SIR JOHN KIRK

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7979, 9 December 1911, Page 1

SIR JOHN KIRK

CIVIC RECEPTION

THE BAGGED SCHOOLS' UNION AND ITS WORK.

A civic reception was tendered yesterday at the Town Hall to Sir John Kirk, secretary and organiser of tho flagged Schools’ Union, London. • Councillor Smith presided in the absence of the Mayor (Mr Wilford). Representatives of tho religious bodies and Ijenevoleut institutions were present.

Speeches of welcome were made by the ncting-Mayor, Rev. Dr Gibb (Presbyterian Church), Von. Archdeacon Harper (Anglican), Rev. J. G- Chapman (Methodist), Major Johnson (Salvation Army), and Miss M. Richmond (charitable workers). Sir John Kirk, in returning thanks for the Madly reception, said that from Homo he felt at homo. So far as the condition of tho poor at Homo was concerned, ho believed they wero better off now than ever before. In all great aggregations of people there must doubtless be some sediment at the bottom. It u'ils with this that they had to deal. There was, 'ho thought," a danger of shutting down in some cases the stream of private charity through tho'intrusion of tho State into tho held, and losing the human touch, and ho believed they would bo all the poorer for closing up tho outlet for private benevolence. There was, too, an. increasing laxity in conduct and in the observance of homely duties among tho wealthier classes, and a danger of tho people losing some of the grit they used to have. in tho pursuit ot the dollar they wero apt to loso sight of the .best things. If a nation lost its ideufs it was no longer worth very much. Religion was a great safeguard against such clangers. vVith respect to emigration, ho had no cut and dried .scheme. When tho’best had been done for the young people at Homo there was still no room lor many. Hero wo seemed to have boundless room for the surplus of human, labour to till tho unoccupied lands. It was a groat joy to lum to feel that somewhere in the world there was still room, still fresh fields for tho white man. ll© hoped that the result of tho information, ho was gathering through the whole of Australasia would kindle-enthusiasm and help a little to adjust nnstters for tho betterment of all. (Applause.) Sir John Kirk will address a meeting at the Men's Brotherhood to-morrow afternoon at three o’clock. Mr J. G. W. Aitken will be in the chair, and special music will b© rendered. LONDON SLUMS ' SIR JOHN KIRK’S WORK. Tho Ragged Schools Union was founded about seventy years ago—in 1844. Its object was to reach the thousands of unfortunate children living in tho atmosphere-of disease, poverty, and viciousness that pervades the Last End of London. Its founder*, hud set before themselves tho task of benefiting the waste lives' of tho submerged class, those who had sunk below the conditions of comfort that make it possible for a docent life; to ho lived or a reputable character to bo maintained. Religious and. charitable organisations already provided, and provided abundantly, for children wao are better circumstanced and who require no further material assistance than that which their own associations and environment give them; but there is, and always has been a. vast number of children who lack entirely comfort, cleanliness, or education, who aro the victims of the actions •or misfortunes of others, and. who literally spend their lives in the street, or even the gutter of the slum. It was for such •as tbec*o that the Ragged Schools Union was / instituted, and for nearly seven decades .has carried on a magnificent work, with which the name of; Sir John Kirk must be forever associated. THE UNION’S GROWTH,

Tho union started with 20 schools, 200 honorary teachers, and 2000 scholars That was in • 1844. By 1910 it had attained a growth which seems little short of phenomenal. By that time the number of persons assisted by tho union amounted to 100.000- tho schools had increased to 140, where no less than 4508 men and women •voluntarily gave up their days and nights to teaching among the waifs and strays of the dark places of London. Nor is tho work of tho union simply educational. In the same year over 8800 children were given a fortnight's holiday by tho seaside or in tho country. A day's outing in tho summer was afforded to 107,200 others—a boon whose inestimable value is almost unrealisable to dwellers in Sydney, where (remarks the “Homing Herald”), slam-3 in the true sense of tho term are practically unknown, and whore a penny tram or steamer transports ono to the sea. or to the bush. And finally 6839 cripples were continually visited, cheered and as* sistei by 1000 unpaid visitors.

HONOURS, Sir John Kirk joined the staff of this wonderful institution* in 1867. In 1879, when the first secretary of tho union, Mr J. G. Gent, retired, Mr Kirk, as ho then was. was at once chosen to fill his place, and during tho 32 years which have sinco ©lapsed his work has hecn carried on tirelessly, patiently, unostentatiously. When last year his services deservedly received tho reward of knighthood the honour did not come unexpectedly to anyone but John Kirk. On him alone it fell as an entire surprise. • That a testimonial from the union and the general public was on the tapis ho knew, of course, for the matter was of widespread publicity. The English papers wore full of it, and tho spontaneity with which the appeal for funds was answered was remarkable. Letters and money literally poured in on tho committee. It was the senders Jess than the amount sent which testified eloquently to Mr Kirk’s efforts, for only three contributors exceeded £2O, and the average was from 10s to 15s. ’’Ragged School Workers” sent stamps, with a wish that the sum could, have been more; cripple children united their pennies; from South Africa. Australia. Canada—from France, Italy. Russia. Germany—English residents contributed their quota. But the crowning testimonial was yet to come. On the morning of May 23rd Mr Kirk was summoned to Buckingham Palace, and introduced bv the Marquis of Northampton to King .Edward, who told Mr Kirk that lip proposed to make him a knight. Mr Kirk, in the greatest surprise, began to decline tho honour, but accented at the advice of tho Marquis, especially tfhen. told by tho King that it was the particular wish of the Prime Minister, Sir Henry CampbellBannerman. The King thereupon conferred the honour. RESULTS. It is difficult to realise amid what scenes Sir John Kirk has passed his life, and from what unpromising material his work has • omit up its results. In 1544 there were in London alone over IQQ.OOO children unable either to read or write, of whom 30,000 were absolutely homeless, and all resided in surroundings of a degrading, *r even, criminal nature.' It is recorded, as one instance only, that in a single den cf three rooms, 24 men. women and children ate, slept, worked and lived. Even-now one can find places where conditions are scarcely better. In one room in an East End court live two old people, a young woman and three children. They pay 3s

fid a week for rent and Is fid for firing. Their meals consist of a little fish, _ some dry bread and weak tea, without milk or sugar. All they have .to depend on is the occasional day’s work of the young woman. The Kast End is a region where every farthing has its value, where _ trades , nourish, and existence eked out in ways and under conditions to which Sydney has ■ no parallel. And, it is largely duo to the unceasing efforts of Sir John Kirk that so much has been and is still being done to ameliorate the lives ol some of the most abjectly unhappy and degraded human beings in tho world.