into his old habits. It is moreover to be remarked, that such had been his conduct during his confinement, that the directors of the establishment thought themselves warranted in giving a good character with him. They were probably little surprised on hearing of this relapse on the part of the boy-experience had doubtless taught them it was no uncommon thing, and we plainly see it had taught them to consider all further attempts at reclaiming him as useless.

Having collected the foregoing instances of juvenile delinquency, and presented them to the public, I cannot refrain from adducing a few other cases which came under my observation, evincing it would almost seem, an inherent principle of dishonesty in some children. Various, indeed, are the opinions of the wise on these matters; some have boldly asserted that they are inherent principles, and are the result of a peculiarity of cerebral conformation; but as my wish is rather to diminish evil, than ascertain its origin or nature, I will leave the philosophers to settle these doubtful points amongst themselves. I know it exists, it is the purpose of my present chapter to shew, by examples, to what an alarming extent it exists in the rising generation of the poor classes; it will be my next object to point out one cause of its existence, quite distinct from any about which the learned have disputed,-a cause which is in fact indisputable: namely, the neglect, bad habits, and examples of parents amongst the working class; and I shall then explain that which I think alone offers a remedy for the evil-the protection and education of the infant poor.

Whilst conducting the Spitalfield's Infant School, several instances of dishonesty in the children came

under my notice. On one occasion the mother herself came to complain of her little boy, not more than four years old, on the following grounds. She stated, that being obliged to be out at work all day, as well as her husband, she was under the necessity of leaving the children by themselves. She had three children besides the little boy of whom she was complaining. Having to pay her rent, she put eighteen-pence for that purpose in a cup at the top of the cupboard. On stepping home to give the children their dinners, she found the boy at the cupboard, mounted on a chair, which again was placed on the top of a table. On looking for the money she found fourpence already gone; one penny of this she found in his pocket, the rest he had divided amongst the other children, that they might not tell of him.

After this relation I kept a strict eye upon this child, and three or four days afterwards the children detected him opening my desk and taking halfpence out of it. The children informed me that he had been at the desk, and while they were bringing him up to me the halfpence dropped out of his hand; I detected him in many other very bad actions, but have reason to hope, that by suitable discipline and instruction he was effectually cured of this sad propensity.

About the same time I observed two little children, very near the school-house, in close conversation, and from their frequently looking at a fruit stall that was near, I felt inclined to watch them, having previously heard from some of the children in the school, that they had frequently seen children in the neighbourhood steal oysters, and other things. I accordingly placed myself in a convenient situation, and had not long to wait, for

the moment they saw there was no one passing, they went up to the stall, the eldest walking alongside the other, apparently to prevent his being seen, whilst the little one snatched an orange, and conveyed it under his pinafore, with all the dexterity of an experienced thief. The youngest of these children was not four years old, and the eldest, apparently, not above five; there was reason to believe this was not the first time these children had been guilty of stealing, though perhaps unknown to their parents, as I have found to be the case in other instances.

Another little boy in the school, a very fine child, whose mother kept a little shop, frequently brought money with him, as much as threepence at a time. On questioning the child how he came by it, he always said that his mother gave it to him, and I thought there was no reason to doubt the child's word, for there was something so prepossessing in his appearance, that, at that time, I could not doubt the truth of his story. But finding that the child spent a great deal of money in fruit, cakes, &c. and still had some remaining, I found it advisable to see the mother, and to my astonishment found it all a fiction, for she had not given him any, and we were both at a loss to conceive how he obtained it. The child told me, his mother gave it him; and he told his mother that it was given to him at school; but when he was confronted with us both, not a word would he say. It was evident therefore that he had obtained it by some unfair means, and we both determined to suspend our judgment, and to keep a strict eye on him in future. Nothing, however, transpired for some time; I followed him home several times, but saw nothing amiss. At length

I received notice from the mother, that she had detected him in taking money out of the till in her little shop. It then came out that there was some boy in the neighbourhood who acted as banker to him, and for every twopence which he received from the child, he was allowed one penny for taking care of it. It seems that the child was afraid to bring any more money to school, on account of being so closely questioned as to where he obtained it, and this, probably, induced him to give more to the boy than he otherwise would have done. Suffice it, however, to say, that both children at length were found out, and the mother declared that the child conducted her to some old boards in the wash-house, and underneath them there was upwards of a shilling, which he had pilfered at various times.

It would have been easy to multiply cases of juvenile delinquency, both those which have been brought under the cognizance of the law, and those which have come to my own knowledge, but I think enough have been related to show how early children may and do become depraved. I have purposely given most of them with as few remarks of my own as possible, that they may plead their own cause with the reader, and excite a desire in his bosom to enter with me in the next chapter into an enquiry as to the causes of such early depravity.

CHAPTER II.

REMARKS ON THE CAUSES OF JUVENILE
DELINQUENCY.

86

Why thus surpris'd to see the infant race

Treading the paths of vice? Their eyes can trace
Their parents' footsteps in the way they go:

What shame, what fear, then, can their young hearts know?”

ANON.

GREAT as the effects of juvenile delinquency are, I think we may discover a principal cause for them in the present condition and habits of the adult part of the labouring classes. We shall find very frequently, that it is only the natural perpetuation of evil, by the infallible mode of precept and example. I do not mean to make the illiberal assertion, that many parents amongst the poor classes actually encourage their children in the commission of theft; we may indeed fear, that even this is sometimes the fact; as in the instance of the two little girls detected in shop-lifting, whose case we detailed in the preceding chapter; but still, I should hope that such cases are not frequent. If, however, they do not give them positive encouragement in dishonesty, the example they set is often calculated to deprave the heart of the child, and to induce dishonesty, amongst other evil consequences; whilst