The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1874-10-17 00:00:00

A HYDE-PARK DEMONSTRATION.
(From Monday's Times.)

he did not know how ins»tY societies, organizations,
leagues, and fraternal-", representing those who were
not present. It INP-> a meeting as of regiments to form
an army; and Nietat was it they had met for but a truly
good work? 1 hey were resolved to de that good work,
and worktog men, having their organizations all over
Lombit, had only to put them into motion in aid of
hospital Saturday to ensure its success. (Cheers).
They had this day a great meeting for 1874; but he
hoped there would be a Hyde Park meeting for
Hospital Saturday every year. (Cheers). He looked
upon that meeting, great as it was, as nothing but a
beginning. They must go on, and God helping, they
would go on and make this Hospital Saturday tenfold
greater than it was now. (Loud cheers). He hopedthere-
f we they would remind their fellow workmen that
Hospital Saturday came next week, on the 17th, and to
be ready to act. Ile hoped, too, they would not be sat isfiecl
with what they might throw into the box on Saturday
next, but that all the.year round, until October next
year, if they had at any time money that they did not
know what to do with (laughter), or which might
otherwise be put to a purpose for which they would
afterwards be sorry, to drop it into a box with
"Hospital Saturday " upon it. (Cheers.) He would,
in conclusion, venture a prophecy. He did not
know how much they would get on Saturday; but
whatever Captain Mercier might think and hope,
t might not be so much as they looked for, and
if it was not so much as they would like, there
was no reason why they should be disappointed, dis-
couraged, out of heart or in plain vernacular English,
"down in the mouth." They were only begin-
ning, and perhaps what they collected next Saturday
would not be much, but next year and the year after,
if the working men did their duty—and he was sure
they would, if those who joined with him did theirs,
as he was sure they intended to do—he believed this
work, which had been so well begun that day, would
grow year after year, until it was adequate to the
wants of the sick and suffering in London. (Loud
cheers.)

Of all the demonstrations held in Hyde-park there
was, perhaps, never one larger or more remarkable than
a gathering last Saturday afternoon to demonstrate in
favour of the Hospital Saturday movement, and tonne,
upon the working claws of London the duty of aasstly
subscribing next Saturday, which is the day pPointed
for the practical inauguration of the work. The name
of Dr. Manning, the Roman Catholic Archbishop, as
chairman of the meeting, and the presence of Lord
Brabazon, Captain Ritchie, M.P., and Mr. Gordon,
M.P., the two latter gentlemen being the Conservative
members fur the Tower hamlets and Chelsea, were
all-sufficient proof that the deusonstration was in-
tended to be far different to the Sunday assemblages
which used to be held in the same place. And far
different it was, in conduct, to most of the political
assemblages of old, for there WM no disturbing element
of mock Litany mongers, and the " roughs " who used
to make capital out of the large meetings were on this
occasion held in check by a strong body of the most
Rev. chairman's flock and co-religionists, who made it
evident, by their lon i talking of "his Grace," long
before the leaders of the movement appeared, that they
should regard as personal enemies any who attempted
to interfere with ths programme set forth.
Early in the afternoon great number; of people
assembled at the clump of oaks OD the north side of the
Serpentine known as the Reformers' Trees. but it was
not until four o'clock that the first procession arrived,
that being the hour at which the meeting was to open
fnd the others were considerably later, thus causing
the proceedings to be delayed from the bright autumn
afternoon M the fall of chill evening, the large
gathering already there bearing meanwhile with
exemplary patience. The processions were beaded by
bands and banners, and had marched from as far as
Greenwich, Deptford, Peckham, Putney, and Wands.
worth, on the south side of the water, and from Strat-
ford, Bow, Whitechapel, Clerkenwell, Holloway,
Kilburn, and Kentish-town on the north, the secret
societies, such as the Ancient Order of Foresters,
which stand equally with the Freemasons under the
bane of the Roman Catholic Church marching side
byaside with the Roman Catholic temperance societies,
some of which bore huge crosses. One procession was
rich in English flags, having two large Royal banners
and many Union Jacks. These were trade societies,
temperance societies, the Labour Protection League,
the Railway Employes' Society, and each procession
brought with it a model hand ambulance, covered with
red cloth, and bearing upon it an inscription calling
for support to "the Workmen's Hospital Saturday in
aid of the hospitals and dispensaries of London." As
these ambulances were brought in they were placed
together and formed an admirable platform, allowing
of the "Chair' at a Hyde Park meeting to be a chair
in fact and not a standing position or a park Seat as
in former times. The two late processions, however,
nearly caused a serious accident, for in endeavouring
with their imitation ambulances to page through the
crowd of some 20,000 people gathered there, they
caused a tremendous crash, and brought the part of the
platform already in existence into some danger of being
overturned.
The Most Rev. Chairman, who was received with
loud cheers, commenced by giving the vast assemblage
joy of the fine autumn afternoon with which they had
been favoured, for, he said, though he had a great
respect for water as represented by the temperance
societies, he had i
no desire to see it n the shape of a
downpour on the heads of a public meeting. The
purpose of the meeting had been made so thoroughly
well known through the efforts of the excellent
and energetic chairman of the fund, Captain Mercier
(cheers), that it was unnecessary to speak in ex-
planation of it, and, moreover, the Captain would
himself say all that was necessary. He would
content himself, the chairman proceeded to say,
with speaking on topics which fell within his own
experience. From the beginning of the Hospital
Sunday movement he had hat his share of the work.
(Cheers.) Hewes one of the firstto enter into the work,
and he had not been the last in keeping his word.
(Hear.) To take a part in Hospital Sunday he believed
to be the duty of all, and it was to him a shame and
a scandal that the magnificent hospitals of London
were not supported as they ought to be, or as their
necessities demanded. (Hear). He knew of hospitals
which had land upon which wards could be built for
necessitous sick, to whom the beds would be a boon;
but the wards were not built for the want of money.
He could tell of hospitals which had built wards, but
had no funds with which to furnish them. Other
hospitals which he knew had wards built and furnished,
but they could not be used because the means of snp-
porting the patients if they were admitted were
not forthcoming, while others had wards in operation,
but were obliged to refuse patients, even though the
wards were not full, and from the same cause. He asked
Op working men of I ondon to do the best they
could to change this condition of things, for in the rich
as well as in the poor parts of London—(hear, hear)—
a tax of a halfpenny a week laid voluntarily upon
themselves by each family of the working classes—an
amount which no one would miss—would abundantly
supply the hospitals with revenue, and would enable
them to double their usefulness. All the hospitals of
London could not receive more than 30,010 in-patients,
and if those figures were multiplied by those who
came and went in any given period, they would arrive
at the conclusion that this was a number far below the
demand of the sick cases of London for whom there
was no hospital accommodation at the present moment.
There were 70.000 deaths every year within the bills of
mortality, and how many sick cases did that represent
for whom no provision was made? (Hear, hear.)
Then, too, there large intervals at present between
hospital and Lvapited •vhioh nooded to b. by inter-
mediate foundations, while there were other places
where there was neither hospital nor dispensary, and
where there should be one or the other. (Hear.) At the
commencement of the Hospital Sunday movement he
had said that he cared very little for the amount of
money which might be collected on the particular day
fixed, as compared with the value of people all over
London being told in every place of worship, face to
face, the duty which they owed to the sick. (Loud
cheers.) His belief was that, though some £28,000
had been collected, the work was only beginning. At
this moment another procession came up, and the
noise of the band drowned the voice of the speaker.
Coming to Hospital Saturday, there was a reason why
it was necessary, and a reason which had as much to
do with rich people as with anybody else. When
told that many people would not be at church to
contribute on Hospital Sunday, he had declined to
accept that as a reason for not adopting the Hospital
Sunday movement, for he said, in regard to those
who it was said would not be at church to give on the
Sunday, "I know that, and of all chines of all kinds
of people." (Hear.) Hospital Saturday would give
all classes an opportunity of doing their duty by these
institutions for the Rick and helpless. (Cheers.) No
people in London were so much interested in hospitals
as working men. Rich people had no need of them,
and if they sent any of their households to hospitals—
taking advantage of their subscriptions—he declared
that ought not to be done, and was not right. (Hear,
hear, and a voice, "It is done.") On the other hand,
the very poor --those who were not money earners—
had no need of hospitals' for this class were provided
for by regularly appointed and Statepaid medical at-
tendants who ought to be good and efficient. But the
men whom he was addressing were distinct from the
rich and poor, below the one and above the other
class, and were the very people who stood in need
of hospital's, and were able to contribute from their
earnings, however small those earnings may be.
(Hear.) The working men were like the soldiers
of a great army, and they were day by day
fighting a battle, for labour was a battle, and tne
general who went out with a great army without
surgeons and ambulances deserved tube beaten. (Hear.)
The working men were out in the tight of hard labour
and were exposed to all weathers—to the pinch of
winter's cold and the burning of summer's heat—to all
changes of climate; and their various trades, he,, as
well as the changes of climate, inducing many damages.
On this account they stood in need of hospitals, but in
addition there was no other class so perpetually exposed
to such risks, such hurts, suchsmaims, and such WOW:Dia
as workingmen ; and as an army required ambulances
an,d hospitals in the rear, to they required the hospitals,
which were their ambulances, to be efficient and suffi-
cient. Like the good soldier who would not leave the
mules when only slightly wounded, honest working
men would not go into the hospital if they could help
it; and if they could have their hurts patched up, or
have medicine given them when ill, they weuld
rather go on with their work, so it was necessary they
islepuld have good medical aid when they needed any.
(Item%) The men of the building triiile had their
ancidente, for instance, an-1 the men of the iron trade
theirs, and bard working men found after many years'
work at one particular trade that something in that
work caused particular firms of disease. (Hear.)
Thus it was as neceaeary that large centres of industries
should have their hospitals as that armies should have
their ambulances. Then mere, working men knew
what it was to have families, and if the father was
;struck clown with illness, what became of the family,
for who would feed the wife and children ? If the
wife was struck down, what became of the housa-
hold ? And if the children were laid down with
the fewer, what could the father and mother do if
there were not hospitals? Thee hospitals were needed
for the working man and his wife as offering the
means of cure of maladies and for help in accidents!,
and as a protection in cases of fever to the children.
But who was to provide all this aid? Some said
the contributions of working men should .lo it. (Cries Referring to the number of immigrants who make New
of " Yes " and "No.") Did they mean that working York their home, the Globe remarks
men should or should not do all tins? (Cries of "Yea" Of the vast number of immigrants who annually
and "No.') Well, he agreed with both those who settle in the United States, about 77 per cent. arrive
cried " Yea " and them who cried "No." (Laugh- at New York. We learn from a report, just issued,
ter and cheers.) Some good men said that it waft very
by Consul-General Archibald that since the establish'
great fault to give anything. and that a man should went of the Board of Commissioners of Immigration
earn everything for himself. If a man could earn what in 1847 there have passed through its care about
he needed, by all means he should be allowed to do so, ,
a,250,000 immigrants,or an average of nearly 200,000
but if he was struck down by sickness he could net a year. From Germany and Scandinavia 2,219,925
earn. Again, a man might meet with such a misfortune
have come; from Ireland, 1,933,915 • and from other
as having a sick wife and children, end so exhaust all , countries, 1,048,431. Germane and Irishmen show
hecould gain ; but was that man to have ac help because marked dislike of the late Slave States. "Less than
he had no more to contribute. (Hear, hear.) He said
i four and a half in a hundred of Irish," says Consul-
"No " most emphatically to that —he said" No "in the General Archibald, "and only six in a hundred of
name of English hearts, in the name of English man- Germans, have made their homes south of the Potomac
heod, and in the name of humanity. (Loud cheers.) The and Ohio." Thirteen Irish for one German go to the
duty was incumbent on all working men, while they were eastern, or manufacturing, region ; and three Germans
strong, healthy, and vigorous, to contribute to the for one Irishman to the agricultural region of the
hospitals of London, because they or their fellow middle, western, and the West Mississippi States.
workmen might be etrack down by sickness, or be Last year the tide of immigration received, on account
'rounded by accident, and stand in need of their eat
of the money panic, a temporary check; but in the
Such aid was for the common benefit, and by their nrevious year the number of immigrants was larg,er than
contributions they would be "doing as they wouhl be
ever known before in the same period. In New York
clone by." A workman who gave to the Hospital alone 307,334 landed. A curioes question has been
and prudently, be-
Saturday would be giving windy raised as to the amount of money brought into
cause his own time might come. Working men were
neieher great capitalists nor men of no capital at ; the Union by this class. It has been calculated that
69 dollars per head might be very near the mark. But
for every working man with a strong arm, a steady placing it at 50 dollars, the States have received with
eye, good will, and skill in his trade or calling, even Gm immigrants not less than 144,000,000 dollars. The
if only a labourer, possessed the truest and best of
true ratios of those who flock from Germany and Ire-
capital, which could not he lost unless he was struck land consists, however, in their labour, not their MOD ey.
down by the band of God, or unless he squandered it AD the Consul-General points nit, they are rapidly
by his too fault; but capital might be deprived building up new territories and States in the Weet.
of its value by sickness and accident, and it was As the sepply of labour exceeds the existing demand,
then they would stand in need of those hospitals which we may expect that for a time fewer than hitherto of
he was now calling upon them to support. 0 Beers.) those Who do not succeed in the Old World will seek
Ile new before him an assemblage ROI IS was never
In Hyde Park before--he did not think there lied ever - fortune in the New.
been such numbers—and be was sure that no previews
meeting had ever been so united in heart and mind
and will. (Hear, hear.) They had but one design and
one object—the well-being of their fellow men. It was
not a meeting of numbers only, for it was a meeting of

After a statement as to the Hospital Saturday move-
ment, made amid continued cheers from the vast
assemblage, by Captain Mercier,
Mr. T. Kenny moved, and Mr. O'Grady seconded,
this resolution :—" That inasmuch as Hospital Satur-
day is a movement wholly free from political, sectarian,
or class influence, and has for its object the benefit of
institutions which recognise no distinction of persons,
this meeting is of opinion that it is deserving of uni-
versal support."
Lord Brabazon, Mr. Gordon, M.P.', and Mr.
Hamilton Hoare spoke in support of the resolution,
which was then put to the meeting and carried unani-
mously.
Mr. E. Cray, London Paviours' Council, moved,—
"That inasmuch as Hospital Saturday affords to the
working classes a grand opportunity for helping insti-
tutions from which they derive such signal benefits,
this meeting is of opinion that a movement so praise-
worthy is deserving of every support. It is therefore
resolved by the working men here assembled that the
proposed collection in workshops, factories, and other
industrial establishments, on the 17th of October inst.,
be recommended for general approval, and that the
council of the Hospital Saturday Fund be urged to com
tinue their laudable efforts."

Captain Ritchie, M.P., briefly seconded the resolu-
tion, which was also earned without a dissentient.

,
A vote of thanks to the Chairman was moved by
Mr. J. Holloway, seconded by Mr. Orlando Fitzroy,
and carried with loud cheers.

The Chairman called for cheers for the Duke of
Wellington, who had given the use of the Knights-
bridge Riding School in event of rain, and for Captain
Merrier, the chairman of the fund, who, it was well
known, had laboured incessantly for the cause.
The cheers were given, as were others for Lady
Brabazon and Mrs. Mercier, and the proceedings,
which had been unanimous and enthusiastic, then
terminated.

their

The Excise duty on horse dealers in the lasd
Unanesi4 year produced £19,950.
An American paper -Bays that a large quantity of
old iron from the scene of the Crimean war Is being con-
verted into ploughshares by a :yew .Jersey foundry.