verseers and bailiffs.

The education at Swinton is conducted on the modern plan, which prevails
in the best schools under Government inspection. The children are taught
to love and look upon their masters and mistresses as friends, to be
consulted and applied to as they would to kind parents.

For instance take this bit, familiar to visitors of Infant Schools, but
still new to many:--

The children under six years of age, summoned by the sound of a whistle
from the play ground, trooped in glad groups to an anteroom, and girls and
boys intermixed, at a signal from the Master marched into the schoolroom
singing a tune.

Then followed such viva voce instruction as too many better endowed
children do not get for want of competent teachers. Indeed a better
education is now given in Workhouses than can be obtained for children
under twelve years of age at any paid school that we know of. For
instance:--

"What day is this?"
"Monday."
"What sort of a day is it?"
"Very fine."
"Why is it fine?"
"Because the sun shines, and it does not rain."
"Is rain a bad thing, then?"
"No."
"What is it useful for?"
"To make the flowers and the fruit grow."
"Who sends rain and sunshine?"
"God."
"What ought we to do in return for his goodness?"
"Praise him."
"Let us praise him, then," added the Master.

And the children altogether repeated, and then sang, a part of the 149th
psalm."

Now all this is very fine, and a wonderful improvement on the old dog-eared
Redinmadeasy, but better follows. After a time the children grew tired and
sleepy, one fell asleep. Did the Master slap them all round and pull the
ears of the poor little fat somnus? No. He marched them all out singing and
beating time to play for a quarter of an hour.

We commend Swinton to the consideration of the credulous disciples of the
firebrand school of economists, who believe that Manchester men devour little
children daily, without stint or mercy for their poor little bodies or souls.

Manchester obtained a municipal corporation under the provisions of the
general act for that purpose, passed in the reign of his late Majesty William
IV. Gas works, established in 1817, are the property of the town, and
produce a surplus income amounting to between three and four thousand pounds
a year, which are devoted to public improvements. The corporation have
recently ob