HELP FOR GOOD BOYS.
[To TEE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."' Sia,—We wonder whether we can persuade anybody to take am interest in good boys. Somehow naughty boys appeal more to the general public,—there is perhaps more fellow-feeling for them. But we have at the St. Andrew's Home, Great Peter Street, Westminster—the first home of this kind in London—a large and successful home and club for lads who are of good character, but who have the bad luck to be homeless, and yet in work, in London,—a particularly dangerous combination for a high-spirited boy. Many of them are orphans. The idea which we have always ku,;t before us since 18803, when the home and club were started, is to get what we can best describe as the "public-school" spirit of Dr. Arnold into these boys, and the highly satisfactory results are most gratifying,—to this the present Head-Master of Eton, who has visited the home, would, we know, testify. The boys aro taught to be manly, honourable members of society, and our savings-bank teaches them to be thrifty. We have forty-five boys who live in the home (board and lodging from fis. a week) ; we have a good gymnasium and club, which includes a number of boys residing in the neighbourhood ; evening classes, football, cricket, and swimming clubs ; and each year we go into camp,— one of the most wholesome ways of teaching boys to ba unselfish. All the boys contribute part of their earnings. (The boys who have left and gone out into the world keep in touch with the club by annual old boys' gatherings, and by means of our Chronicle.) We do not require a large sum, but at the moment aro much in need of about £250. Your readers may ask why we do not give this small amount ourselves. Well, the truth is that those who are responsible have already done a great deal, and our present need arises from the fact that we have lately lost several largo
subscribers.
It would really be a pity, and a bitter loss to the boys, if we could not continue this home and club, and we feel sure if we could induce any of your readers, especially those who have been to a public school themselves, to come and see it, they would help us.
One way of helping the club would be if any one would give us the use of a cricket ground. We have to pay £30 rent for this now, and travelling to and fro costs us £12. We could manage the latter if we had the ground free.—We aro, Sir, &o., G. T. BIDDULPH.
D. A. BRYAN.
CHARLES G. ARBUTHNOT.
St. Andrew's Home for Working Boys, Great Peter Street, Westminster.
P.8.—Subscriptions may be sent to any of us, or to our bankers, Messrs. Cocks, Biddulph, and Co., 43 Charing Cross.
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