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Life of Thomas Eddy

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the latter have, at present, under their care, above 4000 children, who receive a gratuitous education at the schools under their charge ; yet, notwithstanding their care and diligence in endeavouring to prevail on parents to send their children to school, it is be-lieved that there are 8000 children in the city, who are brought up without the advantage of school learning. An inspector might be appointed, in the manner other officers of the state are appointed, who should be of a respectable character and talents, and be allowed a good salary; his duty should be to visit, once in each year, every common school throughout the state, and inquire into the condition of each school, the number of scholars; whether the laws of the state are duly complied with; the salary, name, general character, and qualifications of the teachers, and an account of all the receipts and expenditures; he should make his report annually, to the superintendent of common schools, who should be directed to present the same to the legislature. Next to providing for the moral and religious edu-cation of children, by means of common schools throughout the state, it would be productive of in-calculable advantage, to erect a suitable prison, solely for the confinement of boys under sixteen years of age, considered as vagrants, or guilty of petty thefts, or other minor offences: it is believed that there are but few amongst the most guilty of this description of juvenile delinquents, who may not, by proper dis-cipline, be subdued and reclaimed, by the establish-ment of a well-regulated prison for criminal youth. In Massachusetts, there is a prison for young convicts in each county. A number of the citizens of New-York, conceiving the great benefit that would be de-rived, by erecting a suitable building for the reception of such objects as has been described, have associated for the purpose, and have been incorporated by the name of The Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Offenders in the city of New-York. This establish-