APPENDIX E. No. 22.-REPORT of MICHAEL LAWLER, Esq., District Inspector, on the DINGLE FEMALE INDUSTRIAL NATIONAL SCHOOL, County Kerry. I. Reports Dingle. Tralee, January, 1852. GENTLEMEN, I beg leave to submit the following Report on the Industrial Department of the Dingle Female National School. There are sixty girls employed at embroidery here. The Teacher of it is paid at the rate of 8s. a week by the Board of Education. This work is not remunerative; the best workers do not earn by it more than 10d. a week. The materials are supplied by the Messrs. Wallace of Glasgow, who take up and pay for the work when executed. The hours devoted to it are from 11 to 2 o'clock each day. The Nuns themselves (it is a convent school) teach knitting, netting, crochet, and plain work. There are 130 girls employed at these from 6 to 9, A.M., from a quarter to 12 to 1, and from 2 to 6, P.M., in summer, but not so long in winter. Good workers at Knitting, earn from 1s. 3d., to ls. 6d. a week each. at Netting, earn from 1s. 4d., to Is. 6d. at Crochet work, from 2s. to 2s. 3d. at Plain work, from 28. to 2s. 3d. Cost of materials purchased from May, 1850, to Decem- Value of materials on hands on 31st December, 1851, £433 6 5 64 0 0 136 10 0 The funds which enable the ladies of the convent to purchase the materials are chiefly derived from private subscriptions. There are two beautiful rooms exclusively used as workrooms, fitted up in a very superior style, with work-tables and presses. Much of the work is disposed of to families residing in the town and neighbourhood, and to emigrants; some of it is sent to Cork, and some to London. Many of the girls attending this school, where great attention is also paid by the Nuns to their religious and literary education, have, during the past seven years been enabled by the employment here afforded to them, to save themselves, their aged parents, and young helpless brothers and sisters, from the dreadful necessity of seeking admission into the overcrowded workhouse of the town. I remain, Gentlemen, your obedient Servant, MICHAEL LAWLER, District Inspector. The Secretaries, Education Office. No. 23.-REPORT of MICHAEL LAWLER, Esq., District Inspec- APPENDIX E. tor, on the INDUSTRIAL DEPARTMENT of the MILLTOWN I. Reports FEMALE NATIONAL SCHOOL, County Kerry. of District Inspectors on Tralee, December, 1851. Industrial GENTLEMEN,-Respecting the Industrial Department of the Schools. Milltown Female National School, I beg to submit the follow- Milltown. ing Report. A Workmistress, who is paid by the Board of Education, at the rate of 8s. a week, arrived here on the 24th October last to teach embroidery. As yet she has only thirty-nine pupils, but each week the number increases. The hours allotted to this work are from 10 to 11, and from 2 to 4 each day. The materials are supplied by the Messrs. Wallace of Glasgow, who will pay for the work when finished. The proficiency of the children at this work of embroidery, considering the short time since its introduction here, is very satisfactory, but as yet, no pieces having been completed, the Nuns cannot say what the children will be able to earn by it. Besides those learning embroidery, all the other children of this school who are able to handle a needle (about 150) are also taught crochet work, tapestry, fancy knitting, and plain needle-work, for two hours daily, by the Nuns. The last-mentioned description of work the Nuns consider the most useful and remunerative, were they furnished with a sufficient supply of it; but in a remote, unfrequented, small town, like that in which this school is situated, but little encouragement is afforded in this way. The literary instruction of the girls employed at the dif ferent kinds of work-which are all performed in one of the ordinary school-rooms-is well attended to by the Nuns, who have, within a short time, provided seventy-seven of their pupils with good situations, some as Teachers of National Schools, others as governesses in private families, &c. I remain, Gentlemen, your obedient Servant, MICHAEL LAWLER, District Inspector. The Secretaries, Education Office. No. 24. REPORT of MICHAEL LAWLER, Esq., District Inspector, on the TRALEE FEMALE INDUSTRIAL NATIONAL SCHOOL, County Kerry. Tralee, December, 1851. GENTLEMEN, I beg leave to submit the following Report on the Industrial Department of the Tralee Female National School. Tralee. APPENDIX E. I. Reports Industrial Tralee. Industrial instruction is given daily in one of the ordinary school-rooms from six to nine, A. M., from a quarter to twelve to one, and from two to six o'clock, P.M. All sorts of plain and fancy work are taught here, besides knitting, netting, crochet, lace, stay-making, and Berlin work, both tufted and plain. At these there are on an average about eighty girls employed. The specimens of the different kinds of work exhibited on the day of my visit appeared to me exceedingly well executed, and it was very gratifying to behold the neat appearance and cheerful countenances of the girls while they held up the beautiful work of their own hands for my inspection, and that of the Rev. Dr. M'Enery and the Rev. Mr. Maw, two gentlemen who honoured the exhibition with their presence, and to whose benevolent exertions the prosperous state of this first-rate school is in every respect greatly owing. I think it would have a very good effect if, on occasions of this kind, premiums were awarded for the best specimens of the different kinds of work; and I here beg leave respectfully to suggest, that the Commissioners will take into consideration the propriety of allocating a small portion of the funds at their disposal for such a purpose. There are three classes of plain and fancy workers. The girls of the first class earn from 2s. to 3s. a week each; those of the second class from 1s. to 2s. a week; and those of the third class from 6d. to 10d. a week each. The work is principally furnished by the gentry of Tralee and its vicinity. Mr. Biggs, an English gentlemen, supplies yarn and cotton for knitting, at which two hundred children are employed, each of whom earns from 6d. to 1s. 6d. a week. The work is taken, and paid for when finished, by Mr. Biggs. The ages of those learning to work, vary from seven to thirty years. All, except about twenty-five of the oldest, who are exclusively engaged at work, receive literary instruction three hours daily from the Nuns, who are also the Teachers of the plain and fancy work to which I have previously referred. In addition to the work above mentioned, embroidery was introduced here on the 13th October last. The Teacher of it is paid 88. a week by the Board of Education. She has as yet but thirty-six pupils, whom she instructs in this art three hours daily. No pieces having as yet been finished, the results of her teaching are not as yet known. The opinion of the Nuns, however, is, that the embroidery will not succeed here, few girls being willing to engage in it, seeing the small ArrENDIX E. I remain, Gentlemen, your obedient Servant, Industrial Tralee. The Secretaries, Education Office. No. 25.-REPORT of F. F. O'CARROLL, Esq., District Inspector, on the CARLOW FEMALE INDUSTRIAL NATIONAL SCHOOL. Athy, January 7th, 1852. GENTLEMEN, AS directed by your letter of the 20th of September, I visited the Carlow Female Schools on the 19th of November. I found 203 pupils present, of whom 62 were in the Infant School, and 141 in the combined Literary and Industrial School. In this house there are now two school-rooms, one for the Infant School and the other for the Literary and Industrial School. The hours of attendance are from a quarter past nine to a quarter to three; the literary department closes about a quarter past twelve, and from a quarter past twelve to a quarter to three is devoted to the sewing and embroidery classes. The Teacher of embroidery is in attendance at a quarter past ten, but until a quarter past twelve she is employed in preparing the work, or in giving instruction to some eight or nine beginners: she has ninety-two names on her roll, the average attendance being sixty. She is paid 8s. a week by the National Education Board. Embroidery on stamped muslin is the only branch taught; collars, trimmings, and cuffs the only work executed. The school has been only seven weeks in operation, consequently but little has been earned by the children. One girl earned 2s. 1d., another 1s. 6d., some 4d., some only 3d. This branch of industry could, in my opinion, be introduced with advantage into some of the larger female schools under competent teachers, but subject to strict rules. The children are allowed to take home the work; without this permission they could earn nothing. To earn even the trifling sum of one or two shillings a week, at the present rate of payment, they must work many hours daily-indeed I believe it is during the winter evenings most of the work is done. But for even less pecuniary gain than that above Carlow. APPENDIX E. mentioned, many girls would leave altogether their books for I. Reports Carlow. their work, and stay from school to finish their embro.dry. This might be prevented by a rule requiring every girl having the work to attend school regularly, and while there to devote only the hours for sewing to the embroidery; or, if obliged to absent herself from school on any day, she should be required to send her work to the Workmistress. Without some such rule, the disadvantages would more than counterbalance the advantages. Embroidery has been for some time going on in Ballinakill School in this district. There the average has not increased, and the classes are not good; and, as the Teacher is well qualified, I can attribute the inefficient state of the school only to this work, by which the pupils gain a few shillings at the sacrifice of their literary education. They give nearly all their time to this work, and the remuneration it brings them is not worth the time and labour bestowed on it. There has been also a very large embroidery school in the neighbourhood of Kilcullen, under the patronage of Mrs. Roberts. It gives employment to hundreds of females of all ages; but it has, I believe, injured the National Schools around it, at least the Halverstown Female School is quite deserted, and, as I am informed, in consequence of this embroidery school. The people are so poor they will give their labour for the smallest wages. Practised hands that can do the work quickly may derive a tolerable profit from this business by giving up to it all their time; but the earnings of children only learning the work, and obliged to attend also to their school, is scarcely worth mentioning. In my opinion, this embroidery should not be introduced into National Schools, unless accompanied by some such rule as I have mentioned, which would prevent it from occupying too much of the school time; and, under such necessary rule, I am afraid the children, at the present rate of payment, would be very long earning a shilling. Like every novelty, it pleases them at first, and they are eager to be employed at it; but I believe they seldom apply for a second piece of the work. It is very tedious, hurtful to the eyes, and affords very poor remuneration. A steady supply of plain work, where it can be had, will pay better, and is more useful. Some few girls are mentioned as having earned a great deal within a short period, but it will be found that they have for this neglected their books, and it is but a chance will they ever resume them. I am, Gentlemen, your obedient Servant, F. F. O'CARROLL, District Inspector. The Secretaries, Education Office. |