o the source of the instruction,
as the Children's Employment Commission proves. According to this
report, he who knows his letters can read enough to satisfy the
conscience of the manufacturers. And when one reflects upon the confused
orthography of the English language which makes reading one of the arts,
learned only under long instruction, this ignorance is readily
understood. Very few working-people write readily; and writing
orthographically is beyond the powers even of many "educated" persons.
The Sunday schools of the State Church, of the Quakers, and, I think, of
several other sects, do not teach writing, "because it is too worldly an
employment for Sunday." The quality of the instruction offered the
workers in other directions may be judged from a specimen or two, taken
from the Children's Employment Commission's Report, which unfortunately
does not embrace mill-work proper:

"In Birmingham," says Commissioner Grainger, "the children examined by
me are, as a whole, utterly wanting in all that could be in the
remotest degree called a useful education. Although in almost all the
schools religious instruction alone is furnished, the profoundest
ignorance even upon that subject prevailed."--"In Wolverhampton," says
Commissioner Horne, "I found, among others, the following example: A
girl of eleven years had attended both day and Sunday school, 'had
never heard of another world, of Heaven, or another life.' A boy,
seventeen years old, did not know that twice two are four, nor how
many farthings in two pence even when the money was placed in his
hand. Several boys had never heard of London nor of Willenhall,
though the latter was but an hour's walk from their homes, and in the
closest relations with Wolverhampton. Several had never heard the
name of the Queen nor other names, such as Nelson, Wellington,
Bonaparte; but it was noteworthy that those who had never heard even
of St. Paul, Moses, or Solomon, were very well instructed as to the
life, deeds, and character of Dick Turpin, and especially of Jack
Sheppard. A youth of sixteen did not know how many twice two are, nor
how much four farthings make. A youth of seventeen asserted that four
farthings are four half pence; a third, seventeen years old, answered
several very simple questions with the brief statement, that he 'was
ne jedge o' nothin'.'" {112a} These children who are crammed with