making a fair start in life. Some of the girls speak of returning by-and-by to visit the Homes, but not to remain in England. I had pleasure in visiting one of our girls who has married and settled near Hamilton. Her nice appearance and comfortable home were sufficient proof that her training had not been wasted. I sincerely hope that in time I shall see many more such homes, and our girls at the head of them. There is no reason why it should not be."

These were most satisfactory records of the results of the experiment of taking the girls or young women far away from their early associations-in many instances only too painful or too sinful--if not vicious or criminal, at least depressing and degrading; and these reports strengthened the hearts and the hands of the promoters of the institution.

CHAPTER VI.

GROWING NEEDS, AND HOW THEY WERE MET.-SCHOOL AND INFIRMARY.

"Life was not given us to be all used up in pursuit of what we must leave behind us when we die."-JOSEPH MAY.

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Charity never faileth."-ST. PAUL.

"Riches do not constitute any claim to distinction. It is only the vulgar who admire riches as riches. Money is a drug in the market. Some of the most wealthy men living are mere nobodies. Many of them are comparatively ignorant. They are of no moral or social account. A short time since, a list was published of two hundred and twenty-four English millionaires. Some were known as screws; some were 'smart men' in regard to speculations; some were large navvies, coal-miners, and manufacturers; some were almost unknown beyond their own local circles; some were very poor creatures; very few were men of distinction. All that one could say of them was that they died very rich men."-S. SMILES.

"There cannot be a more glorious object in creation than a human being, replete with benevolence, meditating in what manner he might render himself most acceptable to his Creator, by doing most good to His creatures."-FIELDING.

E

T took something to keep an institution like the Village Homes going. But Mr. Hall, who was the very life and soul of these Homes as of the Wellesley ship, had a faith as large as his heart in the goodness of humanity-poor neglected humanity like that he had gathered from the darkest homes of the large towns, and in humanity that was blessed with all that wealth could bestow-believing that

the latter would bestow their wealth to meet the crying needs of the less favoured of their race. He trusted in Providence with the faith of Müller, the child's friend of Bristol; but acted on the principle of Cromwell-who trusted in Providence but kept his powder dry. He did his best, and then waited patiently-and was rewarded. When the needs were greatest, the gifts were the most handsome. Bequests occasionally dropped in--Mr. F. Glenton of Gateshead left £500 to the institution, which was handed over in 1885. Just before that Mr. C. T. Maling and the Misses Malings made a liberal donation of £315. In 1885 Mr. Hall said "they spent about £5 a day on the institution, and they reeeived from the people of Newcastle and neighbourhood not more than 15s. a day, as against the £5 expenditure." Alderman Stephenson, Mayor of Newcastle, who presided in 1885, said he was of opinion that the institution was entitled to have more money in the shape of annual subscriptions, and he added, "if a tithe of the time and money which had been expended in providing for the pecuniary necessities of destitution and misery had been applied to the removal of their causes, the social condition of our country would have been infinitely better than it was ; and if but a small fraction of the money squandered by the poor themselves in vice and intemperance had been employed for a better purpose, what different results we might have had." The subscriptions amounted to £250 a year, but not less than £600 or £700 was required.

But the institution was not known, otherwise it would have been better supported. That such was the case, was occasionally seen by the declaration of visitors, who had seen the Homes for the first time and were delighted with them, and became subscribers. Mr. Hall was anxious to have the institution completed, and pressed

for the erection of a hospital block and a laundry-for which about £2300 or £2400 would be required.

At the meeting in 1886, Mr. (now Sir) B. C. Browne, presided, as Mayor of Newcastle, and said "he had no doubt of the success of the plan of sending the girls to Canada or to Australia, New Zealand, and other colonies; but Canada was the nearest. No doubt the criminal or pauper class in England were getting smaller in proportion to the population, and by getting hold of the young ones and placing them in such institutions they prevented them from being brought up in a hopeless career." Mr. Hall said, to give an idea of the grateful feeling some of the girls entertained for the Homes, he might state, they occasionally contributed, he need hardly say voluntarily, handsomely out of their earnings. One girl sent a Another contributed 10s. a quarter out of her wages towards the funds of the institution. The necessity and advantage of getting the children away from some parents and sending them to Canada, was seen in a case given by Mr. Hall at this meeting :-

sovereign from Canada.

"There was a case in which a child's mother was a downright drunkard, and everything that was bad. She was occasionally sent to gaol. She had tried to prevent her child being sent away to Canada, and only yesterday she had threatened to take his life for being instrumental in sending her daughter away. If the work of the institution was not to be thrown away, it was absolutely essential to get such children away from their parents. The child in question, who had passed some years in the Homes and was subsequently sent to service, had written the following letter:-

"HONOURED SIR,—I wish before leaving England to thank

you and Mrs. Hall, for all your kindness to me and my brother. I feel it is your kindness that has given us such a start in life, and I hope always, wherever I am, to remember all the good you have taught me. I have got all my clothes ready, and can start whenever your are able to get a passage for me. I would like to see my brother first, if it could be managed. My brother might meet me. I have not told my mother that I am going away for fear she might stop me. Please could you do anything for my sister? I would like to see her safe at Whitley. Again thanking you very much for all your kindness. Would you please to give my thanks to Mrs. Hall for her kindness to me?"

"This," added Mr. Hall, "was the sort of feeling expressed by a poor girl as to what had been done for her, and thus it would be seen how important it was that she should be taken away from home evil influences."

This letter bore out a remark made at the next annual meeting by Canon Lloyd while presiding: "Next to the gift of a really good mother he should place the gift of a really true friend. Of both of these gifts were the children who came within these walls deprived. They were friendless girls, and among that very class of destitute, forlorn, abandoned children-growing up as they did in miserable surroundings, with circumstances that would lead them from very childhood into paths of sin and crime-were to be found the seeds and germs of wonderful goodness. He thought that nothing had struck him so much as the enormous amount of good they found at the bottom of what might be coatings of filth and badness of every kind. In the midst of these surroundings there was an enormous amount of goodaye, good which would put to shame many who had been brought up free from such surroundings. It was