same time aroused her sympathies for the
condition of destitute children. Her life-work began with her taking
part in organizing, in 1835, a "Working and Visiting Society," of which
she was secretary for twenty years. In 1843 her interest in negro
emancipation was aroused by a visit from Dr S.G. Howe. Her interest in
general educational work was also growing. A bill introduced in this
year "to make provision for the better education of children in
manufacturing districts," as a first instalment of a scheme of national
education, failed to pass, largely owing to Nonconformist opposition,
and private effort became doubly necessary. So-called "Ragged Schools"
sprang up in many places, and Miss Carpenter conceived the plan of
starting one in Lewin's Mead. To this was added a night-school for
adults. In spite of many difficulties this was rendered a success,
chiefly owing to Miss Carpenter's unwearied enthusiasm and remarkable
organizing power. In 1848 the closing of their own private school gave
Miss Carpenter more leisure for philanthropic and literary work. She
published a memoir of Dr Tuckerman, and a series of articles on ragged
schools, which appeared in the _Inquirer_ and were afterwards collected
in book form. This was followed in 1851 by _Reformatory Schools for the
Children of the Perishing and Dangerous Classes, and for Juvenile
Offenders_. She sketched out three classes of schools as urgently
needed:--(1) good free day-schools; (2) feeding industrial schools; (3)
reformatory schools. This book drew public attention to her work, and
from that time onwards she was drawn into personal intercourse with
leading thinkers and workers. She was consulted in the drafting of
educational bills, and invited to give evidence before House of Commons
committees. To test the practical value of her theories, she herself
started a reformatory school at Bristol, and in 1852 she published
_Juvenile Delinquents, their Condition and Treatment_, which largely
helped on the passing of the Juvenile Offenders Act in 1854. Now that
the principle of reformatory schools was established, Miss Carpenter
returned to her plea for free day-schools, contending that the ragged
schools were entitled to pecuniary aid from the annual parliamentary
grant. At the Oxford meeting of the British Association (1860) she read
a paper on this subject, and, mainly owing to her instigation, a
conference on ragged schools in relation to government grants for
educat