The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-06-27 00:00:00

I'THE DANGEROUS CLASSES, AND HOW

_
TO DEAL WITH THEM.
On Monday night, the Bishop of London took the
chair at is numerous and influential it-sting, held in
the osiiiis of the Society of Arts, John-street, Adelphi,
London, to consider the fertile quer ion sf" Bum to
deal with the ontonployed poor of Loud-n. and wth its
rough' node' snail After a few prefatory
remarks from the chair, the discussion wits opened by
the Rev. H. Solly, who read a lung, careful, and
instructive paper, brimful of facts and figures, all
tending ti demonstrate the urgent need of a speedy
solution of the problem. He analysed the p dice and
poor-law returns for the year 1867, to show the
enormous extent of crime and pauperism in London.
Now to battle with all this ignorance, destitution, and
crime of the metropolis, five things were needed— viz.,
employment, amusement, education, supereision, and
orgonisation. The first might be provided after the
successful manner adopted in Lancashire during the
cotton famine, by employing the idle poor upon the
Essex marshes, or in the reclamation of waste lands;
the second by providing the lower orders with suitable
halls and concert-rooms, at which their superiors might
give gratuitous entertainments, and which might be
used on Sundays, as theatres were utilised on Sundays
I for religious purposes; the third could be ob-
tained through working men's clubs and institutes ;
the fourth, by reviving the system of "frank
pledge " which prevailed in the time of Alfred the
Grant; and the fifth, by creating an esprit de corps
amongst "roughs " and criminals through the means
of groups or societies based upon the Odd Fellow and
Foresters' type. In order to carry out these views,
Mr. Sully suggested that a committee of noblemen
and gentlemen should be appointed to consider the
scheme, with the view of obtaining the co-operation of
the various charitable societies, and the ultimate sum-
moning of a general conference on the whole subject.
l'he Bishop of London, while giving all credit to Mi.
Sully for many valuable suggestions, and for the
philanthropic feelings which animated that gentleman,
thought he had suggested nothing whith could not be
achieved by the power and influence of the Christian
church, in the widest sense of that word. He did not
say that as a bishop or a al. .gyman, and he believed
there was no real difference between Mr. Say and
himself. But the world had never been reformed,
Europe could never have been civilised, by a committee.
threat changes were only amomplished by the influence
of great men, raised or the purpose under God's
good providence, and he did not believe society was
about to collapse. Moral influence was exerting its
sway, and we had the means of extending it without
any new system of orninisation. The first thing to be
done should be to establish schools. It was a disgrace
to the community at large that we had, not got schools
within the reach of every child. (Cheers.) Nothing
was to be done in the nature of the reform so ably
shadowed forth by Mr. Sony without the aid of a good
system of education. If we could get hold of children
from three years upwards, and endeavour to hiring a
moral influence to bear upon them, we might fairly
hope that it would have a vast influence upon the
succeeding gencr:if (Hear.)
Archbishop Manning, at the request of the Bishop
of London, subsequently took part in the discussion,
declaring his readiness to co-operate with any num or
any section of men in i,or). ing out the beneficent aini
which Mr. Sully appeared to have in view. Our first
consideration, however, should be directed towards
improving the domestic life of the people, and for that
purpose we should endeavour to prov:de them with
setter dwelling's, thus enabling as well as teaching them
to act as husbands, as wives, as fathers, on in ititers,
and as children. He therefore highly apiwoved of Mr.
M'Cullagh Torrens' bill. Next to that the Legislature
should be required to retrace its steps in the matter
of free trade with regard to the sale of intoxicating
drinks. (Haar, hear.)
After some further discussion, the meeting was ad-
journed for a week.
Lord Shaftesbury, Lord Lyttelton, Sir E. Lechmere.
Bart., M.P., Mr. Jno. Ruskin, Dr. Stallard, and the
Rev. A. J. ROSA were amongst the gentlemen present.