The Press.
London, England, 1858-10-16 00:00:00

Tll E PRESS, OCTOBER 16, 1858

1000

must be the oonsequences of over-crowded dwellings—l
speak not only of health, but where two, three, or four
families are living in a crowded house, or in a room, where
the sexes are blended—can you wonder at any amount of
sin, can you wonder at any amount of vice, can you wonder
at anything which we cannot mention its this mixed
assembly occurring? I maintain that in this state of
things there is an actual impossibility of giving moral edu-
cation—l maintain that it is positively impossible—l
maintain that these classes cannot be taught. You have no
means whatever of approaching them; and if you did
succeed in bringing their children for a time to ragged
selioola and to other institutions, those wretched children
go back into the midst of those scenes of vice, of infamy, of
bestiality, and in the midst of all they hear, and all they
see, they unlearn in one hour all that has been given to
them in the preceding three. It also assumes a political
and social aspect. Now, lam quite convinced that there
is a time coming, and that at no great distance, when we
really shall be in want of hands for all the industrial, social,
and military purposes of the country. I know that many
people will say that, looking at the tables of mortality, upon
the whole life is prolonged. That may be so if taken on
the great average, but L want to know whether the pro-
longation of that life is the prolongation of a useful and
worthy life, or if only that life is prolonged ; that the
disease is not so fatal as to kill, but that it still continued
as violent to cripple, to destroy, and to enervate the
energies of the working population. There is no doubt
that there may be many subsidiary events, and many sub-
sidiary causes for those events; but if we come to gene•
ralize, we shall find the main source of repairing the evils
to which we allude to arise from two causes—from bad
water and from bad air•. Wherever we have applied the
remedy of good v. 4ter and good air, in every instance the
circumstances have ensued which we predicted, and in
every instance, depend upon it, they will be found to have
the same result. We need not dwell upon the sanitary
regulations for the army and barracks ; but I think, also,
that you must look very attentively to all regulations
affecting quarantine, and inquire most minutely whether
quarantine is not of itself a grand delusion. And whether
the best quarantine is not to be found in the regulations
for cleanliness of ships, in regulations for the cleanliness of
towns, in regulations for the cleanliness of the country at
large, and whether it is possible by any caution of yours to
keep out disease when you yourselves are doing everything
you can to engender it. And amongst your other
remedies you must resort to parks and playgrounds. There
is another thing to be considered. I should like to see
g 5 iunasiums attached to every one of our schools, for
1 believe that sneh exercises ought to be an essential part
of education. I should like to see every woman of the
working _lasses have some knowledge of cookery. I am
certain, from experience of the working classes, that they
are ten times more improiident and wasteful than the
wealthiest people of the land. It arises from a variety of
causes, one of which is ignorance. With regard to the
remedy, all that society can do it ought to do to remove the
difficulties and impedimenta, and to do what in us lies to
give to every man full, fair, and free opportunity, without
let or hindrance, to exercise all his moral, intellectual,
physical, and spiritual energies, so that every one may be
able to do his duty in that state of life to which it bath
pleased God to call bun.

and suggested that hospitals should be erected with
a view to their receiving as much direct sunlight as
possible.
Dr. FARR and Mr. RAWLINSON both expressed
astonishment at the knowledge displayed and prac.
tical suggestions made in Miss Nightingale's paper.

Conversaziones, which were brilliantly attended,
took place in the evening at St. George's hall. The
exhibition of pictures of the Liverpool Academy was
thrown open to members. The Philharmonic
Society issued invitations to 150 of the non-resident
members, and conversational meetings of the mana-
gers of reformatory schools and ragged schools were
also held.

During the proceedings a very curious fact was
brought to light. It had been arranged that the
Lord Chancellor of Ireland, who is President of the
Jurisprudence and Amendment of the Law Depart-
ment, should also have delivered his address ; but a
telegram was received from him stating that just as
he was stepping into the steamer at Kingston to
cross to Liverpool it was brought to his notice that,
as keeper of her Majesty's conscience in Ireland, he
could not quit that country without her Majesty's
permission under the sign manual. He had tele-
graphed for this to Balmoral, and intended to leave
as soon as the constitutional embargo should be
removed.