Out of the 80 girls there
were no less than fifty-six orphans, _all of whom are fed and clothed
out of the school funds, and a large proportion provided with lodgings
also_. Only two of these girls were children of Protestant parents; and
in the boy's school there was only one born of parents originally
Protestant.... At the probationary girls' school there were 76 on the
books, at the time of my visit, their ages varying from eight to
eighteen years. They are all Catholics, or children of Catholic parents;
and out of the number no fewer than 40 _were orphans_. All the children
at this school receive daily rations of Indian meal; 45 of them one
pound, and the remainder half that quantity. _Whether this is exclusive
of the stirabout breakfast I saw preparing for them in the school_, I
forgot to ask. All the children of these schools read the Scriptures
and go to the Protestant Church, Catholic and Protestant alike."[312]
But I turn with pleasure from this uninviting and uncongenial subject,
to one more elevating,--to the all but unlimited private charity which
was called forth by the Irish Famine. I have already endeavoured to give
some idea of it, but of course an imperfect one.
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