The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1878-06-15 00:00:00

not be too much to say nobly, because self-denial is required, born. The purpose for which you were born is a fall,
therefore nobly—endeavouring to make provision for the healthy development of your nature as individuals. It is
wants of the day and for the various contingencies of life— the expulsion of what is bad, it is the strengthening of what
inevitable contingencies which he cannot hope to escape. is weak, it is the development and opening out of what is
(Hear, hear.) Now, every one is aware of one important good. It is that which the Scripture calls a renewal in the
subject that comes uppermost in discussions about friendly image of God made intelligible and accessible to us by its
societies—namely, their effect on the poor-rate. This, being manifested in the person of Our Saviour. For all the
of course, is a delicate subject, because the law of Eng- reasons I have stated, and on all the grounds I have endea-
land has laid down for 300 years that the desti- voured to establish, I say from my heart, my friends, God
trite ought to be relieved—and relieved, if necessary, by law prosper your society. (Loud and prolonged cheers.)
—out of the means and substance of those who possess the
means and substance; and I do net think I am in a con-
dition reasonably to contend that there is anything unfair
or unjust to the possessors of property when the labouring
population choose to contemplate in the day of need—of
old age—for example, falling, back on that resource. I do
not think that a wrong is done to the possessors of pro- The vagaries of needles which have been introduced
party if the poor think fit, as some do, to confine them- in the body, and have escaped immediate removal,
selves to falling back upon the poor law. But it is a have in all ages attracted the attention of collectors of
wiser course, it is what in Scripture is called a the marvellous in medicine. Hildanus related an
e`
tmi
000 r e
of t excellenthel instance of a woman who swallowed several pins and
vewhinenthetmhe
manhood
dng
eopooopgit
remark-
to say, "No, never except from dire necessity will we passed them six years afterwards; but a more exin trwyayisi
able instance of prolonged detention was lately recorded
go to that extreme." (Loud cheers) It is not only the
amount of saving to the poor-rate that is made by friendly by Dr. Stevenson, of Detroit—that of a lady, aged 75,
societies you must chiefly consider, although that who last year passed, by the urethra, after some
amount of saving is, I believe, very large, because months' symptoms of vesical irritation, a pin which
you must not only consider the actual payments received she had swallowed while picking her teeth with it in
by the societies, which stand to a very large extent in place the year 1835-42 years previously. Occasional pain
of what otherwise would have to be paid out cot the poor-rate,
in the throat was the only immediatebut in
symptom,
but you must consider the effect upon the habits and the
mind and the life and the principles of the men who belong 1845 she was seized with severe gastric pain,- which
to these societies, and the aversion that they feel in them- passed away, and she had no further symptons until
selves to being dependent upon others while they have the hwmaturia in 1876. This curious tolerance of such
power to make provision for their wants. You must also con- foreign bodies exhibited by the tissues is often observed
sider the effect which their good example must needs produce in lunatic asylums.
on a circle much wider even than friendly societies themselves
comprise in discouraging habits that tend to pauperism and M. Silvy recorded SOMA years ago the case of a
encouraging habits that tend to manly and honest self-sup- woman who had a penchant for pins and needles so
port. Suppose we say that the poor-relief of this country strong that she made them, in effect, part of her daily
amounts to five or six millions ; that is a large sum of money, diet, and, after her death, 1,400 or 1,500 were removed
but let us consider what is the fund gat of which it is taken. from various t f the body. Another almost
par o e case,
Toe fund out of which it is taken is the general income of
the country; but I reckon the general income of England to las striking, has been recorded by Dr. Gillette—that of
be very considerably more, not than five or six millions, a girl in whom, from time to time, needles were found
but than five hundred or six hundred millions, and there is beneath
.the skin, which they perforated, and were
therefore no very great reason for the wealthier portion of removed by the fingers or forceps. Concerning the
society to complain of the burdens of the poor-rate when, way in which they had got into her system no infor-
speaking generally, the poor-rate consumes less than £1 and mation could be extracted from her. She was carefully
leaves to us—to society—for its own enjoyment somewhat
over £99. That is not a division of which, if we have a watched, and in the course of eighteen months no
poor law at all, we have reason to complain. It is less than 320 needles were extracted, all being
not upon that account that I rejoice that you seek to of the same size. Most were black and oxidized,
economize the poor-rates of the country, but it is upon but some had retained their polish. The majority
those moral grounds connected with your own deeper wel- Were unbroken. They passed out of various parts of
fare; upon those grounds I think that every lover of his the body b the t
a ove e diaphragm a regularintervals
kind, every lover of his country, must rejoice at the dis-
position—l believe lam justified in saying an increasing but in a sort of series, and always in the same
disposition—of the people of this country to unite in these direction. Most escaped in the region of the left
societies, the principle of which is to strain every nerve nipple, and a few escaped in the arm, axilla, thigh,
for the purpose of providing self-support rather than to temple, and cheek. Sometimes several passed out of
become needlessly a burden upon others, even to a small the same opening. The largest number which
extent. (Cheers) There are many difficult and curious escaped in a single day was 61. A curious phenomenon
questions raised in connexion with these societies in their
relation to the State. It is quite plain that a great injury preceded the escape of each needle. For some hours
would be inflicted upon them by what is called a lax admini- the pain was severe, and there was considerable fever.
stration of the power of the poor-law. Ido not wish to see , She then felt a sharp pain, like lightning, in the
a harsh administration of the poor law—that is another tissues, and on looking at the place at which this pain
matter ; but by lax administration of the poor law you will had been felt, the head of the needle was generally
readily understand that I mean its administration in such a
manner as to make the fund of the poor-rates applicable for projecting.foundThe needles t
nee invariably came ou
those who do not actually require it. Given a people head foremost. No bleeding was occasioned, and not
who would enter into a covenant in a system of the least trace of inflammation followed. The doctor
self-support, in that way it might be considered as an in attendance extracted 318. They were sometimes
insurance against pauperism, in the same way as a held firmly, and seemed to be contained in a sort of
reasonable expenditure upon the navy of a country is an indurated canal. It was conjectured that they had
insurance against national danger. But it is urged, on the been swallowed with
s *dical intentions; but on the
other hand, by a great authority, that it is hardly possible
to make such an arrangement workable. Some think, other hand, the way in which the needles escaped in
perhaps, that friendly societies should be supported series, and their direction with the head outwards,
by aid or subscription, or whatever you may call it, from the suggested that they had been introduced through the
State. lam not myself sufficiently master of this question skin.
in its practical aspects to give an opinion on this subject. That little weight is to be attached to the place at
There is a great deal lobe said in favour of such a plan in its
d it may be urged that Ills like an insurance
principle, anwhich the needles escape as proof of their mode of
against pauperism. There is a disposition among many introduction is evident from a case recorded byyillars
respectable people to put their hand into the public purse, of a girl who swallowed a large number of pins and
which they all piously believe to have no bottom, and think needles, and two years afterwards, during a period of
that the further you reach and the more you take out the nine months, 200 passed out of the hand, arm axilla,
more remains behind. (Laughter and cheers.) But Ido not side of thorax, abdomen, and thigh, all on the left
venture on my own authority to recommend a method of
side. The
that kind, particularly because I believe that there is still s • pins, curiously, escaped more readily and
strengh and vitality enough in the principles of your with less pain than the needles.
friendly societies to enable you to get on quite well with- Many years ago a case was recorded by Dr. Otto, of
out it; and I hope, on the other hand, that there will always Copenhagen, and mentioned at the time in the Lancet,
continue to be on the part of the Legislature of this country •
in which
395 dies nee passed through the skin of an
that desire which has been shown in various Acts of Parlia-
ment to give these societies every facility and advantage for hysterical girl, who had probably swallowed them
the collection, preservation, and distribution of their pro- during an hysterical paroxysm; but these all emerged
perty in the most convenient and economical way which in the regions below the level of the diaphragm, and
the wisdom of those who represent and those who govern were collected in groups, which gave rise to inflam-
you can devise. (Cheers.) Now, I dismiss the money
mat ory swellings of some size. One of these contained
part of the question, for, as I have said, I believe that,
, great as that is, it is not the greatest part. (Hear, hear.) 100 nee dl es.
It is a great thing to keep the wolf from the door, and for Quite recently Dr. Bigger described before the
many and many scores of thousands these societies are the Society of Surgery of Dublin a case in which more
means of keeping the wolf from the door. I do not than 300 needles were removed from the body of a
undervalue that object, but to keep yourselves out woman who died in consequence of their
presence.
of want is what I may call a negative object.
These
It is very remarkable in now few of the cases the
societies produce other and positive results. The con-
dition of labour under which the great majority of every needles were the cause of death, and how slight an
community lives is in many respects a hard condition, interference with function their presence and move-
and hard in other ways than those ways which are at first ment cause.
sight obvious. Every one would be ready to say, "Oh, From time to time their detect'magnetic
ion b y a
yes, it is a hard condition if such as those who labour are
not always assured of a sufficiency to eat and drink needle is proposed as a novelty; but, as Dr. Gillette
and to wear and to find shelter by providing a reminds us, this method was employed by Smee
decent lodging." But it is a hard condition in nearly 40 years ago, and has often been adopted since.
other respects, tor even where sufficiency can be had, in all —Lancet,
these things, the constant wear, the constant grind, so to
speak, of his daily labour, from the morning to the night,
is both absorbing, depressing, and effecting on the mind of
the working man. If you take a great deal ot energy out
of a man, you will agree with me that you don't leave as
much as before. (Laughter.) The consequence is that, taking
the average of human nature, a very severe and continual
pressure on the physical qualities of a man is apt, unless
great care is taken, to undermine his force and independ-
ence. I assure you I feel myself, in my way of life, that
the excess of business seems to leave one without, moral
strength, it leaves one only half a man, and that is
even of greater importance than the want of a sufficiency
of bodily interests. In these circumstances it is diffi-
cult for members of the working classes always to preserve
their perfect independence. It is hard for them to meet the
pressure that comes on them from every quarter. These
societies have, in my opinion, a most powerful and a most
favourable tendency towards securing the real independence
of the working class of the community; and when i say the
working class of the community I hardly do it justice,
because it is something more than a class, it is the mass of
the people and is of necessity, like the trunk of a tree, the
classes being the branches of the tree. The health of a
country is more concerned in the true health, moral as well
as physical, of what we call the labouring class
than in the health of any other class, because it forms
the bulk of the people. If you have societies which
thus bring you togetaer, which represent your spirits,
which give you a sense of mutual support, which enable you
to exchange ideas, which establish union among you, and
thus continually realize to your mind that which you are,
they bring home the sense of duty, and they tend to secure
the independence of the working classes and the masses of
the people. I do not mean—auct I do not believe—that
they tend to produce any disposition to invade the rights
of higher classes ; on the contrary, I believe that the
rights of all classes will never be so clear as when the
working classes are animated by a spirit of intelligent and
manly independence. (Cheers.) It is just, reasonable, and
deliberatp estimate of their rights which is most of all,
likely to lead them to respect the rights of others. It 'ls
the depression of the people, it is lowering them below the
level of a well-developed humanity that is really dangerous
to the rights and order of society: and in encouraging in
them a just sense of independence we are really making a
good provision for the welfare of the whole. It is more
than ever necessary that the working men of this country
should have a full consciousness of their existence and
should not be merely machines employed from morning to
night in creating for themselves means of subsistence.
Political power has passed and is passing into their hands.
You have obtained a very large portion of it by household
suffrage in the towns; you will, I hope, very soon obtain
another large portion of it by a similar suffrage in the counties. ,
(Cheers) I won't undertake to determine the day when it will
come. I think the day is not very far off, It is not in this
country alone, it lain all countries, that the people are coming
to be more and more a factor, an element of great weight in
governing the operations and movements of society. For I
my part I am very glad at all times to co-operate in the
promotion of political enfranchisement (cheers); but do not
suppose that after that political enfrauchisement there will
follow as a matter of course every other good. What is the
use of enfranchising men in a body if their individual
characters are so little formed that when the day of trial
comes—l mean by the day of trial the time for choosing
their own representatives—instead of thinking of the
duty they owe to the whole, each man is to think of
his own personal interest only, or is to think of the pres-
sure that may be brought to bear upon him at the public-
house or elsewhere. In that case all the good that has been
done in the main is undone in detail, and instead of being
the better for enfranchisement, if the power of the vote is
used in that way you will be the worse for it. Let
these like other unions among the people exert them-
selves to elevate the individual and impress him with
the larger objects of life, and cause him to recollect that
he is intrusted with the public interest, that he is called
upon at the day of election to act for others for the
whole as well as for himself. And therefore it 'is that I
say a society like this is so admirable as an instrument,
because it has been teaching him that you go into
those societies to seek your own good through the
good of others. That is a preparation for discharging
well the duties of citizens, and it is by enlarging your
views in that way, and seeking your own good through
that of others that your own good will be far more effec-
tually attained and accomplished. (Cheers.) Now let me
say a few words upon you Shepherds. I am very glad to
think that in your special capacity, so far as I can judge, you
are thoroughly worthy of all that has been or can be said
in commendation of societies of this kind generally. I have
been reading the works which your officers have supplied
me, and I see in one or two passages of these works that
there is an allusion to certain benefits of a more mys-
terious 'order that gentlemen may obtain by belonging to
these societies. I cannot undertake to speak of these, be-
cause I have not been instructed distinctly as to what
they are. But I see in institutions of this kind
not only the means for encouraging thrift, and for securing
and elevating the position of the working classes as a class,
but that which is more important than any of these things—
namely, that they are promoting the education of the indi-
vidual mind. (Cheers) Allow me to say that when I speak
of education I do not disparage or undervalue education in
schools; but I do not confine myself to education in schools,
and he who believes that education of a human being is
confined to the school-room will turn out in the
long' run to be very imperfectly educated. The
education of a human being is that which he is receiving
every hour of his life. There is no time at which you
can escape from these lessons. You may neglect them,
you may pervert them, you may substitute bad teaching for
good teaching; but education is flowing in upon you at every
period of your existence from morning to night. Its influence
is affecting your whole life ,• and this society is, I think, a
very important part of this education. (Cheers.)
Yr. Gladstone then proceeded to say that he was glad to find
that the Shepherds had 75,000, instead of only 45,000 as they
had when the report of the Friendly Society Commission was
printed. Their increasing numbers increased their responsi-
bilities, because they put themselves in the way of receiving a
very great deal of good teaching; while did men unite thus in a
great political society as a nation, they united thus un-
doubtedly for the sake of the society obtained, but not for
that alone. They derived a great deal- of positive advantage
from the kind relations in which they were placed with one
another, and from the excellent habits of mind that were
derived from their sharing in the operations of political
societies The Shepherds formed a sub-society, and they
derived the same benefits—the benefit of learning to govern
according to law, the benefit of learning to obey according
to law.
After referring to and commenting upon the rules of the
Society, Mr. Gladstone thus concluded his speech—
What do you say in another of those addresses in this cere-
mony? "Beings who partake of one common end ought to
be actuated by the same motives and interests. Hence to
soothe the unhappy by sympatlezing in their misfortunes and
restoring peace and tranquility to their troubled minds con-
stitutes generally the great end of shepherd institutions."
That is a golden saying; it is true, good, and sound philo-
sophy. I wish it would affect the whole of society.
wish it would go out to the length and breadth of
this land, and through the length and breadth of Europe.
Parliament would be better for it. Congress would be
better for it. (Laughter.) I don't know who would not
be better for it. I am confident that united as you
are in kindly and fraternal feelings—l will not say that
teaching or preaching of this kind brings home all these
sound sentiments in such a way as to exempt you
from all human infirmity and sin—you feel in this battle of
life which we have all to tight those principles so enunciated
and adopted by you as the bases of your union are a ruling
power fully able to sustain you in fighting that battle not
only against the world and the difficulties of external for-
tune, but the more subtle battle against enemies that every
one carries within himself. (Loud cheers.) I give you as
well as I can the impression that such things make upon me,
and what I consider that the practical effect that these rules
and the practice of your constitution ought to have, and,
humanly speaking, must have, on your character and con-
duct ; for, after all, it is the growth of individual man which
Is the purpose for which we came into this world. It is
not rational greatness and glory, however important these
may he; it is not that the records of a great history, or the
effect which a great literature, or a great art may have left
upon the annals of the world. These are great and glorious
things, but they are not the purpose for which you were