The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-12-26 00:00:00

" The following is the letter alluded to above

Sir,—You lately favoured the country with a wise and op-
portune article on the recent momentous mortality produced
by a temperature for the week of three degrees below the
average. It is at once humbling and startling to think
that our vitality should be so much at the mercy of three
degrees of cold. But, as wise men, all we can do is to
accept the fact and act accordingly. Your leader will
greatly help people to fortify themselves against this great
enemy to life, as you say, little less powerful than cholera.
I only ask for space to amplify and press one of the prac-
tical suggestions you make. You say that bedroom fires
are not LIMN* so much as they should le. I have a very
strong conviction that much of the fatal effect ,d c-dd is
produced at night in bed Sheds are wonderfully cold
thing. It anybody doubts WA let him, on one of these
cold nights, put his harld on to the sheets a few inches
beyond where he is lying, and he will find them like
Greenland. Surely such a device for abstracting the
heat from the holy all night is a great mistake, espe-
cially for the old, the young, and the delicate? Yet it
Is done he people who can do otherwise. But it is not
done with impunity. Slow bad must it be for the
poor, who have little food to serve as an internal
source of heat, and who most need, as you suggest, to
conserve and husband the little heat they have. The
pith of my present suggestion is so to make beds that
they shall be warm and comfortable. If I am right in
my main thesis, there must he a great moral attached to it,
especially at this fine old-fashioned sort, of Yule time. We
should have no storedup blanket. A blanket cupboard un-
used and pretty well filled just now is • grad responsi-
bility It is a talent hidden in a napkin. Two thousand
deaths a week represent an awful amount of shivering
misery ; and charity, at present, cannot devise a more
Divine object than doing battle for the poor, and for the
old, and for little children, with these few degrees of cold
that make even

"Comfortable men gather about great Ores
And still feel cold."
I am, Sir, your obedielit servant,

In connection wlith the foregoing, The Times has
also published the following additional letters :
__ _

Sir,—ln reference to "M. D's" letter, I would venture to
suggest a method of keeping the bed warm, which would be
In thii power of the poorest, and whirl., perhaps, is not
generally known. It is this, simply to have a "paper
blanket," which is easily made by sewing pieces of paper
together (newspapers are best because largest) until a large
sheet of paper is obtained the size of the bed .• then, when
making up the bed place it on the tops of the blankets and
under the counterpane, and the pet son will find the cover-
ing both light and warm.
Having tried the plan I can speak from experience. I
made such a blanket aud gave lt to spoor man and bia wife
who could not sleep for cold. Calling on them the morning
after, to use their own words, they told me they had slept
"beautifully warm and never woke all night."

Trusting some of your readers will make the experiment,
—I am, sir, your obedient servant, C. R. .B.

Sir,—"M. D ," in his sensible letter published by you this
morning. says—. Sheets are wonderfully cold things :if any-
body doubts this, let him on one of these cold nights put
his hand on to the sheets a few inches beyond where he la
lying, and lie will find them like Greenland." "M. D."
rdoubtlessly refers to linen sheets, which are abominations
Itietra.lt ienrges.m.Colta.ehgntehajoewliteotle.Lf
etitiiirs.gicloewhearratc,i
cotton as compared with linen most be well known to him,
it is not well known to many of the old and the weakly ;
and if he, with your valuable aid, can persuade these to
use cotton (calico) sheets instead of linen ones, many of
the evils attendant on dangerous chills in teed at night
will be avoidetL—Yours obediently, J. B.

Sir,—The Registrar-General's returns and the lists in The
Times show that cold thia winter is terribly fatal, especially
to the aged. Some time ago, by your favour. I directed at-
tention to sanitary arrangements for houses, and insisted
upon open window ventilation under certain conditions,
even in winter. It-hat is the almost universal practicer It
is to keep windows shut night and day, and to close every
crack with listing on doors and sand-bags on window. I
protested against this practice, and recommended additional
warm clothing within doors. Ptvult poked his fun at the
suggestion but then it is his business to be funny. What,
however, is the simple philosophy of the question Pure air
Is necessary to health ; but how is pure air to he obtained
within the four walls of any inhabited room without ventila-
tion, which produces change? "Warns all the air admitted,"
say the advocates oticientilic ventilation. Verprell; warmth')

air and see what comes of it if there is no fresh air to modify
it I have never occupied an artificially flue-warmed room
for any length of time with closed doors and windows
ithout sintering. My head ache*, I get drowsy and feel
miserable. In pers. o. I am thin and spare, and ”Oi Only
require warmth, but love warmth. I have, however, found
out by experience that I must breathe fresh pure air, anti
throughout winter I can only do this within .1. 'ore by ad-
mitting fresh air at open windows, and wearing clothing
light in substance and texture, but warm. I never sit nor
sleep in a direct draught— i screen in sitting room or bed
roomwill prevent this.
I know my teaching will In some places provoke ridicule
and even censure Medical men have told me that the open
window theory, if put into liramice, will he death to bron-
chial patients. I have nothing to my to this further than
hat I do not dream of advocating any such absurd practice
to persons suffering from chest disease as to.either sit or
steeple rooms w ith wide open windows, ill severe frosts, as
a very small vent will admit I, large body of external air
each twenty-four hours ; and a grouchially-ailected patient
may be so placed, protected, and alothed as to erperieneethe
beeeildal effdai of fresh air, without suffering (ruin chill, a
steady temperature of 60 or 65 degrees Fahrenheit being'
umintalued I heg, hem toremark that aroomriiotiaialsif Offlile
6,000 cubic feet of space will be much more easily warmed and
preserved at an even temperature than a smaller room :
the Largest room should, therefore, be appropriated to the
use of delicately constituted patients during winter. Au
open tire-place of good construction will warm such aroonio
even when regularly receiving an admission of fresh ea-
ter-soil air Many ladles and gentlemen dress no lightly and
comic, sly in winter that they pay the penalty with their
live,. Colds, coughs. rheumatism, and congestion, (re-
siliently result from light clothing and thiu shoes. Young
people are thoughtless, and they are not toll to put on
extra clothing, and are too careless to voluntarily adopt
the practice. They are lightly clothed on all occasions
during winter, but probably sutler most injury at dinner
parties, balls, theatres, and crowded 'at homes '' Then thin
shoes in wet weather have been and are very killing but
many elderly persons act just as foolishly They will not
wear an overcoat because they never have wore one.
Returned Indiaus, hi some ca,es, will not put on an
overcoat or wrap up their throats. Congestion may, how.
ever, suddenly end the trial of endurance. This °lnnate of
England is sadly abased, and beyond dispute it is severe,
changeable, and trying, but it may be guarded against, and
It may be enjoyed; but this mast be by the aid end use of
warm clothing. It is not necessary to "coddle," but it is
absolutely necessary to clothe so sate preserve a feeling of
comfort on the coldest day of the year —both indoors and
out of doors. Hot rooms can, however, give cold with as
fatal effects as cold rooms, Over-heating may be as in-
jurious as starving. The passing from the one to the other
will, however, be the most injurious ; therefore, the less
the variation betwixt indoor and outdoor teniperatures
the better. Cold must be met, and should be guarded
against, by warm clothing. I may add that I practice what
I preach, and write and describe from experience.-1 have
the honeue to be, Sir, your most obedient servant,

RoIiERT RAN LINbON.

A VOYAGE WITH JUVENILE
EMIGRANTS.
The following extracts are from another of the interesting
letters from a correspondent of the Daily News:—
TORONTO, Dec. 1
Our young emigrants left London amid many ex-
preasions of interest and regret. Not one was token
without without the written consent of the parent (if living),
or guardian, or nearest relative. And a day or two
before the departure the children were permitted to
invite two or three friends apiece to spend the after-
noon and take a farewell meal with them. This op-
portunity was seized for giving to th me
.friends exact
information as to the journey, the anticipated time
of arrival, and the employments to which probahly
the children would be sent. Printed envelopes, with
the address of the Home in Canada, were also freely
distributed. This frank communication with the child-
ren'a friends gees far to alleviate their sorrow ; and
they may fairly claim such considerate treatment. . . .
On the next day we left Euston-square, and were
conveyed to Liverpool by a train which geemed slow
enough, but has appeared magically quick since we
have looked back upon it through the medium of
Canadian railroad experiences. After enjoying the
hospitality of some kind Liverpool friends, the children
went aboard the Texas, a fine steam vessel of the
Dominion line. There were nearly 100 other steerage
passengers on board, so that this voyage enabled us
fairly to estimate the inconveniences and dangers
which belong to a passage of the Atlantic by a large
number of children. Such a voyage must be full
of perils both to character and health, unless the
arrangements are complete and the supervision
of the children is efficient. In this case a part of
the steerage was divided off from the rest by a
wooden partition, and constituted a roomy cham-
ber, in the centre of which tables were fixed, and
at either bide two small rooms, each containing ten or
twenty berths. The approach to this part of the ship
was by a separate hatchway. Two matrons slept with
the children—all girls or buys under seven—in this
apartment, and from the first, order and discipline
were kindly but firmly enforced. The ventilation and
sanitary arrangements were as good as could be in the
necessarily coedited space between decks. The food
of the children was„ample in quantity, and sufficiently
good, tieing considerably better than the Government
emigration scale. And from good Captain Lawren-
son down to the youngest sailor, everybody seemed
anxious to make the voyage as pleasant as might
be to the little ones. Of course there were the
usual discomforts of a sea voyage; and when the
good ship passed the Giant's Causeway and began
to feel the Atlantic roll, several of the children
"wished they hadn't come," and one or two were
for Baking the captain to put the ship about and
take them back to England. Two days, however,
saw the end of all that, and then, though the ship
often rolled and pitched, there was no weather which
prevented the little ones from being on deck, except
for a few hours. They enjoyed the voyage immensely.
And what with the skipping ropes which the kind-
hearted boatswain manufactured; the excitement of
looking out for the whale (which rever appeared) and
the iceberg (which greatly disappointed them when at
last it did appear, a mere white speck on the horizon) ;
the very frequent succession of meals, to each of
which they brought a sea appetite; and the singing
of their emigrant hymns and songs; the time never
hung heavy on their hands. No one need consider an
Atlantic voyage in decent weather as by any means a
martyrdom for a party of emigrant children.
Toe journey up country from Quebec to Hamilton
was far more trying. Thouch (through the kindness
of the General Superintendent) a special car was pro-
vided for the children, which was attached to a quick
train, we were 48 hours in traversing 550 miles of rail-
way. It is only. fair, however, to say that the gauge
of the Grand trunk had just been altered, and that
the officials had great difficulties to overcome from
the newness of the engines and the other rolling
stick. But at best railway travelling in Canada is
slow. The necessity of stopping at ahnost every
station and the fatenhat the line is single must pre-
vent its approaching the English service of trains in
regularity and rapidity. At last, however, after two
nights' sleeping in the cars, we reached Hamilton,
and were soon at "home."
The Children's Home at Hamilton is a pleasant
place. There are about eight acres of good land,
which produces grapes, peaches, and strawberries
in profusion, as well as the plainer and more sub-
stantial vegetables. There is a well-built brick
house, and a large wooden house behind containing
dormitory, dining-room, and lavatory—intended for the
reception of the young emigrants on their first arrival.
The cost of all has been about 11,000 dollars, the whole
of which lies been, or will be contributed by Cana-
dians. Hamilton is the heart of the very garden of
Canada. Moreover, it is a great and growing railway
centre, and therefore an admirable place for a
distributing " Home." Some thirty miles distant Ic
Miss Rye's Home at the town of Niagara, and
about 60 or 70 miles in another direction as one of
Miss Maciiherson'a Homes at Galt. The Canadians
are fully alive to the importance of these institu-
tions, and are quite willing to help to establish them;
in some cases by private donations, in other cases by
erante from municipal funds. The use of such a
Canadian centre is threefold. It is a reception house
for the children on their arrival in the country. It is
also a house of shelter for any of them who, through
sickness or ether cause, are thrown out of the situations
to which they are sent; and it is a residence and office
for the governor or agent, who keeps up a frequent
correspondence with the children, and visits them at
regular intervals. . . .
Scarcely had the party arrived at Hamilton before
applicants for the children began to appear. Indeed,
before we left Quebec offers to receive some of them
were made to us ; and it is no exaggeration to say that
we might have found homes for one-half of them on
the journey to Hamilton. But at Qlll3l.ee the chief of
the party had received intelligence that already 250
good applications had been made in writing for these
fifty girls, and therefore all requests on the way were
kindly but steadily refused. One respectable woman,
who, with her husband, was "going West," having
purchased a farm with the savings of several years, took
a huge fancy to a bright little girl, and almost with team:
begged to be allowed to take her, promising to treat her
as her own chileL Censidering that the little object
of her sudden affectiens was only five years old,
this offer certainly seemed disinterested; but like the
rest it was declined. At the Home, however, on the
morning after our arrival began a procession of farmers'
"spring waggons," "buggies." "democrats," "rocks-
ways," and other extraordinary vehicles, which went
on day after day till all the children had gone. How
it is that Canadians are so eager to get the children I
will explain in may next letter. I want now to explain
by what process the children are distributed. \k'hen
the time draws near at which a party of children is
expected, a notice to that effect is inserted in one or
two newspapers; and forthwith each mail brings in
applications. To every applicant is sent a printed
paper of questions; from the answers to which a
judgment may be formed as to his status and char-
acter, and as to the sort of a boy or girl he desires to
have. This application must be accompanied by
a certificate of character from a magistrate or
elereyman, and preference is given to theme who are
members of some Christian communion. Frequently
other means are available for estimating the diameter
of the applicant; and there is rarely much difficulty
in coming to a tegerabay correct judgment. To the
'ap'
plicantathe e,hildred are then alletidd, after a care-
ful consideretion of each child's character and probable
fitness for the situation. They are accepted for these
purposes: 1. Bona tide adoption. - This is .in the case
of little children—not more than five or six years old.
2. " Raising'—which is something less than adoption,
but much more than service. Children of eight or
nine are received by respectable people into their
houses, to be treated as members of the family, to
receive regular schooling, and to be clothed. In return
for this they will do "little chores "—little bits of
work around the house, such as carrying in a few
sticks of firewood, or running to the post-office with
t patronsion
in
many up
b
a letter, or feeding the fowls, or perhaps opening
emitlteeceln.
the gate of the meadow for the cows to come up to be
such Ac vchilerYdrewnaanrmd tahffeeirc
of these calms the children do not leave the family to
which they are sent until they are ready to settle in
life. 3. Service—iu which for work to be done on the
farm, in a shop, or in the house, a fixed scale of pay-
ment is agreed on, varying from three to six dollars
per month, in addition to board and lodging. In all
cases, the agreement reserves to the representative of
the Home the right to withdraw the child, if he is inn.
properly treated. There are more applications for
girls than buys; but for both the demand is greatly in
excess of the supply. .

,
A New York man who waa demonstrating to a
crowd that there was no such thing as hydrophobia, wig the
first to climb up a barber's pole when a small yellow dug
came rushing down the street. .