The Express.
London, England, 1856-10-21 00:00:00

LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, OCTOBER 21, 1858.

THB HOME AT HALSTED.

owe • 0011/211PONDIDIT4
Tot mist pietnre Halsted as a small brialc-bont
town on the banks of a small lam Baez rills—
the Coln. It is not fir from Sudbury, (hiss
boreegh's birthplace, and the Mat flowery mea-
dows are such as he loved to paint. It is an
di town, too, having a grammar school 300 years
dd, end was ones famous for eselseisetloal foie-
dadaist bat of this nothing remains now. I cannot
Sad on. old house; sad even the drank having
suffered under Cromwell, hie Ma rebuilt, and looks
what in Staffordshire is called "quite pint." The
church Lea a hill, the factory oa the river, the broad
main street rune from one up to the other; every-
thing is very clean I no smoke. no dirt, the factory
chimney being a vary well behaved on. of its kind.
It la only one of Mr. Courtauld's work'; he hes others
at Braintree sad Booking, mom miles off, fee different
departments of the ilk, velvet, satin, sad owe
ametheters. The Mailed hoary is almost mainly
occupied by the manaleetm of silk crape. It hes two
steam engioes,whish set going an imams quantity of
delicate maehinery,whose names end uses I know little
abotit,but which is superintended by over 1,000 women
of all ages. A very smell proportion alma attend to
the embanked work of the steam mem, dm. It
Me a thelleim mind& man for manager, Mr. Wm.
Disidessorhe, with his family, resides sloes to the
(.defy. Most of the factory worms ere married,
same to silk weavers, who work at looms In their
awn hexes; many to shoemakers and taikee, who
dee hem bemuse their wires get work, sad so hulk
about without much to do. The average wages are
from seven to ten shillings a week. -Mile Merry-
weather says that the weavers get some, the weepers
ten. The morality d the town is no better than it
need be, but mad: better than it was even during
the nine year. my friend as vouch to intimate
knowledge of the population. In feet, the conetant
steady inflemoe brought to bear by her and the
manager and the teaches meet tell powerfully in
the come of years. It was to affect a
home for some of the unmarried girls that
Mr. Coarteeld set up the Home—a largish house
with a garden, on the outskirts, abort a quarter of
a mile from the factory. Fourteen Amen girls are
now hem; they pay a shilling a weak each fee
lodgings, fire, gaslight, and washing. Their food
they provide for themselves. The household also me-
tains the two teachers of the British school, a house.
keeper to superintend the domestic affairs, sad Miss
hierryweather herself.
And now, as you suggested Lowell to me, I most
tell you that it is not points of Abeam, bat Fiats of
difference, which strike me Beenearlasieg what
you mid, I got the Lowell Melte ant of cue of
the libraries here, and as I read it I sired smell and
Miss M. why the difference wee se emennefee. The
rate *lmps is not very muck
the
atLewell--half
as meek again I think ; but the here are well
led and demady dotted,aced erpiedusities foe
salter, me sits' their indimidems to me them. I
carried try leery to the dame gM I have seen
here—a pemerfal-headed Weis of 24, who would
mom get as •well la any sedely. She works nine
and me lama icy end mass a elms at night,
reeds everything she saes Mae time for, and is head
end frost of everything I said to ter,
" Mary Ann, why Ma 4.1 SO infinitely below
the Lowell gide P shs emrsimed instantly," Oh,
they are all fanned Iseghtsee She had unawares
hit upon the very me of the Mimeos between
American and Eogliali operatives—the owning of
land. The Lowell girls' fathers are mall fanners ;
the Halsted girls are the daughters of labourers.
The Halsted material is very mans, and
the efforts for more culture are met by
that English stolidity in which I ammo
we excel most nations. But in 10 years'
time we hope the young people will have prised
through the Mods, Sid NO be on a very different
Itis a most interesting plea, a very noble and
neessofel experiment, bat it wont bilahleytereloe:
to compare it for as instant to the
ant of Lowell.

fisiiisdhiiiis native poet, a young man of dadeleat
brain, but with that *Revisits suseeptibility to all
beauty, which shame haltwittod heads sometimes
possum. He serum dowers so 112quilitely that I
feel rare he could be taught to design welL It
has also its native artist, a faefory sear
who paints In oils and to water-coloure paw
ably well; it hoe a very intelligent overlooker I
named George Amid* • working men, gnat in
mathematko. It hoe its laseltaand Inelitete, its
&Moly inatitute, two chorales whose abeam=
bold aloof from the Coartauld interest, bat embrace
a large number of the operatives; far chapels, par-
ticularly one ander the Baptist 'debtor, Mr.
Clemens, who towhee the y ma is ageing
classes foe Mr. Courtauld, and w eat is ender
Mr. Davies. It has a British school, two ustionall
schools, sad a grammar Waal, which I am told is
like 'Hake grammar wheels.
The pogie have just set up a winter amusement
moiety. I mad yos a delmt end • set of the Ms&
nay are portly taken foam ism la see at a great
work in B.aderdelthe. At *do wiles they dames to
a fiddle, they est mile, and they set admirably
ImA
small plays and "Welded the Mary Anne
I spoke of. Iwe two haws bit ht helping the
" oosinsittee to sat& the Every name
proposed was scritialsed ; set , bat consie-
tent with the real moral header et ease; 138
emcee ware paned—the large room used lie the pug
pose won't hold more.
The Counsel& some over to them parties, and 1
Mier Menywsether always makes is.. I myself
danced indefatigably to the fiddle till half-pest
eleven one eight, swinging up sad down the
foe Ales of " die Roger de Coveritryway
a join pear to Loodost society, amidst a company
of factory girls, school children, tailors, tradesmen,
Toms, Dicks, and Hanys of all sorts, ell behaving
with the most perfect propriety, and dancing with
the most whimsical individuality without any gloves.
You will be amused to hear that throe of oar girls at
the Home have specially begged for the admission of
three polionosn to these winter parties; and as it is
particularly desirable to secure openness snag the
loanable love affairs of this feminine hounbold, the
policemen are coming, and I may find myself bowing
to the as of " Please= X." One day I read
and descanted on Mrs. Fry to about 70 bike, and
another day I picked out for them all the more
romantic details of poor Margaret Foller's life, the
Roman siege, her working in the hospitals, &c.
Next Teeeday I am going to give them a regular loo-
ters on comic poetry.
You will well believe that all this is exceedingly
civilising—to women particularly. They catch ideas
and words from Miss Merryweatber in Mirir constant
ammoniac, sad the girls who have grown up under
her eye are many of thaw very nice, and gentle and
ladylike. Mrs. Coertauld owe over to the singing
clue, and she takes infinite pains over a large school
near her own residence, three wiles off, which of
course reacts on the whole neighbourhood.

I ought to tell you that this girl Mary Anse, after
bee 10 hours' daily work, actually taught poen(
ohildreu, for lova rowels, every evesdag, sad that
though Mrs. C. sow raskce its settled thing, asd
pays her, it cram a long nose before she liked to hates
fere with each genies charity, sod Mary Anse
fagged away as if eke had se =soh leisure as say
lady is the laud. Heat this girl Mrs. Fuller's life,
and said, a but then is a gloat deal you wo&t un-
derstand shout Omni literature." " Oh," said abe,
, a Hine mid 'Aug ( I get It at el the lockage

Library' When I tell Ml. M. that seek a girl is
wasted when she is, she answers. " I think she is
dole; awe good among bee own slaw than it we
made kw a regular towbar"
The following are the reguladoas of the moiety
mentioned in the above communication :

net thh moiety Mali omelet of seek perms us am im-
pend of by a memaltin of Imes passes elle • Plwaikat
• esereemy, all of whemsbell be shams from pusses Is the
?Ayeases od Mises Rewiteald and Osamem mod Oat
eadi mmemillee fre the .d
ip year be 4661811 imm awl by
We whew roma at their /ht meeting. Oilabor
1/1§ at
ef this manias main • gagers.
aumlidiess Ae membeeelig shell give is lb*
Ems to SISIMMS*. 61 b • hetalght beim
shooed nee dsmod MI see swam teall s yew Oise will be
edmitled to the pettier.
TIM for Aepeseat the sharp* for asseaberaldp shall be
per issue to seek mombese es are employed fa the ho-
b:Via
w j awl es limn mambas set employed. the amp
01 be U. gee mulb.
TIM perdue shell aka *se ea the last Wealsesday
else* minder &Mb, oommitsibg Om S. The eau&
mph Is emeeesere at hallopesla pm. pesetas'''. sad to
gset Ida ties 11
smell:kt:
eribmhemsee. 11 will be provided at
dome, pis", all tozleatlag Maks and
Thai my_ ilsejessmeall betweea the suabers of the
society le esileesd te the selitratles of W. Davie's. Req.
That at emit pea*, gee Meas se Ike mammas three of
the esembspe gamest Soil be sheers te set se seaward', who
ebell be sesgeedble lit Me geed seder et the eempway ; sad
my member or membees wiemeftelkg thimad••• will ht
liable le espaleles.

DRAMA.

HATILAIMET.

Mr. Murdoch mai to be Oaf the mud ii the
ti feet mess gestsuma" of the old theatrical school. He
has Nimrod op Tong Strand, Is The lopeondmit,
with Rover, in Wild Ods ; sad, we Anne, be is ant
to 'metal& the eltareeter el Vapid, i■ TM Drwtetietr all
famous pets i■ their day, bat sow ebsekre wed forgotten.
There are many rano of then; sad Wind they are, all of
them, oily ass derweetsv, ealkd by various man sad
plated is different eituatkee. They an wall salted to Sr•
Kenna's MOW sad quints' ; sad he may perhaps
noosed la gine( s revived but transient popu-
larity to them and the worsont plays to which
they being. His gnat name In TA. beeisadmit has been
owlet, partly to his gaiety and spirit is the personative of
hie hero, bat still men to his powerful melodrama's wing
la the tnribie situation in the Let art, which Is rendered
mere lespremin by its entrust with Use previous light to..
of the play. Is wad Oa., tee ((a whin M append
last night), he has been nesessfal, bat lam as time
le the former part. His en ing was as good, as
far as it went, but be had net the sent non
for good setiag. TM play is for inferior. Farquhar
was see of the greaten of war old iresaatien, while
O'Keefe, ens la his own day, w u sever looked spa as
non thaa a writer st faress, and Wad (Mb Is nerdy a
Mee La firs ado. Rom is akin to Sinn' nil the net
of the frateesity ; sad Sr. Murdock, wit► his Madsen'
porton, dealing .harem, east, vivadty, and nesbasetible
flow of spirits, any sun an typo of the whole tribe. He
reminded u of the Revere, as be had already dose of the
Minnie, of former days; bat U sash slanders ever had
say reseablaeoe to the auseere et signal lite, the sewer
blame has long awe panel away, sad they appear to as
amities bat linen sad unman' stage atareatisnalities.

And era is the ease, sot sal, with RI;VOr, but with ail the
other charter r ski. pry. They heirs sot to sentedy,
bat to bred fur, and emir umber but is the
world bored tbe mortals. Add to this as sherd
and estravegs4pleh mod a great deal of daplcep sentlesswi
nilied wp-wilit slew buloomy, mad we have Um ear.
favorite play of Wild Oak. It was reardel, severthc.
less ; that is to soy, the milers often laughed heartily
while it was going on, sad applauded loudly whoa it was
ever. Th. Mar, not only of Mr. Murdoch, but of the
ether principal performers, deserved applause. Barstow*
as the good-aatered Clown, Chippendale r the irascible old
Admiral. Compton as Ephreim Smooth. and Miss Talbot as
the fait (raker Lady Amerhab, wore all adairable. Is
regard to Mr. Muller, he has excellent qualities; but,
though be has appeared la two play., he has virtually per-
termed bat is. part; sad we should be plod to see him
under some Miami meat, more worthy of the power of a
strung actor.