1. The neighbours feel themselves inconvenienced by the noise of the
children in the play-hours. This complaint is neither without
foundation, nor unjust; for many persons are very much inconvenienced by
the noise of children, and those living close by the Orphan-Houses must
be so during the play-hours, even though the noise be only of that kind,
that one could not at all find fault with the dear children on account
of it. I should myself feel it trying to my head to live next door to
the Orphan-Houses, on that account I therefore ought to do to others, as
I should wish to be done by. This point had never before appeared to me
in so serious a light.
2 The greatness of the number of the inmates in the houses has several
times prevented the drains from acting properly, and thus has a few
times affected the water in one or two of the neighbours' houses. With
reference to these two reasons, as it regards those living near the
Orphan-Houses, these words, "Let not your good be evil spoken of," Rom.
xiv. 16, and "Let your moderation (i.e. yieldingness) be known unto all
men," Philip iv. 5, seemed to me two important portions of the word of
God to be acted out in this matter.
But in addition to the reasons for removing the Orphans from Wilson
Street, on account of the unavoidable occasional inconvenience that
comes upon the neighbours, there appeared now to me, when once I was led
to consider seriously the reasons for removing the Institution from
Wilson Street, other reasons for doing so, in connexion with the work
itself, which had occurred to me before, but never in so strong a light
as now, when the subject was brought more immediately before me by the
letter, in which I was politely requested to remove the Orphans from
Wilson Street. These reasons are:
1. We have no proper play-grounds in Wilson Street. There is one
play-ground, which, however, is only large enough for the children of
one house at a time; but as there are children in four houses who ought
to have the benefit of it, we can not arrange so that all the children
have the full benefit of that play-ground, as the meals, the
school-hours, the weather, and other hinderances interfere. The dear
Orphans ought, I know, to be trained in habits of industry, but children
are children, and need to be treated as such; and they should, on
account of their health, have the full benefit of a play-ground. But
this they cannot have in Wilson Street: and to take them out into the
fields for the benefit of bodily exercise, as we have been in the habit
of doing, is often very inconvenient.
2. We have no ground for cultivation, near the Orphan-Houses, and hence
there must be more walking for the children, on account of using proper
means for keeping them, with the blessing of God in health, than is, in
other respects, good for them; because frequent walks easily beget in
children habits of idleness, which would be especially felt when boys
are apprenticed. But this difficulty cannot be obviated by remaining in
Wilson Street, and renting a piece of land somewhere else for
cultivation; for to get the children ready and conduct them to the piece
of ground, not only takes a good deal of time, but is connected with
other great inconveniences, yea with insurmountable difficulties, so
that we found it needful to give up a small piece of ground which we
once rented for about two years for the Orphan-Boys, at a distance of
about half a mile from Wilson Street. Thus, by removing from Wilson
Street, and obtaining premises surrounded by land for cultivation, we
should be able to procure a most important moral benefit for the
children, by having the opportunity more fully than we now have, of
training them in habits of industry, besides giving to the boys
occupation which is more suitable for them than knitting, which is now
the only employment they have, besides making their beds, cleaning the
house, and attending to the cooking of their meals. Moreover, this would
be occupation in the open air, which not only would bring their limbs
into exercise, but also make walking, for the sake of health, almost
entirely needless.
3. If we were to remove from Wilson Street, and obtain premises in the
country, we might have all the washing done at home, which now, for want
of room, can be only done in part. Thus the girls also would have more
laborious work at home, a point of great importance for them, so that
they would not feel so much the hardships connected with going out to
service.
4. The situation of Wilson Street is perhaps scarcely bracing enough for
strengthening the constitution of the Orphans, most of whom, being the
offspring of very diseased parents, require a very invigorating place of
abode.
5. The present situation is certainly not desirable for the teachers,
especially as, when their hours of work are over, they have no garden or
fields close to the house, immediately to go into for a little
refreshment of body; and for some of them it is too far to go to fields,
where they might have bracing air.
6. In times of sickness we are too confined in the houses in Wilson
Street. If there were less than 30 children in each house, the average
expenses for each child would be too great, it being desirable, as the
arrangements are now, that there should not be less than 3 labourers in
each house; and yet, if there are 30 children in each house, we are too
lull in time of sickness, as we have not a single spare room in any of
the houses. Now, though the Lord has during all these years most
mercifully helped us through such seasons, yet it has not been without
inconvenience, and without also, perhaps, having more of the children in
one room, at such times, than on account of health is desirable.
7. Even ordinarily, when there is no sickness, it would be desirable to
have more room.
There are no premises to be had in Bristol, or in the immediate
neighbourhood, where we could have these advantages; for I have been
looking about in all directions for this purpose during the last ten
years. But suppose there were a large house to be had in one part of the
city, and a second a mile off, and a third and a fourth in other
directions, such houses, on account of our peculiar position in the
work, would not do. For in seasons of need, the distance of the several
houses would render it very inconvenient for the labourers to meet
together for prayer, to divide the means that may be in hand, etc.
Besides, when in seasons of other peculiar difficulties, connected with
the work, I wished to meet all my fellow-labourers, there would arise
great difficulty by their being divided in different parts of the city.
It would also thus be very inconvenient to persons, who wish to see the
work, to go from place to place, in order to have a view of all the
Orphan-Houses. But this is not all. The more I have considered the
matter, the more am I now persuaded, that no ordinary large houses,
built for private families, and therefore only calculated to accommodate
10 or 15 persons, at most, for any length of time in them, will do for
charitable institutions of any considerable size, as no ordinary house
furnishes the proper advantages of ventilation, a point so needful for
the health of the inmates in a charitable institution. There seemed to
me, therefore to remain nothing but to build premises for the purpose.