The Press. — London, England, 1857-10-17 00:00:00

1020 As some tall cliff that lifts ICS awful form, Swells from the Vila and midvray leaves the storm ; Though roue I its breast the railing Meals ara spread, Eternal satishi.le Bottles on its head. his lordship sat down amid loud and prolonged cheering. On the second day the inaugural addresses to the sections were delivered by the different chairmen. Lord JOHN RUSSELL opened the proceedings with an address upon Jurisprudence and the Amendment of the Law. Lord John Russell advocated the appoint ment of a Minister of Justice, praised highly the administration of justice in Scotland, and, glancing slightly at the question how far legislation can be permitted to interfere in social matters, pointed out the different subjects, such as bankruptcy. Sze., in which some amendment of the existing law was clearly required. Sir Joists PAKINGTON, M.P., delivered the next address, upon National Education. The right lion. gentleman said that he regarded it as a humiliating consideration that hare in England, where we bad attained a degree of knowledge, intellectual power, civilisation, and refinement which ha I never been reached before—in England, where we hail attained such scientific pre eminence, and had given to man• kind the wondrous steam-engine and the miraculous telegraph—we were surrounded (and it was vain and mischievous to deny it) by masses of the people in our towns and rural districts steeped in ignorance, vice, and crime than which scarcely anything worse could be found in an uncivilised land, and the black ness and the shame of which are rendered darker and more shameful by the civilisation which pre• vailed around He had no wish to exaggerate the state of aff;►ir;, or to underrate the great exertions of the admirable educational societies at present in existence; but in his judgment it was clear to demonstration that the means now forth. corning were not sufficient to cope with the extent of the evil. Advocating the active presence of the religious element in a national system of education, Sir J. Pakington touched upon the difficulties and defects of the present system, and expressed his opinion— "his own deep and sincere conviction "—that the real remedy lay in an improvement by Government of the " quality " of our schools: — His hearers might depend upon it injnstice was done to the working classes in this matter. Their social affections were as strong as ours. They were net intlitlereat to the welfare of their children, and we had no right to declare that they preferred the child's earnings to the child's interest until we had fairly tested that question by givin4 them schools which were tit to go to. When this was done we should be able to say whether they would send their children to school or not, and whether the Government was called upon to a lopt a compulsory system. He earnestly trusted that the result of their pro ceedings might be to extend information, to increase public interest, and accelerate the arrival of that time when Parliament would no longer hesitate to legislate on this subject in a manner conducive to the permanent welfare, the honour, and the interests of this country. Upon Sanitary Science, Lord STANLEY, M.P., delivered a most able and interesting address. Ob serving that the fundamental axiom which sanitarists laid down was that, of epidemic diseases some might be made, by proper appliances, to disappear altoge ther, while those that remained would exhibit a milder and less distinctive type, while a knowledge of physical laws would tend to a greatly improved state of the public health in respect to diseases not epidemic, lie proceeded to enforce the necessity of a more general diffusion of knowledge upon these sub jects, and to argue that our destiny in these matters was very much in our own hands. He then adduced a variety of facts to prove that sanitary neglect caused disease, and in order to show how vast a sacrifice of human life went on unchecked and almost unnoticed, though plainly within tlle power of society to abate, he instanced the case of the British army— not ot• regiments employed on foreign service or quartered in unhealthy climates, but the case of troops at home under the direct control of the Executive Taking the deaths which occurred among men within the ages of military service we had a yearly average of civilians resident in towns of 11.9 per 1,000; while for the same ages among soldiers of the hoe there was an average o f 17 8 per 1,030; and among the Guards of 20 . 4 per 1,000. He need not stop to inquire to what extent deficient ventilation, intemperate habits, or such causes contributed to this result; but he proceeded to statistics to show how far mortality varied according to the salubrity or insalubrity of the district inhabited. Taking the same ages—namely, 20 to 35—we had an average of deaths per 1,004) as follows :—I n the least healthy urban districts, Ix• 4 ; in the whole population of England and Wales, 9 . 2 ; in the rural population exclusively, 7 . 7. From a popular summary of facts which had been drawn np by the Manchester Sanitary Association, comparing deaths from pesti.ence with deaths from war, he found that during the Revolntioeary war, in 22 years, from 1793 to 1415, there were killed 19 800 men, while in the single year 1844-49 there died of cholera and other epidemics 72,180. In those 22 years of war the wouuded were 79,700, while in the one year of cholera those attacked TII E PRESS, OCTOBER 17, 1857. were 14-I.Bdo. The same authority added that the annu, al average of death; in England and Wales due to preventiolo causes might be estimated at II 3,0t)0. The noble lord proceeded to trace with great minute ness of detail the various causes of disease, showing at the same time how one breach of the natural law led to another. He touched upon the law of density or aggregation and the law of altitude as affecting disease, and upon the industrial pathology of trades, contending that the remedy was very much in the hands of individuals rather than in those of the Government. He showed the necessity of remedial measures generally, but he urged that legislation was useless unless it met with the support of public opinion. Enlarging upon the importance of enforcing proper regulations for the management of lodging houses, ho recommended the construction of model dwellings, contending that they ought to be remu nerative to thoie who erected them. He then ad vanced to the sewage question, with respect to which he said so much of late years had been spoken, and so little, comparatively speaking, done. It was better, however, of two evils, to do nothing, than to do that which would have to be again undone. It seemed to him that any plans for improving our sewage system were very imperfect until we had ascertained what to do with the sewage when col lected. file noble lord then touched upon questions affecting the sale of poisons, adulterations, compul sory vaccination, State medicine and medical relief, and concluded a most able address, full of interest ing deductions from the statistics with which it abounded, in the following terms : There are other topics on which T wished to touch. I regret to leave unnoticed the legislation of successive Par. !laments in regard to the Board of Health, the perpetually repeated conflict between central and local authority, the struggles, failures, and successes of the last few years: but time would fail. Brevity on such questions could not but lead to misunderstanding ; fulness of treatment would be impossible ; and to those whom I see around me T already owe a double apology, for, while lamenting the length to which these remarks of mine have extended, I lament still more that, compelled to touch as it were on the surface of many topics, I have been unable both from limited space and limited knowledge to do justice to any one. Only take with you this last word. Dry and unattractive as sanitary studies may appear, they belong to the patriot no less than the philanthropist; they touch very nearly the future prosperity and the national greatness of England. Don't fancy that the mischief done by disease speeding through the community is to be measured by the number of deaths which ensue. That is the least part of the result. As in a battle, the killed bear but a small proportion' to the wounded. It is not merely by the crowded hospitals, the frequent funerals, the destitution of families, or the increased pressure of public burdens, that you may test the suffering of a nation over which sickness has passed. The real and lasting injury lies in the deterioration of r ace, in the seeds of disease transmitted to future generations, in the degeneracy and decay which are never detected till the evil is irreparable, and of which, even then, the cause remains often undiscovered. Tt concerns us if the work of England be that of colonisation and of dominion abroad, if wild hordes and savage races are to be brought by our agency under the influence of civilised man, if we are to maintain peace, to extend commerce, to hold our own among many rivals, alike by arts and arms—it concerns us, I say, that strong hands shall be forthcoming to wield either sword or spade—that vigorous constitutions be not wanting to endure the vicissitudes of climate anti the labours of a settler in a new country. I believe that whatever excep• tions may be found in individual instances, when you come to deal with men in the mass physical and moral decay necessarily go together, and it would be small satis faction to know that we had through a series of ages successfully resisted every external agency if we learnt too late that that vigour and energy for which ours stands confessedly preeminent among the races of the world were being undermined by a secret hut irresistible agency, the offspring of our own neglect, against which science and humanity had warned us in vain. The noble lord on resuming his seat was loudly cheered. In Social Economy Sir BENJAMIN BRODIE—who very tersely put forward the objects of the Association, and said that it would have to act on public opinion, which would not be taken by storm—devoted himself principally to an able and lucid statement with re ference to the condition of our public charities, while the delivery, by Mr. HILL, of an able and lengthened address on the Punishment and Reformation of Criminals, concluded the proceedings. Mr. Hill said that in his judgment the Boom! of Directors of Irish convict prisons had practically solved the problem which has so long perplexed our Government and our Legislature—" What shall we do with our convicts ?" The results of their great experiment answered thus,—" Keep your prisoners under sound and enlightened discipline until they are reformed—keep them for your own sake and for theirs. The vast majority of all who enter your prisons as criminals can be sent back into the world, after no unreasonable term of probation, honest men and useful citizens. Let the small minority remain, and if death arrive before reformation let them remain for life." In the different sectional departments papers were read. In the first, presided over by Lord John Russell, one by Mr. E. T. Wakefield on the " Transfer of Land." In the second, presided over by Sir J. Pakington, the Rev. Dr. Booth, chairman of the council of the Society of Arts, read in detail a very interesting report on the examination of the Society of Arts. A good practical paper followed from the Rev. Evan Davies, principal of the Normal College, Swansea, upon the " Education of the Middle Classes," and the proceedings of the section were brought to a close by Dr. Humphries, who read a not less interesting paper apon the " Plan and Objects of the Royal College of Perceptors." In the third section, which assembled under the conjoint presidency of the Recorder of Birmingham and Mr. Adderley, the question of " Reformation and Punish. ment " was dealt with, and a very interesting paper, based upon the proposition of " Crime growing with Donsity of Population " was read by Mr. J. C. Symons, one of her Majesty's Government School Inspectors. The remedies, Mr. Symms observed, for the suppression of this increase of crime were the immediate repeal of that evil act for the multipli cation of beershops, the restriction of badly conducted pubic-houses, better paid and more efficient polio penalties upon publicans having drunken persons o their premises, sufficient and well organised lodging houses under municipal and sanitary inspection, public baths and washhouses, and penalties upon keepers of lodging-houses for allowing intermixture of the sexes in sleeping apartments. Mr. Cane read a paper on " The Distinctive Principles of Punish ment and Reformation." A paper was then read by Mr. T. B. B iker upon " The Possible Extirpation of Regular Crime ;" and the business of the section w,►s brought to a close by a paper from Mr. A. Hill on " The Industrial Schools Act of 1857." In the de. partment of Social Economy, presided over by Sir B. Brodie, a paper was read by Mr. E. Akroyd, M.P., on "Employers and Employed ;" and by Mr. Hastings, on behalf of Miss Twining, upon the "Con dition of Workhouses." On the third day, in Section 4, presided over by Lord Stanley, M.P., Mr. W. H. Michael read a paper on " The Intiuence of Habitation on the Community." Mr. Michael pointed out the evils resulting f►om our rapidly increasing population, which augmented at a rate more than commensurate with house-building. He suggestel that only two-thirds of land for build ing should be built upon, and the introduction of a proper and efficient system of house inspection, with good ventilation, drainage, and water supply. The Rev. Hartshorne read a paptr on " Houses for Working Men,'' and Mr. Ramsay a paper on " Density of Population and Localisation of Dwellings." He suggested that, instead .of expending million upon million in rendering densriy•peupled districts more safely habitable, the dispersion of the compressed masses should be cautiously and gradually pro moted : Let open and elevated spots, of good soil, climate, and water-supply, be selected for occupation. Let wide streets of detached double cottages, not more than two floors in height, be built on these sites, so as to afford on the average sixty square yards of surface to each inhabitant. And to complete the project, let railway transit be pro vided (on fresh lines if necessary, and of a simpler and far less expensive kind than that now afforded) for the con. veyance of working people to and from the commercial depots or manufacturing establishments where they might be employed. Under recently discovered economical pro cesses, without reckoni ig on future improvements of this sort, the total cost of railway conveyance need not equal the difference between the rent of a rural cottage and a set of rooms in some confined city dwelling. Then would the city workman possess his little plot of garden, tha charm of the English cottage, while his own vegetable produce would both economise and improve the diet of his family. In the course of the discussion which followed the reading of these papers, Lord STANLEY ( President of the Section) pointed out as a subject for consi deratien, as well as those which had been submitted, the indifference of the former class to ventilation. The proceedings on the evening of the second day derived additional interest from the opening of the Brougham and Midland Institute, upon which occa sion Lord Brougham was presented with an address by the president of tht. institute, Lord Hatherton. Both Lord Brougham tUit Lord Stanley, D 1 . P., spok s on the occasion, and, aft&.: prizes had been distri buted among the pupils of the institute, the pro - ceedings terminated. In the evening the members were entertained at a grand banquet. DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND ART. DISTRIBUTION OF THE NATIONAL. MEDALS. THE annual distribution of the national medals for drawing amongst th , t students of the Schools of Art of the United Kingdom, took place at the close of last week in the Manchester Town-hall, under tho presidency of Earl Granville, and before a brilliant assembly. The proceedings were opened by Mr. REP ORAVE, who gave an interesting account of the system of Government aid t i schools of design. Any town which chose to take the trouble of regis tering 500 students, or one per cent. of the popula tion, who were willing to pay 6d. for instruction for