The Express.
London, England, 1862-09-19 00:00:00

HIGH WATER AT LONDON DAMON

TRW DAY—Korntag. lib. 100. ISSes.
TO-NOZROW—Marelag, 111 k. ne......Attarseas. GIL On.

LONDON, FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19.

As the distress in the Cotton Districts deepens,
we observe an improvement in the local temper
which was much needed, and which was sure to
follow upon any adequate conviction of the great-
ness of the calamity. We hear less and less fault-
finding with all measures of relief but the parti-
cular one which the censor advocates. It is
exceedingly easy to find just fault with every
method of charity when the charity is public and
on a large scale ; and there will always be more or
less of such criticism, because there are always
critical people in every society, always some
fanatics, and always some selfish persons who
excuse themselves from their proper ex-
penditure of money and trouble on the ground
of disapprobation of what is proposed. We have
seen a great deal of this in the course of the
summer ; and one of the strangest directions taken
by the critical spirit has been in regard to the
young factory-women, who are, next to the chil-
dren, the greatest subject of anxiety. There has
been a sort of scrambling for the respectable
young women, as if there were not enough respect-
able young women to fill up, many times over, all
the schemes proposed for their employment and
their rescue. As the dreary weeks pass on, it
becomes but too plain that after Miss RYE has
happily succeeded in her doubly-blest plan of emi-
gration, and Mrs. Porree, in her excellent
method of placing out girls in domestic service,
and all the committees in the towns which have
opened sewing schools, there is still a great multi-
tude left in desperate need of work and wages, of
clothing, and even food. If all good men and all good
women in every town in Lancashire could work their
respective schemes to their own wish, they would
still find crowds of sufferers waiting for help.
This is now becoming plain enough. Where there
are sewing-schools, the poor girls are frantic to get
admittauce, in far greater numbers than can be
received. When they see that the doors are shut,
they go far away, where they are not known, and
sing ballads in the streets, to get pence to feed
old parents or young brothers and sisters. By all
accounts there is no honest occupation that these
young women are not eager to undertake. The
reports from employers in all directions are so
favourable to them, that there is every encourage-
ment to open the greatest possible variety of em-
ployments to them, instead of disparaging any. It
does not appear that the ladies have on this omis-
sion more than their share of the partisan
spirit in which their sex usually abounds.
It does not appear that the ladies are
answerable for the strange notion, loudly
proclaimed from Blackburn, that there should be
sectarian sewing schools, of all things in the
world ! It is " A Churchman" who tells the
public that it would be wrong and foolish for
young needlewomen of all sects without distinc-
tion to sit in the same room, exercising the same
industry from their common want of daily bread.
At Ashton strifes run so high as to leave the suf-
ferers in the lowest destitution ; and these strifes
are conducted by men. We may hope that
Reglishwomen, sensible of the honour and privi-
lege which that name expresses, will see and feel
what their duty is in such a case, will refuse all
participation in quarrels of sects and parties, and
will devote themselves to their proper business—
that, namely, of feeding, clothing, and protecting
the greatest possible number of women and girls
till the cotton manu►acture resumes its course.
Their benevolence should give them clearsighted-
nese to perceive that every act of rescue is an
act of local charity, whether the rescued one
goes or stays. That a colony is benefited,
or that a girl is living a hundred miles off; does
not prevent their good fortune being a local bene-
fit. The money is spent in saving them at a stroke
instead of by a weekly dole, and it is probably
much the cheaper way of the two in the long run.
We should not have supposed it necessary to make
so simple a statement but that there is still a good
deal of opposition to any aid which removes the
young people from the spot, or which costs more
than the shilling or eigbteenpence per head per
week which is assumed to be enough to live on in
idleness. The ladies of the Lancashire towns must
not let themselves be discouraged by any such ob-
jections. If they see their way to placing or em-
ploying their suffering sisters to advantage they
must persevere, leaving opposition unnoticed,when
it is possible, and keeping their own minds open
to the merits of every reasonable proposal which
may be brought before them.
There is one now which it is to be hoped the
ladies of Manchester and other towns in the dis-
trict will take into their immediate consideration.

There does not appear to be any opposition to it
at present, and it is not easy to see how there
could be any ; but the Manchester ladies should
see that the thing succeeds at once, to an extent
which will make everybody eager to help, in the
certainty that they cannot hinder.

A letter lately appeaMag*. the Mumlaft:rl
Guardian, under the signature of As Chainmil of
one of the Relief Corn tscorinsi
provision of ready-cookedtiti to m certain
cases of distress. TN s was -imam up
by some one, apparently a sensible housewife, who
proposes the establishment of cooking schools, for
the preparation of the food given in relief, and
the training of some of the factory girls in cooking.
The editor of the Manchester Gnardian expresses
very emphatically his approbation of the scheme,
and appeals to his townswomen to carry it into effect.
If they will permit us to say what we think, we
can assure them that we shall see with hearty
satisfaction a stir among them on behalf of such a
work.

It is suggested that cooking schools would bo
almost self-supporting in a very short time. • The
sewing schools, admirable in every way, will still
require a constant supply of material, or money
for the pay of the workwomen, or both ; but it
appears that the waste of money on unwise pur-
chases of food would go far towards paying for
cooked provisions. There are too many factory
women who, knowing nothing of economy, spend
their pittance on bread hot from the oven, or on
watery potatoes ; or they change away their dole
of meal for some costly relishing mouthful, in their
natural disgust at their monotonous food allowance.
For the same money, or the same value in kind,
they might have savoury food from 'a school
kitchen, and a variety of it ; and, at the same
time, a considerable number of young women
would be learning lessons of household economy
and comfort which will be a benefit to them for
life. The plan is no novelty. Our readers may
remember the admirable account furnished, a few
year ago, by the incumbent of the place, of
the result of such an experiment in connexion with
the National School at Sandbech, in Cheshire.
For a mere trifle girls were trained by the score
in routing, baking, boiling, and stewing ; kitchen
physic was supplied to the sick, and good meals to
the healthy. Why should not the same thing be
done all over Lancashire I The way pointed out
is to take a house in a populous neighbourhood,
fit it up with stoves and utensils, engage au in-
structress (unless the ladies will act that part
themselves), prepare homely dinners for sale at the
lowest price, and give the young women meals in
return for their services. When the savoury
stews, and the joint, and the good plain puddings,
and the light sound bread, and the well-cooked
vegetables become known in the neighbourhood,
there will be quick returns for the outlay, and, as
the projectors say, the kitchens will soon be almost
self-supporting.
It is rather surprising that, as a measure of
economy, this has not yet been done. What
hinders its being begun to-morrow f The ladies of
Manchester are appealed to by the projectors ; and
the work does indeed seem to lie ready to their
1 hand. From the moment that they take it up
they will have sympathy from far and near ; and,
if they want substantial support, it surely will not
be absent.