V IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) // Ic ^ W^.f 1.0 1.1 IH== 11.25 1^ tMUU 1.8 U 111.6 6 <^ o^ Phol ^ ^ ScMices Corporation CT 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) 872-4503 V CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHIVI/JCIVSH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for H' CHAPTER XIV. OitK Children at Homk and Aiikoad CHAPTER XV. Tmk Last Two Years CHAPTER XVI. What wk Hoi'e to do • • • CHAPTER XVII. Temperance Work • • • • PAr.B 92 . lOI 105 120 • • 124 127 PART HI. HISTORY OF MY TROUBLES. 1893. CHAPTER XVIII. Incidents in the Work 131 lO CONTENTS PART IV. A STRANGE TALE OF EVANGELINE'S LAND. 1895. 1895 CHAPTER XIX. PAGB PART V. HAPPY RESULTS. CHAPTER XX. Happy Results igj PART I. OUR CHILDREN IN OLD SCOTLAND. II fv OUR CHILDREN IN OLD SCOTLAND AND NOVA SCOTIA. CHAPTER I. FISHER CHILDREN AT ST. ANDREWS. When 1 was a little girl, my home was in a large old-fashioned house close to the ruins of the Cathedral at St. Andrews (Scotland). It was a picturesque old place, standing in its own courtyard and garden, which were surrounded by high walls. These were our only defence against the inroads of our somewhat trouble- some neighbours " the Fishers," whose dilapidated dwellings formed at that time the east end of North Street, except where the line was filled up by our stretch of high walls. From our upper windows I had ample opportunity of observing the doings, and com- passionating the misery of swarms of the fisher chil- dren, the dilapidation of whose clothing was only rivalled by that of their dwellings. Our chief meeting- place, however, was the open sunny space between our gate and the Cathedral, which was the favourite play- 13 as 14 OUR CHILDREN. ground of our troublesome neighbours. Our gate itself was a curiosity, for over it were the Douglas arms — the bleeding heart — and, if it could have spoken, might have told many a tale of all who had come and gone beneath its arch, since the days of its original possessor, the celebrated Gawaine Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld, and Dean of St. Andrews, before the Refor- mation days — whose mother is credited with lack of ambition for her son's education in the following distich : — " Thank Heaven, ne'er a son of mine But Gawaine e'er could pen a line." While the fisher children took their noisy pleasure in the open space aforesaid, our favourite playground was within the precincts of the ruined Cathedral, where my brother and I played happily many a summer's day beside an old and highly respected friend, who united in his own person the functions of custodian to the Cathedral, and factotum to my father. So it came to pass that in our baby days our favourite stories were told us by David (about the Protestant Martyrs and John Knox), with certain gruesome details which we were enabled to realize more vividly by an occasional visit to the neighbour- ing Castle, with the window still remaining where Car- dinal Beatoun looked out at the spectacle of George Wishart burning in front of the Castle gate, and at 1 F/SNEK CHILD KEN AT ST. ANDREWS. IS a ked of Tiy )ur he in lize r- r- ge at I ■ 'A J- .f 4 which window he himself speedily met with the retri- bution due. We would then cross the Castle yard, and with fear and trembling look down into " the Bottle," * in which so many victims of ecclesiastical tyranny were immured until death put an end to their sufferings. Who can wonder that I grew up a staunch Protestant ? So matters went on until I was about twelve years old, and one of my brothers, a young soldier, came home from abroad, deeply impressed with the impor- tance of eternal things, who lost no time in speaking to me about my soul, and the need of salvation, and the ingratitude and heartlessness of going on neglect- ing such a Friend as our Saviour; but I sturdily re- sisted all such appeals with all the little strength and obstinacy of twelve years old. A short time after this a dear elder sister, thirteen years older than I was, who had been for long in delicate health, was called by the Lord in a very remarkable way, and having found peace in believing Him, naturally at once tried to lead me to Him too, but as it seemed without suc- cess. The effort did not last long, for she was sum- » This vault or dungeon is what is known as an Oubliette, of which there are few now extant, but in the dark ages it was a common instrument of cruelty. It was of considerable size and very deep, and in shape exactly like a great bottle, with no aperture save the narrow neck, down which the vic- tims were lowered by chains, in all probability never to return to the light of day. iil i6 OUR CHILDREN. moned to leave earth for heaven just a fortnight after her conversion, and died after a few days' illness, re- joicing in her newly found Saviour, but not before she had spoken many loving and earnest words to me, and induced me to read to her constantly, during her illness, from her little Testament she now found so precious, that she could not do without frequent refer- ence to it. But it was not until the day after her death that I took refuge in the Testament too, and in the 17th chapter of St. John found the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, and before the sun set that evening, was rejoicing in Him who thus called me out of darkness into His marvellous light. It is a long time ago now, but He has never failed me since, and I believe soon began to use the child He called then, as a means of helping other children. As soon as the Lord had thus brought me to Him- self, He made me wish to Ho something for Him, and the people most within my reach were the fisher chil- dren in the adjoining street. These now became the object of my life, and to prove the sincerity of my in- terest, I may mention, it overcame my former hatred of plain sewing, and one of my great pleasures was to make what I could, in the way of clothes, for them. When I was old enough to undertake the duties, I was permitted, to my great delight, to become a visitor at the Fishers' School close by, where I worked first as a visitor, and afterwards as hon. sec, for about four- I t FISHER CHILDREN AT ST. ANDREWS. 17 teen years, until disabled by the accident which laid me on the sofa for nearly six years, and from the effects of which I have never entirely recovered. In 1876 I had gone to live in the neighbourhood of Edinburgh, the result of turning a corner in my life, when by my mother's death, my old home had been broken up. I was somewhat of an invalid, having been, as I said, lamed by an accident six years before, and this, I think, has been the secret of my desire to save young children from like suffering, and possibly of my knowing how to nurse them when in pain. I was a good deal alone in the world, felt my weakness keenly, and often wondered whether I would ever again be of any use. I often asked God to give me something to do for Him. I could not* help it. It is so sad to feel of no use. CHAPTER II. DAY NURSERY CHILDREN IN EDINBURGH. In the autumn of 1876 a friend told me she had been shocked by the fearful stories she had heard of the ill-usage of young children in Edinburgh, some of which she related. The result was that I opened a Day Nursery early in 1877, where mothers who worked out during the day could bring their babies and little children below seven years of age, and by paying a very small sum, leave them to be well taken care of till night. A fc.v came at first, but by degrees the Nursery increased, and the children grew and throve. I could not pay for much help, and had to be practically head nurse myself For this end I spent the greater part of my days there, only going home to sleep. The work was hard, but most interesting from a mission- ary point of view, as in living the life and sharing the burden of the very poor, it gave one the opportunity of speaking words for Jesus which at a greater dis- tance are either more apt to remain unsaid, or are less likely to be listened to. As you may suppose, the demands of so many hungry and often fretful 18 D/iV XUKSEKY CIIILDREX IN EDIXBURGIL 19 little children were incessant. The daily attendances, when reckoned up at the year's end, numbered by the thousand. How well I remember often sitting on a " creepie" (Anglice, loiv stool) with seven infants round me on the floor, waiting for me to feed them turn about ! All our arrangements were of an equally primi- tive description, which I discovered commended them- selves greatly to the hard-working mothers who took advantage of my invitation. It will be '^een we made no attempt to pose as a highly drilled institution. The offer I made in return for 2d. a day was a warm house, three meals a day and a piece for those who had teeth to eat with. For the bottle babies I pro- vided the best milk I could get, and an unlimited supply of crusts and drinks of milk for the teething children. Some friends used to shake their heads gently and murmur, " Irregularity." But the proof of the pudding was literally in the eating, and the starving mites grew fat and even rosy. The great difficulty was in the nursing required. Babies will not do unless they are kept cheerful, and I strongly objected to their being left lying in bed for the sake of convenience. But we did our best ; and I employed a certain number of motherless girls, who, with good looking after, made very efficient nurses. We had a good many cradles and swing cots, and I had a won- derful chair, in which I could nurse five little ones at a time. Added to these advantages, we had a large *! 30 OUR CHlT.nRh!^. and perfectly safe playground, with good-sized trees in it, and a steep bank to run up and down, which was an endless delight to our children. It was care- fully fenced from the street at one side, from our neighbours' gardens on the other and top of the bank, also from the mill dam at the bottom, which was a greater source of anxiety, as this was believed to be more dangerous than the Water of Leith running just below. Many a decent mother has thanked me for this " more than anything. Just to keep the bairns off the street." I think I loved the old Nursery better than any of the Homes, for I spent so many of the early days of the work there, and learnt so many hard lessons con- cerning the children of the poor. This is a cheerful picture, but of course there were very black shadows too, in having to see in so many cases the children suffer for the mother's fault, even to the extent of poor innocent little babies being poisoned by whisky ! I often think what a wonderful result has, by the blessing of God, grown out of the seed planted at the Stockbridge Day Nursery. It is now a big family tree, whose branches have spread beyond the sea, where active and capable young men and maidens are carving out their own fortunes, and making homes for themselves in the New World, followed in their turn by bright, bonny boys and girls, who were brought as \ trees which 5 care- m our 2 bank, was a I to be ng just me for bairns I any of days of »ns con- re were 3 many It, even s being by the d at the : family he sea, ens are mes for ir turn •ught as DAY NURSERY CHILDREN IN EDINIWRCII. a I babies in arms, or very little children, just able to toddle in and out after one, like a flock of ducks, whose greatest pleasure was "a dirt pie," and greatest grief to be inadvertently left behind when the rest of the family had adjourned to have dinner in the kitchen. Now they are earning their own living ; and it is but fair to them to say I have had no reason to be ashamed of them. One of my greatest pleasures in looking back to the old nursery days is the recollection of the pleas- ant and affectionate intercourse with Miss Auld, who was so true and kind a friend to me and our children all through those years of (it must be confessed !) the anxiety and drudgery of Day Nursery work. How she came in all weathers to look after us and see we had all we needed in the way of housekeeping ; how she cheered us up by taking the best view of every- thing, coaxed the bairns with sweeties — I always said it made me jealous, but I did not think it — how she controlled rebellious and provoking girls, kept up the spirits of the nurse, conducted mothers' meetings once a week, and scolded me roundly for my imprudence in various directions and not taking care of my health ! I v/ish I had her here now, that is all I can say. I had many other kind helpers in the lady visitors too, but as the object of their being there was to give me time for other things, I saw less of them, though I was most grateful to them all the same. CMAPTKR III. W^ « rKOGKliSS UF THK WOKK FoK VARIOUS CLASSKS OF CHILDREN. A FKW months after I began the Day Nursery work I felt constrained to open a home in the autumn of 1877, as I found so many children who had no home to go to at night, unless the common lodging-house could be called so, and so many others brought by fathers, the mother having died and left the poor things to the care of the even more-to-bc-piticd man, who had now to be father and mother and all. Need I say it likewise grew ? At this time, 1878, I consented to have a Board of Directors. When I accepted their co-operation, I kept in my own hands three items : — 1. Provision and amount of food. 2. Entire control of the servants. 3. Admission of cases. This I thought fair and reasonable, as I had under- taken to be responsible for the expenses of the Insti- tution. Then a terrible class of little sufferers was brought to me — the inmates of baby farms. These I was 22 PROGRESS OF WORK FOR VARIOUS CLASSES. 23 enabled to protect efficiently by the help of the police, and many were rescued. But there was a class even beyond these, more miincrous and varied in bitter experience, as well as in aj;e; for when does the drunkard's child, even the half-fjrovvn boy or girl, cease to be the victim of its parent's sin ? Many and harrowing were the cases for which my help was asked from all quarters, and in an extraor- dinary variety of circumstances. Sometimes he^p was needed only for u limited period ; sometimes, until in a year or two, I could put the boy or girl in the way of doing for themselves. More frequently the little ones were left a burden on my hands alto- gether, until at last I had, for a long time before I left Scotland, 300 children to feed every day, to say nothing of clothing and education ; and as all my Home children went to the public schools, the school- fees were a heavy item. Thus the Home, once started, grew rapidly ; first one house was opened, then another, till in 1883 I had Homes for girls and little ones at 11, Mackenzie Place, Stockbridge, Edinburgh ; 2, Craigholm Cres- cent, Burntisland, Fife; for boys, at i, Craigholm Crescent, Burntisland ; and 4, Bayton Terrace, Gran- ton, near Edinburgh, Three of these were arranged to accommodate twenty-five children in each, besides two or three older girls as workers, and we often 24 OUR CHILDREN, had to stretch a bit when those pleading for admis- sion could not wait in cold, hunger and nakedness till some other had been provided for. At Bayton Terrace we tried to keep to eight boys. I lived on both sides of the Forth, and my own houses, Merleton, Wardie, and i6, Craigholm Crescent, Burntisland, had many occupants, little ones, delicate children, or those requiring special protection from cruelty. I may mention that my servants, except the housekeepers, were all taken from the elder girls who had behaved well enough to deserve such pro- motion. At this time I can well remember many a winter's night, when having Stockbridge at 8.30, after a hard day's work, when very pressing applications had been made and sifted for admission to the Mackenzie Place Home, I had to take two or three of the improved inmates from Stockbridge Home to Wardie with me, in order to leave room in the beds for the perishing , little new-comers. Do you blame me? What else could I do? Cor id I have gone home ^^ .y/^^/, and know I had left little children to perish, — the little children whom the Lord Jesus Christ told us all to receive in His name ? I was careful only to admit children who were either victims of cruelty or really homeless, and without the necessaries of life; though, strange to say, from mis- fortune (too common at that time of general depression FA'OGA'ESS OF WORK FOR VARIOUS CLASSES. 25 ither the imis- Ssion and want of work, consequent on the commercial crisis) many became destitute, whose parents had been respectable and well-to-do people. But I never, that Tknmuof, refused to admit a single destitute or cruelly treated child or young person, though I have refused hundreds of cases of mere convenience! In 1880 the work had attracted a good deal of public attention and a good deal of criticism ; and when the British Association met in Edinburgh, in October of that year, it was made the subject of dis- cussion, introduced by our Chairman, Mr. Colston, which provoked most decided and, it seemed to me, most unjust opposition. I had been previously invited to read a paper on Day Nursery* work, and the help and protection necessary for little and innocent chil- dren, unsuited by their age and lacj< of even petty crimes for Industrial Schools. I took the opportunity of pleading the cause of little children, whose only crime was their poverty, as earnestly as I could, and was listened to with much sympath}^ by many people, with amusement by others. At the close of my appeal a gentleman standing in one of the passages asked for leave to join in the discussion, and made a most touch- ing and eloquent speech in defence (much to my joy and relief) of the cause of little innocent children, am certain, turned the tide speech, publi opinion in Edinburgh, and the speaker was J. H. A. M-'^donald, Esq., then Sheriff of Perthshire afterwards cf; ,i Sil 5 26 OUR CHILDREN, the Lord Advocate, and now Lord Kiiigsburgh, the Lord Justice Clerk of Scotland. Here 1 may remark that in opening all these houses since 1878 I always sought the advice of the directors in every important matter, and when they failed to attend the meetings to which they were regularly summoned, I frequently went to them ?X other times. Thus, in December, 1884, I added the Shelter from Cruelty, 150, High Street, to the list of houses, the reason for this being, I had found it necessary to receive so many children requiring special protection from cruelty at Merleton, Wardie; and as this ^.vas extremely inconvenient to myself and my household, I thought it better to incur the expense of another house somewhere near the Police Office. Besides, it was extremely desirable to have a kind of test-house through which doubtful children could pass on their way to the Home. At this time there was an idea of some other friends beginning a new society for the same end, i.e. of Prevention of Cruelty to Children, but finding how fully the Edinburgh and Leith Children's Aid and Refuge (which was the name itoiv given to this work) occupied the ground, these friends thought it better to join us and all work together. In May, 1885, we were greatly cheered and encour- aged when the Earl of Aberdeen, w'^o was at that time Lord High Commissioner, did us the honour to mOGRESS OF WORK FOR VARIOUS CLASSES. 27 visit the Shelter from Cruelty on his way from the General Assembly, accompanied by the Countess of Aberde<*n, the Dowager Countess of Aberdeen, and members of the suite. His lordship, who was patron of the original society, expressed his satisfaction with the arrangements, and especially commended the manners and appearance of the children whom I had brought from the Homes for his inspection. The ladies also were most kind and cordial in their ap- proval and sympathy with the work carried on in the prevention of cnielty to children. That day I received a request from Mr. W. T. Stead to go to London and give evidence concerning what was known as the Leith case (of which further details will be found in Chapter V., headed " German Chil- dren"), which was desired for the effort then being made to secure the passing of the Criminal Amend- ment Bill. This I did, and went through a good deal of annoyance in consequence, as did everybody who ventured to meddle with the subject which so agitated the country at that time. I was therefore not sorry that I had previously arranged to go to Canada that summer, and carry on the inquiries, begun in 1882, relative to the emigration of children and the protec- tion to be obtained for them. On this occasion I met with more success, and obtained promises of help of various kinds from various people ; and matters having become serious, so far as I was concerned, 28 OUR CHILDREN. W ! financially, I told the directors I must avail myself of the opening, with such children as could not be pro- vided for otherwise. I further said if they (the direc- tors) wished to withdraw from the undertaking, which had so outgrown its original proportions, I could only be obliged to them for what they had done. If they, on the other hand, decided to go on with me, I should be glad of their help. They decided to go on. In the meantime I took a short lease of the farm at Leadburn Park as an outlet for our older boys, and as a means of employing them profitably, and training them for work in Nova Scotia. There were two houses on the place, one of which was very convenient for younger children in summer. Thus, in 1886, when I sailed for Nova Scotia, and had closed my two private houses of Merleton, Wardie, and 16, Craigholm Crescent, Burntisland, I had still eight houses full of children, besides many boarded in the country. Under these circumstances, with 300 children to provide for, I was forced to see what I could do in the new country, unless, indeed, I accepted the alternative of giving up the children, which I could not do. You will say, " Did you get no help ?" I answer, "Very little in pro'^ortion." The Town Council of Edinburgh and other public bodies gave annual grants, and the public contributed latterly about ;^500 a year; but, as I said before, it was understood I was responsible for the expenses of PkOGJiESS OF WORK FOR VARIOUS CLASSES. 29 the various branches of the institution, which, before I left Edinburgh, amounted to at least ;^8ooo. This seems a large sum, but when you consider this paid the expenses for eleven years of so large a work, that at a very moderate computation yyx> children had passed through my hands, and that about 700 young people had been started in the world, the amount does not seem extravagant. In Nova Scotia I have spent about £2000 more. In March, 1886, I accepted the invitation of the London Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Chil- dren to attend (as the representative of the Edinburgh Society) at a meeting held at their Shelter in Harpur Street, where I met Mr. James Giahame, chairman of the Glasgow Society, and others. The Rev. Benjamin Waugh greeted me most warmly, and introduced me to the meeting as "a veteran in the work," having been fighting the children's battle against cruelty since 1877, while, as he was pleased to say, stronger people had only awakened to the necessity in 1884. In the course of the meeting we Scotch representatives urged the necessity for legislation in Scotland, and were ad- vised to ask the help of any parliamentary or official friends on whose support we could rely, I brought the case before the Hon. J. H. A. Macdonald, who was the Lord Advocate of Scotland at the time, and he most kindly arranged a meeting in one of the side rooms of the House of Commons, which was attended !frr €\ 30 OU/i CHILDREN. m ilVi ! ili by the Hon. Preston Bruce, M.P., Dr. Farquharson, M.P., and some other Scotch members. The Lord Advocate presided. James Grahame, Esq., repre- sented the Glasgow Society, and I attended by special invitation to represent Edinburgh, which I believe was an unusual honour for a woman ! Our friends spoke encouragingly, and promised to do all they could, though it was not until 1888 that the law regarding cruelty to children was altered. Praise the Lord I I am thankful to have thus been the means of lay- ing the foundation and developing in Edinburgh the work which since then, by joining the Glasgow So- ciety, has become the Scottish National Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children, as recorded in their "Occasional Paper" dated November, 1889. James Grahame, Esq., chairman of the Glasgow Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, giving an account of its origin in 1884, and after noticing the formation in Liverpool of the first Society called by that name in Great Britain, says : — In another part of this publication there is given an account of the origin of the Children's Aid and Refuge Society, which is now merged in the Scottish National Society for the Preven- tion of Cruelty to Children, but which was then a private enterprise of Miss Emma M. Stirling, who deserves the utmost credit as the disinterested and self-devoted pioneer of the great movement for the protection and rescue of children in the East of Scotland. PKOGRESS OF WORK FOR VARIOUS CLASSES. 31 Here is the account of the Children's Aid and Refuge referred to, signed by Mr. Colston, chair- man: — This Institution was established for the protection of young people. // existed several years before there was any project put forth to form societies in our large cities and towns for the Preven- tion of Cruelty to Children. It was practically in its own way subserving the very purpose for which these larger organiza- tions have been calleu into existence. The opening by Miss Emma M. Stirling of a small Creche or Day Nursery was the first inception of the scheme. Then follows a description of the Day Nursery, which it is needless to repeat. Mr. Colston con- tinues : — The H ne was partly supported by public benevolence, but chiefly by the liberality of Miss Stirling, who generously made up the deficiency of each year out of her own private means. Having requested the aid and co-operation of a few leading citizens to act as a committee of advice in the benevolent work to which she had dedicated herself, it soon became obvious that there were many sad cases of cruelty towards children that the general public knew little about, and for which the state of the law did not afford any sufficient remedy. Miss Stirling's active exertions in the work of rescuing and befriending neglected children are now well known to the community. It is not requisite to dilate upon these further than to say that her efforts, under the committee of advice who were associated with her, had, as their effect, in a large 3* OUR CHILDREN, m\ measure, the work ol' prevention of cruelty to children as now understood. Then follows an account of the German children described in Chapter V. of this book : — Since that time, as Mr. Henderson, the Chief of Police, and other official gentlemen in the city can testify, a number of cases of gross cruelty have been brought to light through means of the Aid and Refuge, and have been reported to the Police, with the result that the offenders were punished. The Shelter from Cruelty was opened in 1884 by Miss Stirling and those gentlemen who had by this time become associated with her in the management. It is situated at a convenient distance from the chief police office. During the same year a Society was formed 1. the city, called ' ' The Edinburgh Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children." It was, however, soon found by its promoters that the work was being so well done by the Children's Aid and Refuge that there was no need for the new organization. It therefore became amalgamated with this institution. In 1886 Miss Stirling thought it to be her duty to transfer her field of usefulness to across the sea to Aylesford, Nova Scotia, where she is still proving herself the friend of little children by devoting her time, attention, and private fortune to their benefit. (Signed) James Colston. ill CHAPTER IV. PREVENTION OF CRUELTV CASES OF RESCUED CHILDREN. As I have been engaged in another field for the last four years, and labouring for the good of children who have been rescued, and whose sorrows and sufifer- ings are therefore things of the past, this chapter must be one of recollection ; and I can only tell you cases as they occur to me in order to illustrate the story of the work given me to do between 1877 and 1888, when I left Scotland for Nova Scotia. 1. The first case with which I was called on to deal, and which opened my eyes to the possibility of hideous cruelty to infants, was that of a baby of something over a year old, which was brought me fearfully bruised, and had on its throat the distinct marks of a knife. I applied to the police for help, but, I regret to say, the perpetrator was not discovered. I nursed it till it died a short time after its admission. 2. Another was a girl of eight years old, who had jumped out of a window sixty feet high to escape from her mother, who was beating her unmercifully, with- out apparently any reason except drunken fury. 3. Another, a girl of ten years, whose mother had 3 33 34 oih' cm 1. 1) K EX. applied to the Home for her admission and had been refused as unnecessary, who thereupon set to work apparently to get rid of her, and with the help of the stepfather hacked her feet and legs with an axe. This case was brought by a policeman. Both these girls have done remarkably well. 4. Three children aged six, four and a half, and two and a half years. The eldest, a girl, the two younger, boys, were found in a dying state from want of food to so frightful an extent that they ate everything. The elder children could go to the streets and pick up crumbs of 'oread and stumps of cabbages, but the younger could not walk, so lay helpless on the straw, which, in course of time, he ate as well as paper and cinders. This I saw him do myself His hair for a long time ^2a perfectly white, like that of an old mun. They have all done well. 5. Boy of five years. Was found hanging by his hands out of a high window, in which position he had been forcibly placed by his father in a drunken freak of temper. The child was rescued with some diffi- culty, and brought to me by his mother, who came home from her work in time to see her child delivered from his awkward predicament, and consequently im- plored me to keep him. For a long time the effect on his nervous system was evident. 6. A little boy of three years, who had been so long shut up in a room alone for hours, with a " piece" PREVENTION OE CRUELTY CASES. 35 to keep him from starving, that his wits seemed to have become addled. He never smiled, but moaned and chattered feebly. After being nursed for a good many weeks, he recovered in a great measure; and one of our little girls having taken him under her special protection, he gradually became like the other children, and is now a fine sturdy fellow, decidedly clever. 7. A fine stout child of about two and a half years, whose mother apparently set to work to beat him to death. He was brought by some working women, and the mother sent to prison for sixty days. 8. Another little boy of about the same age, who is nearly blind, his mother having poked his eyes with a stick. One eye is entirely blind, the other nearly so. Otherwise he is a stout and intelligent boy, with mercifully an extremely happy temper. I could go on with such painful histories, but these will be enough to show what I formerly was called to do, in the way of protecting children from cruelty, before this work was so well understood, or so much the fashion as it is now. There is another form of cruelty to which I shall refer in the next chapter. I mean the trade in Ger- man children, which I am thaiikful to have been the means of stopping in Scotland. But whether foreign- ers or not, it is by no means the first time that little girls, mere children,, have fled to me for refuge, as 36 OUR CHILDREN. they might have done to the old cities which God appointed long ago in Israel ; they liave come flushed, panting, terrified, as if the destroyer were at their heels. Open the door for the children, Tenderly gather them in ; In from the highways and byways. In from the places of sin. Chorus. Open the door, open the door, Pray you that grace may be given ; Open the door for the children, Of such is the kingdom of Heaven. Open the door for the children. Some are so hungry and cold ; Some are so young and so helpless, Gather them into the fold. Open the door for the children, Stretch out a welcoming hand ; Bid them sit down to the banquet. Point them to Canaan's land. CHAPTER V. GERMAN CHILDREN. In 1883 a very strange thing was brought to my knowledge at the Day Nursery. It happened in this way : — One day, about the end of May, a man called to apply for the admission to the Day Nursery of his motherless child, aged about four years. He said he was a German, and could speak very little English. He gave the name of N , and said he was a chem- ist's labourer. The nurse supplied him with the usual certificate. He seemed unwilling to go away, and after a time made her understand he now wished a certificate for the Home, the existence of which he had discovered since he entered the house. She told him she must ask me for that, which she accordingly did at my next visit. It seemed to me a most neces- sary case, being, as I was led to believe, that of a little motherless foreigner, who had no other means of being taken care of. In a few days the child was brought, but, instead of being four years old, looked about six or seven. She remained in the Home all summer. N visited her frequently, and seemed 37 38 OUR CHILDREN. very anxious about her ; in fact, was inclined to be intrusive, and to disregard the hours at which visitors were expected. However, we made all due allowance for his ignorance of our ways, and things went on smoothly enough. All this time I had never met him, though I had several times sent him a message that I should like to talk to him. In August I was away from home, and received a letter from him, not very coherent, written partly in German, partly in broken English. So far as I could understand it, the point was to beg me to admit another German child into the Home, whom he expected shortly to arrive from Germany. I felt pro/oked at his presuming to bring children from Germany for no apparent reason but to take advantage of the Home. However, as I could not decipher the letter to my own satisfaction, and was to be absent for some weeks, I thought it safer to ask our doctor to go and see him, to find out the truth of the matter, and, if necessary, receive the other child. After some correspondence Dr. Notley wrote to me that he could not understand the man ; he had changed his address once or twice ; that some- times he said one thing, sometimes another ; that the second child had dropped out of the question, and was not coming to Scotland in the meantime ; that I had better make a point of seeing him (the applicant) as soon as possible, adding, he could speak English as well as any one. GEKMAX CllILDRKA'. On my return to Edinburgh I arranged for N- 39 to come and see me at the Home. He at once began the conversation by asking me to receive another little girl. I said, " !s this the one you expected in August ?" He replied, " No ; that child stopped in London, where she has been put into a Home for German orphans ; this, madam, is another, a third little girl," Startled out of all caution, I remarked, " How very extraordinary ! What do you mean by it ? What are you doing with all these children ?" He said, " Oh, madam, it is quite natural ; the first is my own child ; the second — well, her friends' plans for her are changed ; the third, it is still well. I want a companion for my own child, and I prefer a German to a Scotch girl." I felt it was not all well. The man looked odd. I suspected something wrong, but could not tell what. I thought the best thing was to be quiet and let him go on telling me anything he chose ; so I made a good listener, and, except by a question now and then, did not interrupt him in a long and circumstantial accouiit of his wife'j illness and death, when his little girl was born in a poor neighbourhood close by where we were then sitting. The truth of this I never doubted, and expressed my sympathy. At last it occurred to me to say, " Who helped you to take care of your little girl after her mother's death till now ?" ;i A i I i liiW 1 40 OUR CHILDREN. He said, " She was with my friends in Germany." I asked, " Why didn't you leave her there ? or why don't you send her to them again ?" His EngHsh failed ; he no longer understood, until at length he informed me his object in getting the third one was to have her as his housekeeper very soon, and by-and-by to make his wife. I felt the only safety for the poor child was to receive her into the Home as quickly as possible. Accordingly I gave him the certificate required, which he got filled up, and in a few days there arrived from the German boat a fair, pretty little child of nine years old, who could not speak a word of English, and seemed dreadfully afraid of N . She was in the Home about a fortnight, when he claimed the privilege of taking her out, as our children were al- lowed to go to their friends once a week, and arrived at Burntisland with her (where I was staying for a short time). He insisted on my allowing him to send her back to Germany. This I positively refused to do; and having warned him that I should inquire thoroughly into the circumstances, I allowed him to take the child away with him, having promised to take her straight to the Home. No sooner had I done so than I felt miserable, and after a sleepless night got up in time for the early boat from Burntisland to Granton at S a.m. ; drove quickly to the Home at Stockbridge, only to hear, as might be expected, there GERMAN CHTLDREM, 41 had been no tidings of them. From thence I pro- ceeded to a German pastor in the neighbourhood. From him I learned it was a dreadful business alto- gether. That this man had had a succession of little girls, each personating his motherless child ; that they had come and gone no one knew whither ; that un- less these children, now in his hands, were to have an awful fate, I must get and keep hold of them by any means, even if I had to get the police to help me. To this I not unnaturally responded, " Then will you come and help me ?" " No, he could not do that ; he was afraid^ I could not understand it, and wasted a few moments in coax- ing and arguing with him. Finally, he advised me to go to the German Consul, who was bound to inter- fere. This I did, was courteously received, but ob- tained no sympathy nor any promise of help. Mr. R was strongly of opinion I should leave the whole thing alone. Finding I was obstinate, he decided to tell me all he knew, and taking out a bundle of papers, trans- !^^■'"d for my benefit what sounded to me like a revela- 1*1 of the greatest wickedness I had ever heard of. I need not say I left the office more determined than ever to rescue the child. On returning to the Home, and finding the Nurse too frightened to be capable of helping me very much, I despatched one of the working girls to <"be 42 OUR CIULDRE.W " land," or block of houses where N lived, and told her to ask the women on the stair if they could help me, charging the girl to bring the child to me at once. E was an active, well-grown girl of about seventeen, and set off, nothing loath. When she got to^the stair where the wretched abode was, she heard a child crying piteously, and at the top of the stair the sound seemed to come from an empty attic, where the poor little thing had been locked in. But there was a broken window opening on the landing; and having satisfied herself that it was A 's voice, she, E , persuaded her to climb up on the inside of the wall, while she could help her through the aper- ture, and by a good jump get free. So that in a very few minutes the little prisoner found her way back to me, having apparently cried till she could cry no more. I thereupon decided to take her to Merleton, Wardie (my own house), believing she would be per- fectly safe, and no one dare to molezt us there. In this I reckoned without my host. The events of the forenoon I have described took place on Friday ; and the Sunday following being the Communion Sabbath, all the grown-up people in my house wished to go to Church. To allow them to do so, a big girl was brought from one of the country Homes to cook the dinner and look after the little children, of whom there were three or four besides the German child. I having a very bad headache, could not go to GERAfAN CHILD REM. 43 Church, and stayed in bed. After the rest of the party had started, the children came to say their hymns to me for Sunday for a little, and then I believe I fell asleep. I was awakened by a knock at the door. *' Please, ma'am, a gentleman wants to see you." I speculated in vain what gentleman it could be. Visitors are rare in Church hours in Scotland. At length the girl hit on a name not very unlike N . I jumped out of bed in perfect horror, and was told he was downstairs. On opening my bedroom door, I saw, to my surprise, the man standing at the top of the staircase close to my room door. " What do you want ?" I said. " What are you doing here? I am in my room, and can't be dis- turbed. You must go downstairs at once.'' Rather to my surprise, and much to my relief, he obeyed me, but after getting to the bottom seemed to gain determination and proceeded to demand the child. Where was she? Was she in the house? A good deal followed that I did not understand. Again the question. Was she in the houce? I did not f'^el called on to tell him ; so contented myself with generalities and civilities, — asked him to be quiet, to see this person and that; above all things to leave the house. The truth was my real position began to dawn on me. Here I was in a lonely house with no grown-up <■ i! »!' f s i • 44 o(/j^ cmr.DREN. 11 person within hearing; our neighbours had all gone to Church ; what could I do ? I could pray to God, not audibly. I went on speaking quietly to the man, whose threats had now waxed furious. " He would kill us all. He would empty the house. He would either have my life or the child. He could take both. He had brought this with him (showing me a stick loaded at the ends), and he would let me feel the weight of it." All this, and a great deal more, accompanied by a perfect torrent of bad language in English, and apparently in German. I could only stand still at the top of the staircase and try to remonstrate. T heard my own voice like a mill-wheel far ofif; I was getting very faint, but all the time in my heart I was talking to God, and praying Him not to let that man get the child. I believed her to be in the nursery with the other children, and the door was just at the bottom of the staircase. I prayed Him not to let the little ones open it. This went on for twenty minutes. Why N did not give me the knock on the head he said he wanted to, I don't know, except, I suppose, that God did not let him. At last help came : the children began to come home from Church. The first was a little orphan girl who lived in the house, and hearing the man making a noise, and my voice speaking as if in distress, she could not bear it, but rushed past him and got up- stairs to me, and then went for a man a little way off. GERMAN CHILDREN, 45 Then the little boys from the Boys' Home on Gran- ton Road, who in those days always dined with us on Sunday, came in, and when the little messenger brought the neighbour she had gone to seek, and others began to appear from Church, our visitor thought, I presume, he had better make off. Then policemen came, and one of these, an old friend in the neighbourhood, insisted upon bringing it to the notice of the authorities at Leith, and for the sake of the children I felt it would be be.ter to have a full inquiry. In a day or two a man and his wife — Germans — who had been supposed to be respectable, but who turned out to be accomplices, called on me separately and used every argument to dissuade me from this course. The man even again threatened my life, say- ing, " It is for your own sake, I warn you. You had better think while you have tinted To which I replied they must do as they liked ; I could not make bar- gains with a man like N . I am very thankful I made no compromise, as after a full inquiry through the Foreign Office, involving no doubt much that was painful to me, the Home Office gave instructions that the port of Leith should be watched by the police, so that no children should be allowed to land unless accompanied by their parents or well accredited people in charge of them, and that immediate notice should be given to the authorities of \k i:;i I 1.1; 46 OUR CHILDREN. the arrival of any such ; and thus the trade in German children was stopped in Scotland. I was the means of seven children being delivered from this man. I may mention here that no sooner was the Criminal Law Amendment Bill passed than the man N was safely lodged in prison for a similar offence, and his accomplices found it convenient to leave Edinburgh, so that the gang was broken up. The following is an extract from a personal letter received from the Proc- urator Fiscal for the county of Midlothian. Refer- ring to this case, he says : — Edinburgh, November i, 1884. My dear Miss Stirlinc;, — I can see no possible objection to your making reference in your paper to the case of the (Ger- man children. The result fully justified your interference. And all friends of the movement for the protection of children should be indebted to you for your persevering endeavours to get to the bottom of the business. Yours very truly, Robert L. Stuart. I had also the great satisfaction of receiving the thanks of the German Government in the accompany- ing letters from Count Miinster, the German Ambas- sador : — Imperial German Embassy, London, March 8, 1884. Madam, — In reply to your kind note of February 26, I beg to state that the question therein contained has received my most careful attention. The report which the Consul-General GEA'M.IX cm I. DKEX. 47 has, on my request, just made on this matter, shows that all necessary steps have been taken to prevent, and to cause a thorough inquiry in the matter by the competent authorities in Germany. In thanking you most sincerely for the great in- terest you take in the fate of these poor German children, I have the honor to be, Madam, very truly yours, MlJNSTEK. Also from tiie Imperial German Consul, Lcith : — Leith, March i, 1884. Dear Miss Stirling, — I am directed by Hurgomaster Dr. Carl Petersen, the President of the Board of F'oreign Affairs at Hamburg, to intimate to you the safe arrival in good health and spirits of the girl A. N . I am at the same time in- structed to express to you the best thanks, and the recognition of the High Senate of Hamburg, of the humane and carefully loving manner in which you have protected a daughter of a subject of that State. The Imperial German Consul, Adoli'He Rohinow. CHAPTER VI. HOMES FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN. In a former chapter, when giving an account of the progress of the work, I alluded to the rapid growth of the Homes and the number of houses required. There were eight altogether, from 1883 to 1888. These were : — Day Nursery, 10, Mackenzie Place, Edinburgh. Girls' Home, 11, Mackenzie Place, Edinburgh. Girls' Home, 2, Craigholm Crescent, Burntisland. Girls' Home, Leadburn Park. Boys' Home, Rosebank, Leadburn Park. Boys' Home, i, Craigholm Crescent, Burntisland. Boys' Home, 4, Bayton Terrace, Granton Road. The Shelter from Cruelty, 150, High Street, Edinburgh. I know that some friends objected to having so many separate houses on the score of expense and increased difficulty in supervision, but, after all, the Houie is the first necessity of a homeless child, and I am convinced, a real home, and therefore individual attention, can only be secured where there is a man- ageable number of children ; beyond that it ceases to be a home and becomes merely an institution, which I believe to be a very different kind of life, and which 48 HOMES FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN. 49 I have always been most careful to avoid for our children. The Homes, as they existed at the time I write of, may all be described together, as they were all con- ducted on the same principle — exclusively that of a family. Each house was complete in itself, with Treasurer, some friend in the neighbourhood, who was entirely responsible for management of stores, ac- counts, etc., thus preventing any habit of waste or extravagance, which even in the best regulated (large) families is always too ready to creep in, this treas- urer at the same time fulfilling the very important duty of seeing that the stores, etc., were used in the best way, and that the children actually got all that was intended for them. I had not the means to build or adapt cottage homes all conveniently close together, and so I just made use of plain, ordinary buildings in suitable situations as I could find them, when the need for a fresh house arose. As to looking after them, no doubt it entailed a great deal of exertion on my part, even with all the help the treasurers so kindly and willingly gave me. Next in authority to the Treasurer came the Nurse, whose duty it was to be mother in the Home. I did not encourage the children to call her so, for I think anything unreal is a mistake, and many of them who remembered good, gentle mothers of their own could not have failed to resent it. They so often told 4 i ,J- 50 OUR CHILDREN, US touching little stories of how happy and well cared for they were " when my mother was living," and how sadly matters changed when she was taken ill. How, for instance, " Bobbie was a bonnie bairn, with curly hair, and my mother kept him aye clean and bonnie, and syne when she took ill she could na sort him ony mair; and she could na bide to hear him greet: and we tried to do, and we could na ; and she was taken away to the hospital, and — and " The poor little historian at this point would frequently throw itself on my lap in an agony of grief Some were more composed with a precocious gravity and care of " the baby" that was even sadder. A very troublesome baby of fourteen months was brought to us; he was accompanied by his elder sister of nine, because, as she explained, " he won't go to any one else." When I saw them at Mackenzie Place, I thought they were too delicate to stay there, and took them home with me. Master baby paid me the compliment of being pleased to go to me; and next day when I had him in my arms, playing with himself in the glass, Maggie stood watching us with great interest, and said in a tone of sorrowful composure, like an elderly woman, " Baby thinks you're my mother ; thafs ivhy he's pleased with you." I said, " When did he see your mother, my dear?" "About a fortnight ago, and she's died since ;" and poor little Maggie heaved a deep sigh and shook her head. HOMES FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN. 5» But I must be done with recollections, as these Homes in Scotland are now a thing of the past, and it is only necessary to refer to them by way of giving a history of the work which would otherwise be in- complete. My views as to the management of Homes for homeless children will doubtless appear hereafter, when I tell you the story of our Homes in Nova Scotia, where the same plan is carried on, and where the chief object is to make the Home a real /tome to each member of it. Before I leave the recollections of this happy time of work in Scotland, I must mention the boarding out system, which I was obliged to have recourse to in 1884, when house accommodation failed. I was very careful in the selection of those with whom they were placed, and the children were arranged in groups of four or six, so that the friend who acted as treasurer and paid their board monthly, could see exactly how they were attended to, and look after them in every way. I beg to thank those friends in the country, especially Mrs. Paterson, of Buckrigg Farm, near Beattock, who so efficiently carried on this part of the work, the results of which were, to my mind, ex- tremely satisfactory ; and many were the lamentations alike of nurses and children when it proved too expen- sive to be continued, and our children had to be removed to other quarters, on my winding up my personal con- nection with the work previous to leaving Scotland. CHAPTER VII. I \ i . i FLOWER MISSION CHILDREN. The heading of this chapter brings before me a dif- ferent set of children from those I have been teUing you about, but of whom I saw a great deal, and by whose kindness I was enabled to do a most pleasant piece of work for many years. They were the Flower Mission Children of Burntisland. I daresay many of them will read this little book, and will like to remember as well as I do our lovely and fragrant nower mission, the fruit of which will, I doubt not, be seen many days hence. Therefore I shall take the liberty of remind- ing them of it, and telling st; angers of a beautiful work which these children did, and which I never think of without longing that it could return, very much as in winter one thinks of last summer's flowers, and wish- ing they were with us again. The summer will come, and bring its flowers for those who are here to see them, and I cannot doubt that in the endless summer above the seed sown by the Flower Mission children will blossom abundantly in the garden of God. The Burntisland Flower Mission began and grew in the manner following : — 52 FLOWER MISSION CHILDREN. 53 When I used to drive from Wardie to the Day Nursery for my day's work there, vtry often, for the sake of a little more fresh air, I went round by St. Cuthbert's poorhouse, and each time I passed I felt a greater longing to get inside of that institution, and see if I might be allowed to take with me a little pleasure and comfort to its inmates, I always had a great fancy for visiting in poorhouses, chiefly, I think, because at that time the inmates seemed so cut off from the outside world (I fancy it is better now), so lonely, so in need of the good news of God's love — in fact, of good news of any kind, even of human love ; and in those cases where being there was most obvi- ously their own doing, still they were the sinners Jesus came to save, and seemed to me more accessible than prosperous sinners outside. For all these reasons I had found my visits acceptable in country poorhouses, and now that my lot was cast near the city, I thought I would try there too. But what excuse could I make ? At last it occurred to me that having again become the fortunate p jssessor of a garden, from which I was careful to provide the " Sunday flower" on Sat- urday, I might take some flowers to the hospital. It had been our custom all my life in my old home to have this regularly attended to, and I have great be- lief in the blessing that goes with a Sunday flower, for I believe in flowers as a direct means of grace. They surely carry the message of God's love to us, and His li 54 OUR CHILDREN. desire for our happiness and pleasure. He would not have sown them all over the earth, as He has done, if this were not so. Therefore it occurred to me to inquire whether flowers would oe acceptable, or per- mitted, in the poorhouse. Finding they would be welcomed ?/" there were enough for all, in the hospital for instance, so as not to excite jealousy, I speculated as to how I could get so many ; and the stipulation seemed almost prohibitory, as the hospital had 250 beds, alas, apparently always full. I noticed just at this time in some periodical an account of a " Flower Mission" in London. The name was new to me, but it seemed exactly the idea I wanted, and I lost no time in writing to the lady whose address was given. I forget her name and the address of the mission now, but I believe it was the first of the kind in London, the result of which has been the spread of flower missions all over the world. In answer to my inquiry I received a most kind reply, approving highly of my idea, and giving practical information as to how to set about the work, at the same time dwelling much on the necessity for accompanying the flowers by a text from the Word of God, which was most easily conveyed by being written or printed (by hand) on a simple bouquet-holder, a large number of which could be had for a nominal sum at the headquarters of the Mission. In my case it seemed to me they were sup- plied gratis. It then occurred to me I should be more FLOWER MISSIOX CHILDREN. 55 likely to succeed in obtaining a supply of flowers if I made known my desires in Burntisland. To those who do not know the neighbourhood of Edinburgh intimately, I may explain that at that time, before the Forth Bridge was built, Burntisland was a place of some importance to the travelling public, being the point to which the ferryboat of the North British Railway conveyed passengers crossing the Forth from Edinburgh to Fife and the North of Scotland. It was a quiet little town, lying close to the Forth, well shel- tered by the Fife hills, with lovely woods stretching westward to Aderdour, and the whole country-side celebrated for wild flowers. For some years previously, while I was an invalid, I was much in Burntisland, and had many friends among the children of all classes. With the assist- ance of twelve of the elder girls it seemed easy to have a very efficient flower mission band. We discovered Mr. Wood (bookseller) was strongly in sympathy with us, and he most kindly agreed to allow the contribu- tions to be brought to his shop on Friday, from 6 to 8 P.M., on condition that each evening two of my young friends who were known as stewardesses should attend to receive them, and pack them in the large tin box provided for that purpose,' which wss sent across ' The duties of the stewardesses did not end here. They undertook to make tea and amuse the children at the happy S6 OUR CHILDREN. the Forth to me early the next morning. I had thus plenty of time to put the finishing touches to our bouquets before taking them to the hospital at the visitors' hours. Our success was complete, and we were also able to supply the old people regularly at Kinghorn Poorhouse, about three miles from Burntis- land. The effect was most touching. The flowers were treasured from one week to another — better still, the texts were kept as a precious possession, and the simple words of love and comfort repeated to me over and over again, reverently and gratefully by quivering lips, which I fear had in the olden time been more familiar with oaths. I was as- sured by the nurses that the softening of many hearts was not confined to Saturday afternoon, but was very apparent at other times. One very desolate, gentle old woman, who had always been most grateful for the flowers, and had expressed most earnestly her trust in Jesus, had just passed away at my next visit. I was taken by the nurse to her bedside, and on her breast were laid the withered flowers of last Saturday, and all the little texts of weeks before. The nurse whispered, ** Give tea-party with which we wound up the proceedings at the close of each season, after the last Friday of September. We began with primroses ! To show the popularity of the Mission, the contributors numbered over 300. FLOWER MISSION CHILDREN. 57 me one for her to-day, ma'am, a white one. She thought so much of them, and begged to have them buried with her." I believe from what she had told me she knew and loved the Saviour. The matron told me she had never seen anything have so great an effect in softening roughness, and producing good humour in the place. She therefore asked that if I could manage it, I would bring large bunches of common flowers and stick in them a few texts mounted on wire, for the day-rooms in the main house. She was much gratified with the result, and told me she had often seen rough, apparently callous men, irresistibly attracted by the flowers, and reading the texts again and again, who had never appeared to notice anything else in the way of religion. Let us hope that even in their case the promise was fulfilled, that " My ivord shall 7iot return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and prosper in the thing whereto I sent it." And did the children who did this work get no blessing, do you think ? I believe they received a great blessing — in better acquaintance with God's word — when they searched for texts most suited to the sick and sorrowful, — in greater enjoyment of their gardens when they gave their flowers to carry a mes- sage of hope and cumfort to those who needed both sadly, and the blessing which the Lord Jesus Christ promised to all who should give even a cup of cold I* it 58 OUR CHILDREN. water to any needy one, however humble and insig- nificant, if given in His name. I believe these chil- dren, who gave their play-time, sympathy, sweet flowers, and carefully selected texts, got a great bless- ing in their own souls, as all do who try to make the world better and happier for Jesus's sake. I have told this story of their lovely and successful work in the hope that some other children may be encouraged either to join or to begin a Flower Mission on their own account. Even outside hospitals and workhouses there are many to whom such a gift as a Sunday flower would be most acceptable. And there are many bright little boys and girls, who are often sadly in want of '' somethmg to do,'* whose clever fingers and pretty colour-boxes might find pleasant and useful work on wet days in painting borders round bouquet-holders, printing texts on the same, and when the rain is over and the sun shines, could gather many sweet flowers to rejoice sad hearts and weary eyes in less cheerful places than have fallen to their own happy lot. Dear young reader, will you try ? If you will, I am sure you will find there is great pleasure in being one of the Flower Mission children. God might have made the earth bring forth Enough for great and small, The oak tree and the cedar tree Without a flower at all. FLO WE !^ Af/SSrON C/nr.DREA'. He might have made enough, enough For every wanf ot ours ; Enough for medicine, food, and toil, And yd have made no flowers ! Then wherefore, wherefore were they made, All dyed with rainbow light, Laden with sweet and rare perfume Upspringing day and night ? Springing amid the meadows fair And on the mountains high, And in the silent wilderness Where no man passeth by ? To whisper to the heart of man. When faith and hope are dim, That he who careth for the flowers, Wili muck more care for him / Mary Howitt. 59 I i»'i CHAPTER VIII. COFFEE-HOUSES. «' i: Though Temperance work is not, perhaps, strictly speaking, the work required for our children, still it is practically inseparable from it, and in my experience, directly sprang out of it, for my first impulse to become a total abstainer arose from witnessing the sufferings and deprivations of poor little children in the course of my early work at the Day Nursery and Home. I was not at that time a teetotaler ; I thought that many good people who were so were mistaken, and pressed a theory too far. I had been used to seeing beer, wine, and spirits moderately used, and that by people for whom I had the highest respect, and I did not feel called on to take any other view of the subject. I do not suppose I was singular in this. I fancy most moderate drinkers would tell you precisely the same ; but I had hitherto seen what may be called the right side of the drink question, with no know- ledge of the zvrong side, except, I admit, the recollec- tion of the fishermen at St. Andrews, long ago, when they had come home from the herring fishing, or for 60 COFFEE- HO USES. 6i some reason were flush of money, when they too frequently became excited to maniacal frenzy, and used to make it dangerous for quiet folks to pass near their dwellings ; but these recollections were of frights long gone by, and which at the time I had accepted as a necessary evil. Therefore, when I began to work at the Day Nursery / ivas not a teetotaler ! A short time, however, sufficed to entirely change my opinion. It was impossible for any moderately humane woman to witness the sights and hear the stories of sin, suf- fering, and sorrow, which were a considerable part of every-day life there, without feeling horror and dis- gust at what was only too clearly the direct cause of nine-tenths of all the mischief. As time went on and the Homes increased I had to be about more and more, ard thus saw more of the hfe and temptations of working men, railway servants, dock labourers, sailors and others ; and as my work had to be done in all weathers, and at all hours from 8 A.M. until lO P.M., I had ample opportunities of seeing the effect of cold, wet, and discomfort on the men. What seemed to me the most fruitful source of habits of drinking was the want of proper food, at reasonable hours. This, as so many of them work at great distances from home, seemed unavoidable, as it was no part of the business of the too numerous public-houses to supply food. I therefore thought of ' 14 1 11 62 OUR CHILDREN. If trying what a coffee-house at Burntisland would do to meet the want, on the plan of food versus drink. By this time, 1881, the British Public-house Com- pany in Edinburgh had been started, and the Secre- tary was most kind in giving me all information and assistance, and in helping me to an excellent man as manager. So that, suitable premises having been secured near the pier and railway station, I was in a position to begin work. I took the utmost pains to make the place attractive and pleasing in every way, with plenty of looking-glass, bright pictures, clean marble tables — in summer, flowers, and in winter, plenty of fire and gas. I also provided what seemed much valued — ivash-basin and clean towels, a plenti- ful supply of the daily papers, Shipping Gazette^ etc., and from the kindness of friends a good stock of second-hand magazines. The bookshelf was a promi- nent feature, and to this I added, for the sake of the boys and lads whom we induced to come in the evening, the Boys' Own Paper, Animal World, etc., and some sets of dominoes, draughts, and other quiet games. Cards and gambling 0/ any kind were strictly forbidden. I am sorry to say it required some firm- ness to carry out this rule We also had as much music as possible in the way of accordions, flutes, etc., and found a musical box very useful in attracting customers. You will say I have left out the food question. I COFFEE-HOUSES. 63 wished to tell you first hcv i tried to fight the pubh'c- house with its own weapons. As John Wesley said, " I don't see why the devil should have all the pretty tunes," and I fail to see why the drink-shop should be brighter and more attractive than the ''public-house \\Vi\io\}ii the drink r One of our customers said to me one day, when he and some others had been admiring the arrangements, " Eh, mem, I think ye wad gie us anything but the ae thing, and that is — Whuskey! and I'm sure we're muckle obleeged till ye I" So they were, I am sure ; but remember the coffee- house was in no zvay a charity. The people paid for what they had, and I was very careful to avoid any idea of the kind, which would certainly not be accept- able in Scotland. At the same time our prices were not exorbitant, as will be seen from the fact that a man could have three excellent meals a day for \s. This was managed on the plan of the British Public- house Company aforesaid, and cheapness achieved by means of the large quantity required. We called it a coffec-\\.ous,Q, but provided a great deal more than tea and coffee, viz. — soup, cold beef, ham, eggs, bread and rolls, butter, some cakes and pastry, and plum-duff for the sailors. For these I took a great deal of pains to provide fresh meat, but found to my surprise and dis- appointment there was no demand ! Thus the Ship Coffee-house was launched at Burntisland in July, l88[. 64 OUR CIIILDKEN. \ Finding it likely to succeed, I ventured to try a coffee-barrow on Granton Pier, with a view to possibly starting another Ship Coffee-house there; and finding our earnings justiiy the effort, I applied to the Duke of Buccleuch for ground on which to erect a wooden building, wiiich was opened in December, 1 88 1 , exactly on the plan of the other, and which, after I left Scot- land, was most successfully carried on by a friend in tho neighbourhood. The Burntisland house I disposed of to a suitable purchaser, on condition it should be worked on strictly Temperance principles. I may mention that in one year the earnings at Burntisland were ;^6oo, and at Granton, ;^500. Since then I hear that the Burntisland house has gradually lapsed, and finally been given up. I fear any such effort requires the active supervision of some one on the spot who is really in earnest in the work. I after- wards opened a third Ship Coffee-house at Kinghorn, at a time when the ship-yard was in full work, and several hundreds of men employed, wh .e habits and condition certainly seemed to require it very much ; but it never prospered so well as the others, and after two years of work I gave it up. There was a fourth house, which was successful while required, at the Binn End shale work, near Burntisland, which I helped the man- ager of the works to arrange and carry on chiefly at the expense of the company ; but after the village was built for the men to live near their work, this was not COFFEE- HO USES, e for them which induced me to do this ! I thank the God of all mercies that I have been successful in providing for so many. I cannot leave this stage in my journey without thanking my dear friend Miss Hope Johnstone for her great kindness and hospitality to me during my last fortnight at that time in Scotland, which I spent with her at her beautiful place, Marchbankwood, and there regained sufficient strength to enable me to undertake the voyage, worn out as I was by the work, care, and anxiety consequent on such an undertaking. I believe, but for this timely rest and tender nursing, I would not have been able either for the voyage or the work which lay before rae on my landing ; and I shall be grateful all my life. In May another party of chil- dren were sent by the directors in charge of suitable escort. This party had been joined by several chil- dren from Miss Croall's Home for Destitute Children, in Stirling. Having now mustered our part) we lost no time in using the fine weather to complete the house ac- commodation required for a permanent colony. In the meantime I rented a commodious farmhouse close by for the new-comers. That summer, 1888, we actually built and adapted three houses ; one is the north wing to the main house, which was required to 88 OUR crnr.DKEN, give schoolrocMii, siimtncr kitclit.i, and store-rooms, lai ge enough for our w'nter supplies ; for as we eat wholesale (as to numbers), I have to buy wholesale, and flour and meal by the car-load. In this north wing there are three nice bedrooms ; one is known as the " Prophet's Chamber," or "Hole in the Wall." like Elisha was made welcome to long ago, just enough to hold a bed, a table, a chair, an(' a lamp — we don't use candlesticks ! This is, as its name imjilies, set apart for the ministers who come by turns to preach to us once in four weeks, and thus we have service every Sunday evening. At a quarter to seven the big bell (now promoted to a cupola on the top of the house) rings a cheery summons, and we all assemble, with the many neighbours, who gather often to the number of one hundred, to worship God in the school- room, and hear the message the minister has to tell us. He has probably driven a long way to deliver it, for country circuits in these parts are very extensive. A large number of young men attend these meetings, and come a long way to do so. They are now most orderly, and certainly listen with great attention to the truths of the Gospel, the free Gospel, the Good News of the Love of God, and salvation now by the ly>rd Jesus Christ offered freely to all. Our watch- word is "Jesus Christ came into the world to save SMmers." This is every Sunday evening afTectionately IVfMr IVF. DID IN 1S87-8. 89 pressed upon all, thon^Mi no doubt from various j)oint.s of view — for we try not to make the meeting tiresome or formal, liut TIIIC Ml^^SSAGI'I is always ^Mven ; and that the people arc impressed is shown by the regu- larity and interest with which they attend the nieet- in<:js. Our children lead the sin«;ing, and all join heartily. Before we had the schoolroom these meetings were held in the dining-room and hall thrown together by folding doors; but now, having larger accommodation and a separate entrance, we can invite and provide for many more. I ought to add that the Sunday evening service is very often turned into a Temperance meeting ; but this will come under the head of Temperance Work, in another chapter. As to pu+)lic worship, we arc three miles from the village churches, but still we gQ in considerable numbers. All walk who can do so, and those who cannot, drive, or take it in turn to stay at home. We are perfectly unsectarian, and are helped and referred to alike by minister's of all Protestant denominations — PrcRbyterian, Episcopa- lian, Methodist or Haptist. Every Sunday we have regular Sunday 8c|inpl yf\\\y \\)c p|d-(^ij||)p||ed cpn- comitant of " Sunday sweeties" and reward tlrkets, which are preserved carefully alld [Jrt.slcd inln $ jinrik for each child as a remembrance of " Sundays at Home." We have also plenty of singing all thrpugh 90 OUR c/ffrnRE/\r. the Siibbath Day. So much for our north wiii^ and its uses. Besides this wing wc built, that summer of 1888, a new and pretty house for our farmer in a convenient situation near the proposed site of the New Barn. Close to it is the Boys' House, which, though we did not build, we finished and adapted. This is a won- derful country for easily changing everything, even the situation of buildings; houses, barns, and churches move along the road contentedly, and take up new quarters apparently without sufifering in the process; so our boys' house walked or rolled up the road nearly half a mile, and there it is as comfortable as possible — a good two-storey dwelling ; and there live our working lads and boys above ten years, with their housekeeper. So muth for buildings completed. In honour of this crisis in our history as settlers, I took the opportunity of expressing my gratitude to all those friends who had so kindly welcomed and helped us on our arrival, by having a great " house warming" at Christmas, our acquaintance being large and dis- tricts scattered. I felt the utter hopelessness of send- ing out invitations ; so the various clergymen within reach kindly announced the Sunday before Christmas that " Miss Stirling would be at Home on the 4th January, from 4 to 8 p.m., and would be glad to see any friends of our children who would like to visit her at that time." ^,....^.^.„..--- WHAT UK DID IX 1SS7-S. 9« The invitation was acceplci.!, if not from ** Dan to Beershcba," at least from a radius of over eight miles. The result was a gathering of 800 people. But we were ready for them. All hands in all the houses had been busy baking cakes and preparing other good things, and the men and boys had done their share in decorating the rooms. I threw open the whole lower part of the house, brought down all our pictures (including many views of Scotland, in which our friends were much interested) to the ser- vants' hall and corridor. The schoolroom was lined with the beautiful cards of object lessons, which were given to us before leaving Scotland by the Granton Public School, and which were greatly admired. We had as much music as possible. The musical boxes and '* Bunny s perform- ance" gave great satisfaction. Bunny is a wonderful mechanical rabbit, who is one of the most • alued pos- sessions of our children, who does wonders ! ! There was a Christmas tree in the schoolroom, from which the visitors bought little things for the benefit of our children. We had fortunately provided plenty of tea, cake, and fruit in the dining-room. Our more inti- mate friends were most kind in attending to and entertaining the guests and helping the cause gen- erally. And at 8 o'clock precisely the assembly broke up, declaring they had enjoyed themselves thoroi'ghly. r ^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) /. 1.0 i.l 2.2 ^1^ 1^ 1.8 1.25 ju 1.6 « 6" — ^ ^ V^ •f'^ % "^ '^ ^-* Photographic Sciences Corporation V ^ ^ >v L1>' \\ [V \ V^ 33 WfeST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. MSBO (716) 872-45C3 >> o '^ CHAPTER XII. VARIOUS EVENTS IN 1889-9O. At the close of the last year I had bought, to great advantage, a wood lot of fifty acres, with a view to building the new barn ; and after the Christmas holidays the men and big boys set to work to chop timber for it. This they did so energetically that while some of our neighbours were lamenting they could hardly get cordwood out of the woods, by the spring we had it nearly all down in the yard, ready for the portable saw-mill which I intended to hire; but finding the terms so high and time required so uncertain, I decided it would be cheaper to buy one and continue sawing on my own account. My share of preparing for the new barn was draw- ing the complete plan of it and arranging dimensions of timber required with the master carpenter who had undertaken to frame it, so as to gi /e the exact size of every stick required to the sawyer when the mill began work the first week of June. That this was somewhat of an undertaking you will understarid, when I tell you the barn is one hundred feet by sixty, and everything (except piggery and sheep-house added 92 VARIOUS EVENTS IN i88g-go. 93 next year) is under one roof— stabling for six horses, including excellent loose box, stalls and boxes for over thirty head of cattle, coach-house, into which we drive in bad weathe^-, and harness-room above, granary, silo, root-cellar, and large space for farm implements; besides, of course, large storage for hay aiid straw on the second storey. The improved plan in Nova Scotia is to drive into the barn floor at one end and out at the other, after unloading the hay and grain by a patent fork worked by a horse, which saves time enormously; but it is some work to build these driveways of stone. I planned the barn to use as much stone as possible, as we had more than v/e wanted on the place in the shape of old stone fences, neglected heaps, etc., which have now all (or very nearly so) been put out of sight in good stone drains, cement floors, and roads to barn and mill. There was also a great deal of good building stone used for the barn basement, nine feet high and sixteen inches thick, which I preferred to the cellar plan usual in Nova Scotia, as I do not see the good of keeping the manure underneath the stables, and thus converting a good barn into an unsavory manure shed. I am glad to see my ideas on this subject lately advocated by some of the leading farming journals in Canada. The stables, cow-house, and pig- gery are kept perfectly dry by the water from the stalls being run into a tank outside and pumped into 94 OUR CHILDREN. 14 the water-cart at the proper season for the crops. The only defect in our barn site is the lack of a suffi- cient water-supply. That I have remedied by three large tanks, one at each end of the barn proper, and one in the boiler-house of the piggery. They are eight feet by ten, to ten feet \Sy twelve, and eight feet deep, built solidly and cemented so as to be thoroughly watertight, and into these all the water from the im- mense roofs is led. It is perfectly clean soft water, having no smoke within reach, and has been amply siifficient for our large stock of animals, with the advantage of never freezing. The stables, cow-houses and piggery, as well as sheep-houses, are thoroughly lighted, and ventilated by small boxes on the roof, just above the stalls, and on the apex of each building are two large cupolas for the same purpose. In the glass turret in the middle of the barn roof I intend some tirneXo make a little room, when we are rich enough in timber to make a stair- case up to it ! The view would be really splendid. The basement is of solid masonry, and the fine granite blocks split and hauled off our fields make grand corner-stones. The farm generally being much bene- fited by the removal of all available stones ; and their being thus put to good use. The wood required for barn alone was 115,000 feet of lumber, and this our men and boys, with very little help, cut, hauled, and sawed, since January, in time to have the barn finished Various events in i88g-go. 95 by October, 1889. Of course, to collect so much stone and timber I had to get extra working oxen, and employ a few labourers for the summer, besides the carpenters required. When the frame was to be raised, we invited twenty-five neighbours to come and give us a day's work. Twenty-five more came and offered their services ; this, with ten men of our own, made sixty for dinner in the schoolroom that wonder- ful day, and I was truly thankful when it was all raised (like a great skeleton on some old-world animal, against the sky) without any accident ! Still more thankful when all those who had worked at the build- ing met at a cheerful supper in the same place on the occasion of its completion. Our next year's (1890) experiences of building the piggery and sheep-house were so similar, on a smaller scale, that I will not trouble you with them, except to remark that, as an illustration of how " every little helps," it was wonderful to see how much even very Hale ones of six or seven years old helped the building by picking up little stones for the stone drains and cement floors. I was often amused to see half of them running after the ox-cart which was to collect the stones, and the other half carrying them inside the building to the masons. There was another successful effort of a different kind carried through in 1889, which is, I believe, likely to be of use to many besides our children — !l 96 OUR CHILDREN. I mean the passing, in the House of Assembly, New Brunswick, " An Act in Addition to and Amendment of Chapter 70 of the Consolidated Statutes of Minors and Apprentices," which was introduced by the Hon. D. L. Hannington, and received the cordial support of Sir John Allen, Chief Justice of New Brunswick, and Hon. A. G. Blair, Attorney-General, New Brunswick. The object of the Act is to provide more efficiently for the protection of emigrant and other poor children in New Brunswick, as has been for some years the statute in Nova Scotia. The need of such an Act was felt in the one case of difficulty about our children in New Brunswick, on which occasion I received the utmost help and sympathy from the authorities. The following letter from the Hon. D. L. Hannington will show the estimation in which my work for our children is held in New Brunswick : — Dorchester, N. B., January 26, 1892. My dear Miss Stirling, — I am very sorry to learn that your health has not been so good as usual, and that you intend removing for a time from our sister province, but trust that any temporary change in your arrangements will not hinder that most laudable and charitable work you have been engaged in among us. The children whom you have settled in these provinces, and who have been under your kind consideration and supervision, will no doubt generally be successful, and prove a blessing, we VARIOUS EVENTS IN iSSg-go- 97 trust, to themselves, as also to the communities in which they live. They promise to be ^opd citizens, and their comfort and success are undoubtedly due to jour untiring care and gen- erous liberality. It affords me great satisfaction to know that at your sugges- tion I had the honour to introduce into the Legislature of this province the Bill (now law) passed in 1889, which provides suitable guarantees for the proper care, control, and protection of those children whom yourself and others are bringing from " home" to become residents among us. The good conduct of those in our province taking these little strangers into their homes has, I am glad to know, been such that the provisions of the Act have not yet had to be enforced against them. We trust it may continue. In the one case of difficulty in 1888, when you took the chil- dren back, your conduct elicited from the Chief Justice, Sir John Allen, the expression of his high esteem and appreciation of yourself in your good work ; and when the Bill came before the Legislature, the statement of the work, and charity of your- self especially (and other of your co-workers), in the interest of the unfortunate and suffering, won the unanimous support of our Legislature to your desired legislation. I sent you a copy of the Act \\hen passed. Hoping t.iat your health may soon be quite restored, wishing you rest and happiness during your stay at home, I have the honour to be, with great respect, Yours very sincerely, D. L. Hannington, M.P.P. I wish I could speak only of joy and success in 1889-90, but in many respects these were years of peculiar trial. In April, 1889, there came the greatest 7 y8 OUR CHILDREN. sorrow we have had at the Hillfoot Farm, in the sud- den illness and death of my dear boy R. H , aged fourteen (he came to me at eight years old), who, from getting wet and heedlessly neglecting to change his damp clothes, caught rheumatic fever, and, after an acute illness of three weeks, passed away early in May. When he was first taken ill I went over to nurse him at the Boys' House, and watched him two nights there ; but finding this too fatiguing, and the arrangements of necessity less suitable for sickness, I had him carried over in his bed by four men, who were most tender and careful in the transit, from which he did not seem to suffer. I put him in one of the visitor's rooms to ensure quiet, and nursed him night and day, with the help of our best nurses, but at the end of a fortnight the doctor told nie there was immi- nent danger. I could hardly realize that he would die. Among the many hundreds who had passed through the Homes, and whom I had nursed in all kinds of illness, I had never lost a child above two years old, and I could not expect it. But I thought, if the doctor was right, it was cruel not to tell R how near he might be to his journey's end. I hardly knew how to begin, but in the evening, when as usual I helped him to pray at bedtime like the little ones, I mustered courage to say : — " My dear, the doctor thinks you are very ill ; he thinks you may not get better. / think you will, dear ; VARTOUS EVENTS IN iSSg-qo. 99 but IF NOT, if the doctor is right, and that the message has come for you to go, are you ready, my darling ?" " Yisl' said R very low. I said, " You love Jesus, don't you, R ? You would not be afraid to go to Him ?" I had risen from my knees and bent over him. I am afraid I was crying. The boy looked up in my face with such a bright sweet smile, and said in a steady and wonderfully strong voice, " Yes, I love Jesus; I have known Him a long, long time, and Pm not a bit afraid to go home to Him noiv." Then he drew my head down to him and kissed me, saying, " Don't mind, ma'am." He liked very much to have us sing to him in a low tone; the hymn he liked best was that one of Sankey's, " O land of rest, for thee I sigh," and often asked for it. And in about a week R was gath- ered home. The grief of the whole colony was most touching, especially the boys. His companions wept bitterly as we laid him to rest in the peaceful burying- ground at the Methodist Church, where the trees have been cleared away to give room for the white church and its peaceful God's acre. We had a short but impressive funeral service in the schoolroom, and all the women and girls, as well as men and boys, went to the grave. Truly the feeling manifested on this occasion proves how true it is that " the Lord setteth the solitary in families." TOO OUR CHILDREN. There were other trials in these years, of which I will speak in another chapter. But in 1890 a great help was given to me by my cousin J. H coming to stay with me, and, finding the life suit him, stayed all winter, and in spring purchased the adjoining farm, so that we have now 650 acres to look after, which is a great field for our boys. land of rest, for thee I sigh, When will the moment come. When I shall lay my armour by And dwell in peace at home ? Chorus — We'll work, we'll work till Jesus comes, And we'll be gathered home ! To Jesus Christ I fled for rest. He bade me cease to roam. And lean for succour on His breast, Till He conduct me home. 1 sought at once my Saviour's side, No more my steps shall roam, With Him I'll brave death's chilling tide. And reach my heavenly home. CHAPTER XIII. OUR MILL AND WORKSHOPS. In my last chapter, in giving an account of prepara- tions to build the barn, I mentioned I had found it better to buy instead of hiring a saw-mill, and to con- tinue sawing en my own account. This proved a most successful venture. After .sawing the lumber (Anglice timbers and boards) for the buildings, we had plenty of work to do for our neighbours at a fairly remunerative price, and as I added a grist-mill, which could be worked by the engine by simply adjusting a different belt, we were never a day idle, as the har- vest begins almost directly after the season for .sawing lumber is over. Grist is brought in the whole winter, so that the toll, or portion left as payment, goes a long way towards feeding our cattle. It makes the Hill- foot Farm a busy place, for there is always .some order on hand at the mill, and in winter it is a curious sight to see, as soon as snow comes, the great logs being " hauled" along the road to the mill on ox-sleds. Sometimes horses are used, and the men, generally xoi 109 OUR CHILDREN. ti, ,' |i with long beards, in their (to Scotch eyes) strange winter costume — fur caps which cover their ears, long coats with leather band round the waist, high boots or larrigans, which are moccasins of undressed leather, big enough to hold several pairs of stockings, and mittens. Altogether, they look more like pictures one has seen of Cossacks than anything else. For the last few years we have had comparatively little snow, and when it comes, every man and boy, horse and ox, 's busy getting cord wood (fuel) out of the woods and swamps, and hauling logs to the mills, so that the roads are alive with sleds of every description, taking advantage of the smooth snow making transit easy. At the old mill we saw most of them pass near the house. I say the old mill, for, alas! last year our beautiful mill and convenient building over it, in- cluding the joiner's shop, was burnt 'o the ground, in the middle of a summer's night, in a most mysterious way. We could not account for it, and there seemed reason to fear some unfair play, but we do not know, and so cannot say anything about it ; but the loss has been very great, about $3000 (.^600 sterling). I felt that it would be better to re-build it in another situa- tion, as the wonder was how the other buildings had escaped the slightest damage. But this time it is placed beyond all risk to them, and now the mill is thoroughly insured. I was advised to replace it, as it is a very profitable adjunct, and we had established OVh' Ml 1,1. AM) woKKsnors. »0.^ quite a small lumber trade. Will any friends help me to pay for what is an excellent method of training' and providing employment for a number of boys, as this and the carpenter's shop always must be? Besides sawinjT lumber and grindin<,r grist, we have a shingle- mill, the proceeds of which are in constant demand, and pay well. Shingles arc a sort of wooden slate used to cover roofs and walls. The engine also cuts all the firewootl used in the houses, wlvich is all ex- cellent training for the boys. Everything connected with the management of wood is valuable to them in Nova Scotia. This summer (1892) we must build a house for the sawyer close to the mill. Ofcour.se, having the wood and machinery of our own enables us to do this at less cost, but I do hope friends who have any money to spare will help those who help themselves as really we and our children do. / The joiner's shop is never idle. In it we make all sorts of things, from ox-yokes and Dutch racks (a kind of rough farm waggon) to strawberry-boxes, which the very little boys make on winter afternoons, and which sell well in the berry season. Besides these articles we make nice furniture for the houses as required — tables, benches, cupboards, varnished and otherwise, washing-stands, clothes screens, etc., etc., and do all the jobbing carpenter work required in most country houses. This is an item to consider, ^n ■■ri 104 OUK CHILDREN. as we are now quite a small village. Friends who wish to save and train destitute boys and lads of good character, from ten to fifteen or sixteen years, could not I believe, have a better opening and school for them than our farm and workshops. This, I think, is borne out by iheir success when they leave us. CHAPTER XIV. OUR CHILDREN AT HOME AND ABROAD. In the last number ol " Our Children" I gave an account of their life at hme at Hillfoot Farm, so that it may be somewhat tedious to repeat; but still, for the sake of new friends, it may be well to give a few details, and I shall then leave other friends, who have frequently visited us, to i^ive their own account of the Home and our doings there. In summ.er we have to make the most of our time. The workers in the house and out of it rise at 3 a.m., as the men and boys must have their breakfast at 6.30. after doing the morning chores. The breakfast for the various classes in the big house goes on till 8.30. Prayers in the schoolroom at 9, when the children settle to lessons and the women and girls go to the forenoon's work. I am then ready to meet them, and make a rcund of visits to kitchen, laundry, school- room, nursery, and bedrooms, not forgetting the poultry-house. I forgot to say our latest improvement was to make a beautiful one out of the old stable and coach-house, which provides ample accommodation for our turkeys, geese, ducks, and hens. 105 io6 ouK c/frr.nh'EX. n •n. Wc then all go on with our work, ami I write letters till 12. Then usually when school is over, and the men and hoys are coming in to dinner — at 12 till I — somebody or other wants me most of the time till I. The children dine at 12.30, the rest of the family at I o'clock. At 2 we all settle to the afternoon's work. The children usually go to play in the " ////A' 7voods,'' a pretty, shady nook across the ravine behind the barn, with somebody looking after them, or pick berries to make jam for them later on. There are immense quantities of wild strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries on the farms, and down on the Caribou iiog, as it is called, about four miles off, any amount of blueberries. Every year we have one or two picnics to go and gather these. Of course only those big enough to pick well and steadily go, to say nothing of the risk of infants being lost on the wide-spreading bog, which extends for miles. I need not say these ploys are a great delight. Few people of afiy age will be found doing nothing round the doors, as I have great faith in Dr. Watts' statement as to the ingenuity of somebody with a bad name providing employment for idle hands, and I never find it fliil when the hands and heads are so left empty. P/ay is most desirable. Idleness is destruc- tion. All boys of eight or nine get something to do with the men, in farm work or the workshop, even OUR C/fl/.Ph'EN AT Hint I: AND ABROAD. 107 brinj^ing in kindlings and fir.'vvood. The women and girls have enough to do to cook, bake, clean house, wash, iron, and sew for such a party. Yet we have plenty of music and recreation too. Tea at 6, prayers at 8.30, supper at 9 ; and I expect everybody to go to bed at 10, except on Saturday nights, when a general and extensive tubbing takes place. In winter the hours are the same, except that no one rises till 6 o'clock, and of course the children must be occupied and amused indoors instead of out. They make strawberry-boxes in the afternoon, when the material is to be had, which is not until February o; March, our most inclement weather. And they (when there were more boys of ten and twelve years than could be employed in the barn) used to make toy furniture, boxes, etc. When our party increases, this will be revived. At other times, in bad weather, they have what we call a " play school^ wlien the boys as well as the girls knit, draw, etc., and are allowed to talk quietly at the same time. There is also a collection of toys, which are given out on these occasions, and returned to the teacher when play school is over, about 4.30. Some of the bigger ones have learned to make common scrapbooks for the little ones, by cutting out pictures, advertisements chiefly 1 and pasting them on strong brown paper, stitched together. I save every mite of a picture or coloured paper for this purpose. io8 OUR CNI/.DRKK E- Wi In fine winter weather, when there is hard frost and snow, their '* sleds'' are a great joy and delight, as our slopes are capital for '* coasting." The big boys are very kind to them in making these, and each has one. The fun seems to consist in the child throwing him- self on his stomach on this arrangement, which forth- with, and without the slightest warning (it seems to me), shoots like lightning down the nearest hill, the performer uttering shrieks of rapture, and dancing like a wild Indian when he reaches the bottom. I cannot help feeling nervous, and don't like to look at them while this is in progress ; but they never seem to get hurt; and with a lot of boys, really, if they are happy and not in mischief, I can but be happy too. And it evidently agrees with them, for a more sturdy, active, merry, independent set of little fellows you seldom see. And although they have all good appe- tites (bless them !), and will wear out their clothes, and 7vill outgrow their boots with fearful rapidity, they are very good children. This i-i the almost invariable testimony I receive from those who have taken them, as well as the character they bear in the neighbour- hood of the Home. I have finished the description of our winter's life when I have again alluded to our Friday evening merry-making in the schoolroom, which is begun every year at Hallow-e'en ana continued till March, when all in the houses are invited at 6.30. The little OUK CHILDREN AT HOME AND AliKOAD. 109 ones stay up till 8.30 to enjoy it, and big and little dance reels and country dances, play games and sing songs to their hearts' content. There is a general preparation in the way of "tidying" for the occasion; and at the close we take care to have ready some sweeties, cakes, or "jelly-pieces," and disperse at 9 o'clock, very happy. I make a point of keeping up this custom, as we have a long dull winter, and I think it positively very bad for children and young people to be kept without reasonable amusement and variety. At Christmas we have great doings. The Christ- mas shopping is a great event, and conducted with the utmost caution and secrecy — consists of gifts for everybody in the houses, not all painfully useful ! but toys, goodies, pretty things, and a great many useful things too. I find this institution will have to be continued, as about July requests and suggestions are made by the smaller members as to what they think "Santa Claus" should bring them "at Christmas." / 7ised to fill their stockings, but having stayed up one Christmas morning until I a.m. for this purpose, and having carried it out successfully (as I thought), was interrupted at the close by a perfect chorus of congratulation. I never did it again ! My sleep is too precious to be wasted on sucJi very wideawake people ! To return to Christmas Eve. In the course of the no OUR CHILDREN. iSij I 'Pi Hi i ll I ill It ™i day the boys have followed up a thorough house- cleaning, which has been going on for nearly a week, by bringing eve* greens, and the house is decorated before evening, and the Christmas tree decorated and filled with its nice things in the schoolroom. When all is ready, about 7 p.m., everybody, old and young, in the various houses, every man, woman, and child on the place, assemble in the drawing-room, and I read the Christmas reading which we have read together for so many years — Isaiah ix. 1-9 and St. Luke ii. 1-20 — sing the Christmas hymn, " Once in royal David's city," and pray. Then we all go down to the schoolroom, and admire and benefit by the Christmas tree, which is amusement enough till 9 o'clock, when, very happy and rather sleepy, most of the assembly want to go to bed, and get ready for to-morrow, with its " Merry Christmas," all good wishes all round, Christmas cards, and — Christmas dinner of roast beef and plum-pudding. Those who have left us are not forgotten, as I send every one of them a Christmas card, with loving greeting, and receive a pile of such in reply or anticipation. This completes my story of our children's life at home. My friend Mrs. Gee will now give her account of it, and after her, Dr. Lawson and other friends will give their opinion of our chil- dren and their surroundings at home — at Hillfoot Farm. OrK CHI I. DR EN AT /lOAf/: .tX/) A 11 ROAD. I I I Methodist Parsonage, Middleton, Annapolis Co., Nova Scotia, February 4, 1892. Passing the vvorld-famed land of " Evangeline," and enter- ing the Annapolis Valley by the Windsor and Annapolis Rail- way, we have often heard travellers inquiring .ibout the pi( t- uresque group of buildings nestling at the foot of the Nf)rth Mountain, in the vicinity of Aylesford. A few times we ha\ e felt glad to have the chance of giving full information ; more frequently, however, we have been obliged to sit and hear meagre and incorrect details given about the history, past and present, of " Miss Stirling's Homes," Hillfoot Farm, As the honoured founder and supporter is about to extend the work by giving a hearty invitation to destitute children — amongst fresh people in fresh places — perhaps a few words from a disinterested and constant visitor may be received with interest. At this point in the history of the work a summary will be given by the founder herself, so that no statistics need be re- peated here. It is rather of the home element in these Homes of which we would now speak. Since the commencement of the work in this country from two to three hundred children have been received into the homes of the people, the great majority of them gi\ ing satis- faction and doing well in the truest sense of the term. Again and again persons having these children have spoken to us of the constant proofs given by them of their love for Miss Stirling, and the happy recollections of their home with her ; others say "marvellous," "wonderful." Still others ask, "Whence this strong bond of union?" Perhaps the secret can only be discovered and understood by those who are often ip 112 OUR CHILDREN. \\ ' in their midst. It is not found in the literal "giving food to the hungry," or "clothing to the naked," though we would to God that all children everywhere could have this litcralwork done for them. Alas, alas ! even this week we read of ////;/- r/rfv/.y going to school in the city of London "without break- fast, and no prospect of dinner or tea !" Soon after our arrival on the Aylesford circuit three and a half years ago, we were shown over the buildings by the founder. The most striking thing to us was not the noble arrangements for the bodily comfort of the children, but her own manner of dealing with the children. Now a fat, rosy boy, then a happy-looking girl — scarce able to speak plainly — ■ would appear from all corners, and with a pull at her dress exclaim, "Tirling ! Tirling !" but the look in the baby eyes — who could portray it ? — of fullest confidence and entreaty, for what the human heart, old or young, everywhere craves, the soft touch of a loving hand on the cheek, the hug, the kiss ! — all this these children got ere they were sent off to their play. Millions in other days ha\ ■ given thanks to God for that precious narrative which tells of Christ and the children. Millions more will yet give thanks for it. If the children brought to Him then had needed bread or clothing, we believe those disciples would have tried to supply them willingly. But oh, that further action on the part of Christ our example — that folding to the heart ! What pen can tell of all it means to the human soul ? How the world yearns for more of it to-day ! This is the element permeating the Uves of these children of whom we write ; it is shown in everything that goes to make up life to them, in the way they are taught the commandments of (iod, in the observance of all Christian festival seasons, down to the care of a sore toe or finger. OUR CHILDREN AT HOME AND ABROAD. uj This is the element into which other children are now in- vited to enter and partake. Within and without the gospel "law of kindness" reigns; the large stock of animals and fowls, as well as the wild birds, come in for their full share of love. If the venerable " Father Chirpie" and noble "Uncle Toby' ' of Dicky Bird fame, presiding over their thousands upon thousands of captains, officers, and members, could spare time to visit the leafy shade of Hillfoot Farm they would be very much delighted. Some of the most precious memories of our stay on the Aylesford circuit are in connection with our intimacy ? their Homes — watching the effect of good food and tender care upon the delicate boy or fragile girl, until all have become alike rosy and strong, saying "Good-night" to them snugly tucked up in their warm beds, when all with folded hands and closed eyes would say, "God bless all the little children in the world." Reading God's truth with them, and kneeling for prayer in the morning, sharing in their games, etc., etc. Not much more than a dozen years ago we supplied daisies and buttercups to children in cities, who had never seen a daisy growing, never been in green fields, knowing nothing of murmuring brooks or of singing birds, as they abound around H.ilfoot Farm, Much, much has been done since then in the way of trips to the country for a day or more. Still there is so much to be done, and we can never, never forget these suffering children as we gaze upon the luxurious abundance of flowers and fruit in these favoured provinces. We close with a prayer that God may direct His people to send of His most needy little ones to where " there is bread enough and to spare," until the doors now opened unto Christ Himself hy one of His followers, shall all be filled. 8 114 OUR CHILDREN, Remaining the attached and devoted friend of " Op: Chil- dren," Mrs. (Rev.) John Gee. i J! 1 liiillii: ([., , ^ , I! liiii! Halifax, Nova Scotia, February 6, 1892. In September last I accompanied my friend, the Rev. Dean Ellis, Rector of Sackville, on a visit to Miss Stirling's " Home for Children, at Aylesford, in this province." We spent part of t\vo days there, enjoying the hospitality of Miss Stirling and her cousin. We visited every part of the establishment, the school and play rooms, work and mending rooms, washing and drying rooms, dairy, pantries, kitchen, dormitories, and the large room used for worship and social meetings, which neigh- bours as well as the servants and children attend. The schoolroom was visited while the teacher was engaged in her work, and Mr, Ellis spent an hour in drawing out from the children the results of the useful instruction in reading and arithmetic which they were receiving. We conversed freely with the servants, male and female, while they were engaged in their several employments, and found them to be indus- trious and intelligent, all working together under Miss Stir- ling's judicious direction in perfect harmony, with a sincere desire to do the best they could for the little ones committed to their care. The children were well and happy ; they spoke affectionately to and of each other, and showed a confi- dence in Miss Stirling's love for them that any mother might envy. The " Home" occupies " Hillfoot Farm" ; the buildings are pleasantly situated on level ground facing the main road, and are sheltered behind by a hill range a few hundred feet high, OUR CHILDREN A T HOME AND ABROAD. "5 the farm stretching up the hill, which is mostly wooded, and serves for pasturage. The level fields of the farm showed successful cultivation, the grain and root crops being in fine condition. The main building, the " Home" proper, is a commodious villa, shaded in Iront by old willows that were probably planted by the Acadians while Nova Scotia was a French colony, and there is an old apple orchard in rear. There are separate dwellings at some little distance off for the farm servants. The farm barn is substantial, commodious, and complete, one of the best in this country, and there is a separate piggery, commodious and well planned. Early in the morning (before breakfast) I found several of the boys at work in the barn, feeding the cows and doing other ordinary light work, in which they took evident interest ; some I met on a pathway bringing in firewood or kindling, and others were engaged in a workshop near by. They were too young to do much effective "work," but were obtaining their early lessons in industry, and showed cheerful signs of emulation in trying to be useful. I was much pleased with what I saw on the occasion of our visit, a comfortable and happy Christian home, where young children were being carefully brought up to habits of in- dustry, and of regularity in the performance of daily duties, and educated for their prospective sphere in life, so as to become useful, independent, and self-respecting members of society. George Lawson, Professor of Chemistry in the University, and Secretary for Agriculture of Nova Scotia Government. ii6 OUR cim.DKEr^. '■• T' 111 ' i-l lid Haf.ifax, Nova Scotia, June 15, 1891. My dkak Miss Stikmnc, — Will you allow me to convey to you my best th;inks for the j^rcat pleasure and profit I derived from my recent visit to your farm at Aylcsford, and your larjje and very comfortable Home for children there. I re^jret very much that you were not at home, but I nevertheless embraced the opportunity to carefully go over your delightfully situated Home and well-cultivated farm, and was surprised beyond expression to find that in so comparatively short a time you have brought your farm to so high a state of cultivation by many improved methods of agriculture, as is not, I believe, .attained elsewhere in this province. The little ones, both boys and girls, all looked so healthy, happy, bright, and generally well kept, that I could not help thinking what a great change for good has been made in their lives. There is every prospect that each will grow up to be a useful member of our Canadian society. I am glad that your work is already bearing good fruit, as those placed by you in homes in different parts of the country show, I am informed, the results of their training under your good care, and by their conduct testify to the good work you are accomplishing. I wish for you many years of continued usefulness in your arduous, but nevertheless grand work, and trust that each year you will have greater rewards for your labours in the direction you have chc^en for yourself. Again that ag you for the pleasure and privilege I enjoyed, I remain, yours faithfully, Wallace McDonald. Barclay Webster, Esq., M.P.P. for Kings Co., N. S., writes : — OUR cffrrnRFJv at home and ah road. "7 Kkntvili.k, February 6, 1892. Dear Miss Stirling, — During my visits to Hillfoot Farm I had an opportunity of seeing how the children there under your charge were looked after and cared for. And I have much pleasure in testifying that in my opinion the well-being of the children was carefully regarded and seemed the first consideration of all there. The schoolroom was under the charge of an efficient teacher and the children appeared happy, contented, well dressed, and cleanly. Yours sincerely, IJ. B. Webster, M.P.P. George Wb.ittnan, Esq., M.P.P. for Annapolis, Co., N. S., writes : — Round Hill, Annapolis, N. S., February 6, 1892. Dear Madam, — On visiting Hillfoot F'arm in Aylesford, King's County, found the buildings and grounds admirably suited for a school of agriculture for children. The variety of soil is well adapted to mixed farming, and gives employment to young as well as old — to the young in the care of small fruit, poultry, etc. The farm is protected from the cold north wind by the range of mountain along the south of the Bay of Fundy, and from the buildings you have a fine view of the valley. On visiting the schoolroom found the children comfortably situated and being taught by an efficient and painstaking teacher, and looked as though they would make themselves useful in the work for which they were being trained. Sincerely yours, Geo. Whitman, M.P.P. Miss Emma M. Stirling, Hillfoot Farm, Aylesford, King's County. I! ft p 1 n^i ii8 OUR CHILDREN. Rev. A. S. Tuttle, Berwick, N. S., supernumerary minister Methodist Church, writes : — Having resided in the vicinity of Miss Stirling's Home for Children, at Hillfoot Farm, Aylesford, N. S,, since it was founded, and having had every opportunity of observing its managements, I am fully persuaded there is no institution of the kind where more ample provision is made for the physical comfort and religious training of the young, and where better facilities are aftorded for acquiring all the elementary branches of education. The greatest care is taken to secure the best homes for the children, and in this Miss Stirling has been re- markably successful, as well as most particular and indefatiga- ble in seeing that the conditions made in their interest are carried out by those who adopt then- or receive them in charge. There is much addidonal that I could say, but it is probably not required. (Signed) A. S. Tuttle. 1 4i,i, Rev. George Steel, 104, Broad Street, St. John, N. B., writes : — St. John, N. B., February 6, 1892. Dear Miss Stirling, — During my residence in the prov- ince of Prince Edward Island, I had great satisfaction in placing several children, who had been under your training, in suitable homes. After their adoption into those homes I visited them from time to time, and made careful inquiry about their char- acters. In addition to this I visited several other children, who had received the benefit of training in your institutiftn. From all that I have both seen and heard I am most thoroughly OUR CHILDREN AT HOME AND ABROAD. 119 convinced that the training you give them is admirably fitted to make good Christian men and women of those who are fortunate enough to be placed under your care. The children compare favourably in educational ability with the other chil- dren of the province. And they are also trained in habits of neatness, obedience, and reverence. Happy are the children that come under such influences. Your work is deserving of all confide'-ce and support. May it continue to prosper ! Yours fraternally, George Steel, Methodist Minister. I receive from all quarters good accounts of our children. No doubt they are not all alike, and none of them are perfection, but they are a very well-con- ducted and promising set of young people, and, I must do them the justice to say, have in the vast majority of cases done what they can to do me credit and repay the care and pains bestowed upon them. A great many have risen to positions of trust, as well as use- fulness, and are a testimony known and read of all men to the good results of the work for our children at Home and Abroad. CHAPTER XV. THE LAST TWO YEARS. H\,m il ■ "! pi '' ■:'•' In Chapter XII. I brought the history of our work and experiences at HiUfoot Farm down to the close of 1890. Since then there is a good deal of interest to record, but it will not be tedious. There is nothing very new as to details of work done for our children at home and abroad ; but the work itself has gone on with unabated vigour. Last June we were joined by a party of children from Miss Croall's Home, at Stirling, and except one little boy, whom I found it better to keep at home for a time, all these are now in good homes and giving satisfaction. Each year more boys and girls have been placed in suitable homes, and thus enabled to do for themselves, while leaving room for new-comers, and I rejoice to be able still to say that the reports of them which I receive from all directions are most encouraging. A*- Home all goes on as usual. I have reason to be thankful the Home element remains unbroken, and the Home feeling among those who have gone from us seems as strong as ever, judging from the piles of 120 THE LAST TWO YEARS. 121 letters, photos, Christmas cards, and other tokens of goodwill which come from our children abroad. I have already told of the serious calamity in the destruction of the mill last year, and its rebuilding. It is now at work as busily as ever, and employs more hands. As to the farm work, we have done much to im- prove the stock of cattle and sheep, since there has been suitable accommodaiion for them in the new buildings. We have now a fine herd of registered Ayrshire cattle, and the flock of sheep has been also much improved. By dint of constant care and pains, we hope by-and-by it will be one of the best in the province. I must not forget the Berkshire pigs, whicn live in what is known as Piggy's Palace (which ex- cited the admiration of Dr. Lawson), and where each family has a parlour and bedroom ! one pen for eating, the other for sleeping, with access to " Piggy's play- ground," a large sunny yard where the manure from the barn is taken, and where the pigs occupy them- selves usefully in turning it over. This part of the farm is a great amusement to visitors ; and as it is light, airy, and perfectly clean, there is nothing objec- tionable, as is too often the case where piggies are less well attended to. We have, since 1890, planted three orchards — one of 300 trees on my cousin's new farm, in a very fine situation ; one of pears, peaches, plums, and cherry i 122 OUR CHILDREN. ' '•iiiifii if ' 111 trees, immediately in front of the big house (where the old barns used to stand), and which, as the ground slopes gently to the south, and is sheltered by the house to the north, bids fair to do well. The third is on the tableland behind, and stretching west (»f the big house mentioned in my description of the farm when I bought it. We shall only be able to fill part of this ground this year, as the space is large ; but it is a good piece of work to have on hand, as preparing the ground can be carried on at intervals when there is not much else to do — though that is but seldom, we find! In order to explain one great subject of interest and increased anxiety during these years, I must go back in our history to 1886, and tell you that no sooner were we located here than my troubles began in an- other c; ection. A man of notoriously bad character had brought his three children to my care in 1882, and deserted them immediately after. When he ap- plied for their admission, he stated he had been a Roman Catholic, but was tired of the neglect and tyranny of the priests, and desired to have them brought up as Protestants. As I have said, he de- serted them immediately. In the course of four years he only once asked after them, and during the same period sent £l \ys. towards their maintenance. But in 1886, finding that two of the children had been sent by the directors to Nova Scotia in the course of that THE LAST TWO YEARS. 123 year, he consulted a priest, who recommended him to a Roman Catholic agent, by whom he was advised to apply for them. The directors then requested me to bring fhem home, which I did at once, but, knowing what the fate of the children would be, I was natu- rally unwilling to give them up if it could be avoided ; and as the father did not make any further attempt to obtain them, the former application to the directors was allowed to drop. After waiti' g five months, I sent them out again, and with them the third child, who had not been in the Homes since 1884, but had been supported at my privrte expense in the country, and in due course tbey were provided for. After eighteen months a lawsuit was instituted, which has been alike troublesome and expensive. The decision in my favour recently given by the Court in Nova Scotia in the above case has been a great relief to me. The inconvenience and outlay have been very considerable ; but as I was advised to carry it on in the interests of poor children as well as of the Protestant cause, the risk seemed unavoidable.' I cannot leave this subject without thanking my cousin J. H for his help and kindness to me all through this trying time. I • Full particulars of this case will be found in Part III. 1^ CHAPTER XVI. m i'\ WHAT WE HOPE TO DO. This is an important chapter, but one contained in few words. I have told the stoiy so far of my life's work for destitute children in the hope that many friends will be inclined to help me to carry it on, and so perma- nently help to save many more. I have established the Home in Nova Scotia in the hope that it will be a rea/ home to numbers of poor children who have no other, and that it will be a safe starting-point for many boys and girls in a new coun- try, where they have the opportunity offered to them of rising in the world, as well as a home to which they can come at any time for counsel or refuge in time of trouble — to say nothing of the place where their success will always be most heartily rejoiced in by all the folks at home ! We have ali laboured to make the farm and work- shops an efficient training school for lads of good character, from whence they quickly obtain good situations, and therefore hope that many will take advantage of it. We hope that the same habits of 124 IVIIAT IVE HOPE TO DO. 1 35 industry, faithfulness, and kindness learned in the house will help to fit many girls for being the good household helpers who are so ardently desired and warmly welcomed on this side of the Atlantic. And I earnestly hope that this work will increase yet more and more, and that our children and their descendants will long be known as a seed whom the Lord has blessed in the maritime provinces, not to mention the States, where some of our young men and women are prospering abundantly. I trust that long after my work for children is over, they will be known as heads of godly, righteous, and sober families. I hope that God's people will consider the case of many poor children who are orphans, or worse, by reason of the cruelty of their parents. No doubt ail are not suitable cases for emigration, but many are. Competent judges say the need is as great as ever in our large cities, yea, even all over the country. I, for one, dare not contradict them. Much has been done, but much yet remains, and therefore I desire to open the doors of these Homes at Hillfoot Farm, N. S., as wide as possible to every destitute child. For this I cry to God day and night, for this I have given my life, and I know that in this work the Lord has blessed me ; so I hope by His help still to save many, body and soul, to bring sunshine and hope into many a poor child's life, and to lead the active steps Urn % I 126 OC//; CHILDREN, of many young men and maidens into safe and pleas- ant paths. Truly, " we are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God." Truly has the word been verified in our experience : '* The lame shall take the prey." So we go on from day to day, hoping, praying, " in the work of the Lord, knowing that our labour shall not be in vain in the Lord." If % N.B. — This sixteenth chapter treats ovXy o{what we hoped to do. For the apparent result I must refer the reader to the fourth part of this book, the sequel to the story of our life in Nova Scotia. Yet I cannot but believe the fruit will be seen in that land, m^ny days hence. CHAPTER XVII. TEMPERANCE WORK. t This has been a most helpful and blessed adjunct to the work for our children. We have been enabled at Hillfoot Farm to maintain a united and steady protest against drink in all its forms. It will be obvious that this is the only safety where so many young people are concerned. In it we have received cordial sympathy and support from the public generally. The Sunday evening service has very often been used to spreac' the cause of Temperance by the exhor- tations and warnings given, and it has not unfrequently been actually a Temperance meeting, at the close of which considerable numbers of people have signed the pledge against drink, tobacco, and swearing, and the good results of this are known to all. Soon after I went to Hillfoot Farm I was asked to form a branch in Aylesford of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. I did not at first see my way to it as a stranger, but when, two years after, the request was again preferred, I could not refuse. The members asked me to become president, to which I 127 iisl:?! I ■{}■ i m 128 06 A' CIIir.DKEN, agreed, on condition that I should be excused if hin- dered by causes over which I had no control. To this they agreed, and have been most forbearing, and we have quite a flourishing though small Union. I have thus been privileged to take part in Temper- ance work in other places, and to give addresses, invited by the W. C. T. Unions in various towns in the province. Also to take literature of 2^ good kind ^ Temperance and otherwise, to the lumber camps, of which there are several every winter, near Lake George, and twenty miles from Hillfoot Farm. A large number of men are employed in these camps all winter, being thus cut off from home comfort and amusement, and are most thankful for the reading sup- plied. One winter I collected tivo hundred-weight of books and papers, which, as you may suppose, supplied many. I never enjoyed anything more than driving over the snow across the valley, up the South Moun- tain, and across the frozen lake, to the heart of the forest, where the lumber camps were. It took a short winter's day, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., but we received a warm welcome and a good dinner in the camp, and returned feeling we had carried what would give pleasure and profit to many through the long winter nights. Last November I was much honoured by being sent, at the request of Miss Willard, as the dele- gate from Nova Scotia to the World's Convention of the W. C. T. U., held in Boston. PART III. HISTORY OF MY TROUBLES. 129 ,lii' ' 'tini CHAPTER XVIII. INCIDENTS IN THE WORK. I WAS brought up strictly in the Protestant faith, and impressed from my earliest years with a perfect horror, not only of the Romish Church, but of that portion of the Episcopal Church, now known as Rit- iialistic^ then commonly called High Chunk or Puseyite. We attended the Scotch Episcopal Church, where my father held the office of vestryman, and it seemed to me, as a child, that his whole efforts in connection with the Church were concentrated in resisting all the various forms and ceremonies — " innovations^' they were called — which have since brought so much misery, and, as now appears, real danger in the way of false doctrine into the Episcopal Churches both of England and Scotland. His instruction and advice to me on these points, and as to the sufficiency of THE BIBLE ONLY, as a rule of life, were most solemn, and made a deep impression on my mind. This was very natural, as I was hardly fourteen, and my father, to whom I was devoted, died very soon after. My mother also held these views quite as strongly. We, '31 132 OUR CHILDREN. tlierefore, were never allowed to make any Roman Catholic acquaintance, or to mix much with those who were known to be High Church. No doubt our parents were considered very narrow-minded. I have often since been glad it was so. Therefore, when I was led to begin the work of the Day Nursery in Edinburgh in February, 1877, I was ignorant of the devices of the priests, of whom, no doubt, I had a wholesome horror as aforesaid, but my love and com- passion for poor little children were so overpowering that these feelings quite overcame any fear or preju- dice I might otherwise have had in dealing with Roman Catholics of the poorer classes, and my whole object being to alleviate the misery of these poor little ones for the sake of Him who so loved the little chil- dren, I received all alike, contenting myself with the stipulation that no popish practices or idolatrous prayers should be permitted in my houses, and that no priest or sister should on any pretence whatever be allowed to visit the Day Nursery or Homes. Soon after I began this work I found that a somewhat un- necessary case had been admitted, in 1878; so I judged, from the frequency with which the mother visited her two children, and as in addition, in a few days, it transpired that she was tampering with some of my girls as to prayers, symbols, etc., I desired he to remove the children at once. She wept and pro- tested and said, " Oh ! ma'am, you said you did not INCIDENTS IN THE WORK. 133 interfere with my religion." " No," I said, " I don't interfere with j^///- reUgion, but I can't \\2M^you inter- fering with oursT and added, to clear myself of the charge of cruelty, " If you have time to be so much in my home with your children, you ought to have them \^\\\\ you in your own home !" I may state here, the grandmother of these children thanked me cor- dially, and told me the reason the children had been sent to me was only to make an excuse for the priest to visit at the Home, and that though she herself was a Roman Catholic, she thought it very wrong thus to abuse my kindness, but begged me not to tell anyone / as she feared the priest ! I mention this case to show that I clearly made It understood that mine was a Protestant Home, and that any child placed therein would be brought up as a Protestant. In the Day Nursery I made no distmction, except forbidding priests or sisters to visit. People used to ask, " Do you make any difference as to what religion the children here belong to?" I answered " NONE, any little child, whether Jew, Turk, Heathen, or Mohammedan, will be vvelcome ; it is not the re- ligion I care about, it is the child, for the sake of Jesus who so loves them." Dear reader, you who may very possibly blame me in this case, which has given so much trouble, may very Hkely think of me as bigoted, harsh, and narrow- minded, are you quite sure that you have love for 134 OUR CHILDREN. U ' , II, 1 I)' little perishing babies ivider than that ? Was it not well-nigh as broad as humanity? If I shut the door so as to keep the priests out, while I let the children in, it was only because I instinctively dreaded the fascination of the Old Enemy ROME! As years went on, there used to be occasional small attempts at interference by sisters and Ritualistic ladies, but these being always successfully parried, nothing star- tling happened till 1883 — when my eyes were opened a little wider by the following case: — In 1879, ^ '^^^Y poor, sick man, far gone in consumption, brought his four motherless children to my care, saying he was in utter misery ; no one looking at him could doubt it ! He had been a Roman Catholic, but said that he had been so unkindly treated by the priests, that he had determined to be done with them, and wished very much to have his four youngest children brought up as Protestants. To this I agreed, and they were admitted to the Home, and remained there, free of charge, till 1883, when the father died. During his last illness they had been sent to visit him. When he died I had them clad in decent mourning and sent to the funeral. They went alone, as the eldest girl was now twelve years old, and they were to meet their elder brothers and sisters, who had more or less passed through my hands, and eventually became Protestants. To the astonishment of my housekeeper they returned from the funeral in a cab ! saying that INCIDENTS IN THE WORK. 135 they had been obliged to do so to escape from the priests — of whom two were at the funeral, and I think, two sisters. Before the father was buried, the priests turned to the children, and told them they now belonged to them, and musl go where they chose — therefore could not be allowed to return to the Home. On hearing this the children cried, and made a great fuss. A Protestant bystander interfered, and said to the priests, " You have no right to the clothes, whatever you have to the children !" on which the priests told the poor children, " That will be all right, zve will strip you and send back the clothes !" Tf< > elder brother became indignant, and obtaining the money for a cab, put them into it, and sent them back to me. A few days after, their grandmother arrived, and asked me to give her the children. I refused, on the ground of my promise to their father — made and kept in his lifetime — and which I saw no reason to break, merely because he had died. I asked her what she could do with the children if she had them, she replied, " Nothing — 1 am a poor creature, and get . ' parish relief, but the priest wants them to go to the :! ers at Lanark," and, beginning to cry, said, " I would 7iever have asked for them, for ye've been good and kind to the children, but I dare not say nay to the priest, who made me come to you." I soothed her, and sent a cfvil message to the priest that " I could not think of such a thing," and kept fm^sm In ' 'i'fli ^ 136 " owe CHILDREN. the children. After this I had no more trouble, but was very careful not to admit Roman Catholic children to the Homes permanently, though I helped them temporarily. This was in 1883, but in the preceding year I re- ceived the three children of a Roman Catholic, as stated in Chapter XV., under circumstances best ex- plained by the following extracts from a Bible-woman's journal: " November i, 1882. — Have been trying to get three motherless children into a Home, Mrs. T kindly gave me ^s. to get bread for them." '\famiary 15, 1883. — Felt very thankful to-day to hear that Miss Stirling had taken the three motherless children (already referred to) into the Home. Their mother died last summer, and the neighbours took in the children. The father went to live elsewhere, and, being out of work, was not doing much in keeping his children. One poor woman, who had four chil- dren of her own and her husband ail in one little attic- room, took two of these children ; her husband was out of work too. It is very trying to visit here and see the children crying for bread — any little thing that I could give was like a drop in the bucket. The youngest of these children was a nice little girl about three years of age. A widow, who had six of a fam- ily, and one of them a pdor crippled boy, took this little girl in. Many a time my heart has been pained INCIDENTS IN THE WORK, 137 to see these poor half-clad children sitting in the stair on the street in the cold." At the time of admission I stipulated that the father, whom I shall call X, should pay 2s. 6d. a week for each of the elder children, but I agreed to receive the baby free of charge, on condition that it was not in- terfered with. This payment the man eluded by de- serting them soon afterwards, having only paid £1 lys. towards their support, and he did not re-appear till December, 1884, when he was got hold of by one of my nurses, who sent him to see me at my house. There I remonstrated with him most seriously as to the neglect and desertion of his children, and said everything I could think of to arouse a proper feeling in his mind on the subject, but without any effect ! although at the time he begged my pardon, and prom- ised amendment. He again vanished, and i.o more was heard or seen of him for two years. At this time, December, 1884, the second child had become so delicate that the doctor objected to her being kept in the Homes, and accordingly she was sent to the Sick Children's Hospital, from whence she was discharged as improved at the end of two months, but being still considered unfit for the Homes, I boarded her at my private expense in the country, that she might have the advantage of a milder climate and milk diet. In May, 1886, 1 sailed for Nova Scotia with 25 children, consisting entirely of girls and little '38 OUK CHILDREN. ones, among thci was the youngest child of X, aged 6, whose name, history, and circumstances were, Hke all the others, submitted to the Directors of my Homes before her passage was taken. In September, 1886, a party of boys was sent out by the Directors to me in Nova Scotia, among whom was her brother. At that time their father stated that a Roman Catholic priest had gone to him, and advised him to apply for his children. This appeared in a daily paper of that date. He afterwards stated in the Court of Session that he had gone to the priest. I do not know which is the truth, but they together went to Mr. , a Roman Catholic agent, and the result was the Directors asked me to bring back these two children. I brought them back in November, 1886, but when I got them home, and heard the quarter from whence the demand had come, I hesitated to give up the children if I could possibly help it, knowing what their fate would be if given back. Altogether I demurred, and said I would not give them up if it could possibly be helped. I believe it was th.ough some intervention that the priests dropped the case at that time. X himself never came near me, or asked for his children so far as I ever heard. This went on for five months, and during that time the children were boardej in the South of Scotland at my expense — as were a large number of other children from the Homes. At the end of March, 1887, I sent them back to Nova Scotia, INCIDENTS IN THE WORK. 139 believing, as did everyone else, that the quest was over, and that the whole thing had been dro'^oed for ever. Early in 1887, February, I think, a baby was brought to the Shelter in Edinburgh by its father, whom I may name Z, in a horrible state of neglect and ill-usage. I personally had nothing to do with the admission of this case, except to consent to it, as the routine business of having papers properly signed, etc., had been un dertaken by Mr. , one of the Directors, who took special charge of the Shelter from cruelty, to which all fresh cases were brought. I was told that the father's only object was to prevent the mother getting hold of it again, and that he wished it to be emigrated. Find- ing in a few days that the poor child's condition re- quired more careful nursing than could be had at the Shelter, I took it to my own home, where it began to recover. The man called and asked to see it, saying he had brought his wife to bid it good-bye, which they did. I then boarded it in the country, and in April it was sent to Nova Scotia. On my return the same year, in October, the parents appeared and demanded to have it back again, which demand, of course, I could not accede to. It then transpired they were Roman Catholics. An action in the Court of Session speedily followed in January, 1888. The Court remitted the case to Sheriff , to make report as to the condi- tion of the parents and their abode, which he did, the Mi! 'a ?t 140 0[//^ CHILDREN, report being of such a cn.iracter that the Court could not with any show of right or safety for the child give it back to them, but ordered that it should be sent back to Scotland. As it was still in the Home, I agreed, and the child was given to the Directors of the Homes in Scotland, and I believe it is still in their hands. As soon as the above trial was initiated, in January, 1888, the man X, who turned out to be a friend of the man Z, again appeared on the scene. One day I was at the Shelter in the High Street con- sidering the cases of poor children, among others a girl in whom the police were interested, and one of the Inspectors was in the committee room talking to me when X arrived ; hearing that someone wished to speak to me, I went to the door of the room, and saw a man standing in the passage, but did not know him ; he told me who he was, became very rude, and dis- tinctly threatened violence, as he did not see the policeman from his position in the room. I went back to my seat, and desired X to come into the room and speak to me properly. He came in not knowing till he got in that there was anyone else present. He demanded the children. I said I had not got them, and he became very abusive, only restrained from violence by the policeman being there, who thought so seriously of the interview that he remained with me some time after X left, and reported the matter at once to the Chief Constable. X, on this occasion, INCIDENTS IN THE WORK. 141 appeared to have had a large quantity of liquor, and was in what the policeman called " a state of white heaty which is just the state in which men do the most dreadful things." I was advised on this occasion never again to go to the Shelter alone, as X had been in prison for stabbing. This I saw in the police books. The first time, in February, i88(S, I was in the Court of Session about the Z child, X took up his position behind mc, and for a long time, I think nearly an hour, continued to pour forth close to me a torrent of the most revolting, vile, and shocking language that could be strung together by a wicked man. The Secretary and some of the Directors were sitting by, and though, of course, I dared not look round, the Secretary told me it was all they could do to hinder X laying hands on me, but at last they got him moved further off. The next time (March, 1888) I was in the Court about the same case, as also the Secretary and some Directors. X said he had brought a loaded pistol with him, and swore that " as it was St. Patrick's Day, he would have the Secretary and myself dead before night." I, on hearing this, when we came out of Court, went over to the Police Office and made a cowi- plaint to the Chief Constable, who advised me to make the circumstance known to the Leith police, and to remain indoors until he could see the man and ad- monish him. He put me into a cab, told the driver to n 142 OUA' CHILDREN, go to the Leith Police Office before going home, to drive quickly, keep to the thoroughfares, and 7iot stop to speak to anybody ! I did as I was advised, till I again saw the Chief Constable, and learned he had remonstrated with X. I think, myself, some stronger measures should have been taken, as a week afterwards, just before I left the city, X, being pretty tipsy, actually tried to get into a cab where I was sitting, and was only hindered by the agility of my maid and the cabman. At this time (March, 1888) I had police protection for some weeks. While I was winding up my affairs in connection with the Homes, preparatory to leaving Scotland. Various legal friends advised me to go on making my arrangements as quietly as possible, and not to let it be too clearly understood when I would sail. I afterwards learned zvliyl Just at this time I was summoned to the Sheriff's Court, with several other people, to give evidence about the Z child. We were interviewed in the Sheriff's private room. As I left by the one door through the waiting room, Mr. left by the other, and overtaking me and two other ladies at the top of the stair, advised us to get into a cab. He told me afterwards X and Z were sit- ting in the lobby, and he distinctly heard them swear in the most dreadful way they would, if they did not gain the cas;, murder me here or in Nova Scotia. INCIDENTS IN THE IVOKK. 1 43 Mr. went to them and remonstrated, but with no effect. Just after this, in April, 1888, the Sheriff asked me to go and see him at his room in the Sheriff Court Buildings, and pointed out to me it would be desirable to dispose of my property, as there was reason to be- lieve my enemies would lay hands on it, with a view to compelling me to submission as regarded the chil- dren. I said I would not do what I knew to be cruel and wrong. I would rather never see Scotland again. He said, " If you have property, they will reach you through that and bring you back." I said, " Then I will have no property. I would rather go out and leave all, as people long ago did." He said, " Have you thought ? Do you mean what you say ?" I re- plied, " I can't help it. I catmot do what I believe and know to be wrong. A time comes when one must obey God rather than men. I have done what I can in Scotland, and now I will go out." Then, said the Sheriff, " If you have made up your mind to that, I say GO and God's blessing go with you, but',' he added with a smile, " I'll give you Lord Westbury's advice, ' If you have an old 2imbrella, don't leave it behind you !' " and, taking up his inkbottle, added still further, " If they find anything the value 0/ that, they will found a jurisdiction on it and bring you back at your own expense." He then proceeded to details, and aston- ished me by his knowledge of what property I had in 144 ^^^ CHILDREN, Scotl.ind! The houses in which the children had been living must be disposed of at once — which was already being done. A coffee-house at Granton had been erected at my own expense on a site the former proprietor had granted me at a nominal rental, with the provision it was to remain cutircly in my own hands. In this difficulty I went to the agent, and found that the proprietor had sent me a most kind message, bidding him relieve me of any trouble at once, and to express his sympathy with me in what was taking place. The Sheriff then gave special attention to a farm I had near Edinburgh, saying, " I hear you have fine horses there, and some fair cattle, they will lay hands on those at once." I proposed having a " roup" (Anglice, an auction), he said, " You can't do that, it would be most dangerous to advertise." And then gave me practical hints as to what to say on the mor- row to my man at the farm, winding up with an in- junction to go to my agent on my return, not later than the next day's afternoon, and so bade me good- bye, and bid God bless me ! I did as I was told, and found myself in Mr. 's office at 4 p.m. next day — related to him what I had done and what I had been told — he looked very uncomfortable, and, apparently with great reluctance, told me the reason of all this advice was that pro- ceedings were expected to be taken against me (if not /.\r //)/•: NTS /.V THE WORN, M5 already bc^im) wliich would make it impossible for nic to buy or sell, or draw money from ;iny bank, the supposed object beinj^ to stoj) the supplies of support for my children in Nova Scotia, and tlius starve me {throuii^h tlu'iii) into submission. This statement I treated with utter incredulity, believing an old friend — whose house I reached at