The Press.
London, England, 1854-02-25 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

DWELLINGS OF THE WORKING CLASSES.
A PUBLIC MEETING was held on Saturday at the
London Tavern for the purpose of " considering the
best mode of extending the operations of the Metro-
politan Association for Improving the Dwellings of
the Industrious Classes." The object of this society
is to erect dwellings which will let at a low rent,
and shall combine in their construction all the latest
improvements in ventilation, drainage, and water
supply, and all other sanitary arrangements. The
society raise their funds by means of shares,
and they have already bought one piece of land in
the Borough capable of acccommodating 100 families,
and another property, with room for 150 families, in
Spitalflelds. 07,0001. have also been subscribed for,
but the association require 100,0001. Saturday's
meeting was presided over by Sir F. Baring, M.P.,
and attended by many influential persons. Mr. Hub-
bard, Governor of the Bank of England, moved the
first resolution ; Mr. Cotton, a late governor, Lord
Ebrington, M.P., and Lord Stanley, M.P., also ad-
dressed the meeting. The latter noble lord said
that

" he had joined himself to the association because he
believed that it was at once more extensive in its opera-
tions and more practical in its method of working than any
other existing within the metropolis. It was a wise and
true saying, and well worth being remembered by those
who thought that, while other pursuits required
skill and study, philanthropy required none that,
while charity created the distress it relieved, it could
not always relieve the distress it created. (Hear). It was
also said to be as as dangerous a thing for a man to practise
philanthropy without previous consideration as to practise
physic without study. He was not going to argue against
all charity. What they called charity was, under any cir-
cumstances, unfortunate, but in the present state of society
a necessary evil. All he contended fur was this, that un-
dertakings of a philanthropic character like the present
were undoubtedly more calculated to produce results of
permanent advantage, as they contained more of a self-
supporting and less of an elettnosynary character. (Hear,
hear.) The fact was that this association gave nothing to
any man, and no lodger felt that he was accepting any
favour when he entered ont of these houses. it was
simply a fair and equal bargain between man and man,
and there was no sacrifice of independence on either side.
They got a fair return for thdr capital, and the workman
got a better quality of lodging."
In the course of the proceedings Mr. Alexander
Campbell, a working man, said that he had no doubt
the working classes themselves would be quite ready
to contribute their money to this object as a safe
mode of investment. Lord/. Russell, in sending an
excuse for non-attendance, announced his intention
to subscribe for two 25/. shores.

APPOINTMENT OF 10MAN CATHOLIC
- CHAPLAINS IN PRISONS.
Ting committee of the Church Protestant Defence
Society have presented the following memorial to the
Home Secretary :
" That your memorialists hay, heard with much anxiety
and alarm that your lordship has stated it to be the in-
tention of her Majesty's Government to appoint and endow
Roman Catholic chaplains to the Government prisons in
this country.
" Your memorialists respectfully submit that such a
measure wouldbe both illegal and unconstitutional. Illegal,
because the statutes by which these prisons are regulated
expressly confine the appointment of chaplains to the
clergy of the Established Chinch, and do not give any
power to the prison authorities,nor to the Government, or
any member of it, nor even to her Majesty, to appoint a
chaplain of any other persuasion; unconstitutional, be.
cause such an appointment would be a virtual adoption by
the Government of the Church Rome within this realm.
" That,by the alterations effected in the Roman Catholic
system in this country by the late Papal aggression, every
priest is placed under the absolute control of his bishop
and every bishop i 3 constituted by the Pope as the only,
church authority in the kingdom ; thus superseding and
ignoring the existence of the Established Church, and sub-
stitutiug the Bisho of Rome as the Papal head of the
Church for her Map jesty, the only earthly head of the
Church in these realms recognised by the laws and conga•
tution of the country.
" That the appointment and payment of a chaplain of
the Church of Rome would therefore be a direct violation
of the constitntion and an insult to her Majesty, as in-
volving a recognition of the system of government estab-
lished by the late Papal aggression.
" Your memorialists would also call your lordship's at-
tention to the fact ascertained by the returns of the last
census, that the Romaa Catholics constitute a very small
body compared with other dissenting communities.
If estimated by the Timber of sittings provided, they do
not equal one-tenth of the Lumber of Wesleyans, nor one-
fifth the number of Independents, nor one-third the num-
ber of Baptists. Your memorialists therefore suggest that,
if chaplains are to be appointed for on small a section of
the religious communities dissenting from the Church of
England, every other dissenting body might claim the same
privilege.
" Hut your memorialists very strongly submit that no
additional chaplains are necessary, inasmuch as the prison
regulations either allow, or are capable of being adapted to
allow, every prisoner, of whatever religious persuasion he
may be, to request that a minister of that persuasion may
visit him for the purpose of religious consolation and ad-
vice. And your memorialists consider that such mak-