The Express.
London, England, 1866-02-09 00:00:00

FOOD FOR THE SICK POOR.

A few doors down the flagged passage behind St.
Panoras-ohureh, known as Woburn-buildings, is an

nnp7teliding inatitiatioa, which the benevolent

would do well to visit. At five minutes before mid-

day on every Monday and Thursday throughout
the year, a party of sick and convalescent children
who, but for this hospitable charity, would be lan-
guishing at home in dire want of strengthening
food, sit down to a wholesome and nourishing
dinner. To be eligible for the Woburn dinner table
the children must belong to the eery poor—must be
between the ages of four and twelve—must be

acted with some constitutional disease which is

not infectious—or must be the puny little things of
whom doctors say, " They do not want medi-
cine ; but unless they have better food they will
not be reared." These, we learn, are the classes
for whom the Woburn-buildings dinners are de-
signed ; and 2,700 of them have shared their benefits
in eighteen months. In a single week (of two days)
114 children have dined here, and as many as 66
have eat down to table at one time.

This ekikiron's dinner is, however, only one de-
partnout of the good work being carried on under
the same roof. The Invalid's Dinner Table was

established three yeses and a half ago, by Mr.
Hicks, of Endsleigh-street, to meet a grave and
pre/rung want. Sines that time far more than thir-
teen thousand invalid poor men and women have
enjoyed its comfort✓, besides the children already
named. The poor people discharged from hospi-
tals oared of the specific malady for which they
have been treated, but still deplorably weak and
ill, and who have no means of procuring the
nourishment suitable to their condition—the poor
people whose originally feeble constitutions have
been so impoverished by years of bad air and
low diet, that wholesome animal food and
a moderate amount of stimulant are necessary
to the continuance of their lives and

the poor people to *tom an occasional good
meal is the beat preservative of the health upon
which their bread-winning depends—are those for
whom this charity is intended. It meets its pur-
pose admirably, and its management is so efficient,
economical? and ingenious, as to call for a word of
special praise. The task of discriminating between
deserving and undeserving applicants is not under-
taken. That responsibility rests with those who
recommend. The dinners are only given to the
holders of tickets, and the lady or gentleman par-
chasing these, who recommends man, or woman,
or child, furnishes the name, address, and late
illness of their client, who calls on the morning of
the day when the dinner is to be eaten, and gives
in the ticket to the matron. These tickets are of
_

three kinds, tux' are furnished to subscribers in
little books, like continental railway coupons, each
book consisting of forty tickets and costing a guinea.
The white tickets entitle the holders to dine at the

table ; the green oaee to send for the dinner to
be eaten at home ; while the red procure some me-
dical comfort, such as port wine or brandy, to the
value of sixpence. Tickets for the children's dinner
are sold in booksof ten for 3s. 6d., or separately at
6d. each. The adults presenting a ticket pay two-
pence themselves, and the children one penny each ;
and theme pence nearly defray the rent, salaries,
and incidental expenditure of the establishment.
The benevolent purchaser of tickets has the satis-
faction of knowing that every penny he subscribes
is spent in food ; while those giving money to the
general objects of the charity, without asking for
tickets in return, enable Mr. Bich to place free
dinner orders at the disposal of dispenuries,
hospitals, and district visitors, who distribute
them swag the poor they heow to be dessirsing.
The aim and scope of the dimity is purely eat/Wig.
Neither screed, nor parish boundary, nor specific
malady is inquired into before relief is given.
Any one reading this page may further the objects
of the institution by remitting a sum of money to
2, Woburn-buildings; or may confer its advantages
upon the poor by investing a guinea in tickets;
or 4 may twit its usefulness by calling there at
the children's dinner hour. It is a judicious
arrangement which places the duties of discrimi-
nating and relieving in different hands. For the
deserts of the recipient those giving the tickets are
responsible ; for their proper nourishment after the
ticket is presented the managers of the dinner
table will answer. Thus it is for the sub-
' scriber to decide whether the poor patients'
friends can be trusted to properly apply the
nourishing food sent out, and to give such a ticket
as he thinks will be most useful.
At our visit one day this week, 43 adults were
dining, or had sent for their meaL Hot roast beef,
bread, and potatoes were being rapidly cut into
substantial portions, weighed, and served to the
eager but patient sitters. Everything is of the best
quality, and an inspection of the accounts kept by
Mr. Hicks shows that the increase in the price
lot butchers' meat has not been without its effect
I upon the statistics of the charity. The average
cost of the dinners given to those recommended by
I subscribers at the rate of forty for a guinea, or
labout 6d. each, is now 7d., so that the
sale of each book of tickets involves a loss of
3e. 6cl. It has been determined, however, not to alter
their price, but the fact is modestly put forward as
a possible inducement to those willing to help an in-
stitution which is in a great measure self-support-
ing, which apportions its relief in such a way that
it never trenches upon the self-respect of the poor,
and which is largely instrumental in saving valu-
able human lives Daring the past twelve months
books of tickets have been gratuitously given to the
hospitals and the societies for relieving the poor
in the district, and it is in this direction all
money gifts are applied. The St. Pancraa dispen-
sary has sent 282 poor people to dine ; the Hos-
pital for Sick Children, 10 ; the Hospital for
Paralysis, 14 ; the University Hospital, 20; the
Deaconess Institute, 750; the Society for the Re-
lief of Distress, 106 ; the Police, 32; the Needle-
women's Society, 26; while the matron of the
dinner-table has herself given dinner tickets to 92.
All these dinner orders were given gratuitously to
the almoners named, whose power of estimating
the character of the poor, and of judging of their
needs, makes them eminently qualified for the task
of selection.
At the dinner-table last Wednesday were old and
feeble men and women, wan young girls, sickly
youths, and hollow-checked, cadaverous mothers,
to whom food was health-restoring physic, and
who enjoyed the savoury dish before them with a
gusto an epicure would envy. The poet Gay is re-
ported to have said that it was worth while to be
ill for the pleasure of getting well again. To
those who have tasted the joys of convalescence,
and who know how eagerly the appetite craves for
sustenance, and how keenly the plainest dishes, are
enjoyed, it is unnecessary to dwell upon the
misery of hunger, or the injury it Wilda at such a
time upon the helpless and the weak. We cannot
all discriminate between imposture and deserving
suffering, and there are many ibistitutions appealing
to our sympathies, and asking for our money, in
which a considerable portion of the funds are ex-
pended on extraneous objects. Here, at least,
there is no disturbing medium. For every
sixpence invested sevenpennyworth of good
meat and drink is given to the poor ; and
the advantage of careful stewaidsbip and admini-
stration are ensured to us gratuitously. All that
is wanted is the means of extending the beseits if
the dinner, by placing more tickets at the disputa
of those wisese time and thoughts are given to the
poor. By enabling district Tinton and damsons
to supplement spiritual instrurtion with a whole-
sane weal we strewitites their heads sad theeseite
their tweinheise, sad et the usteeig Meetings eon-
hared no owe ma base a doubt who looks is st
awy week day at Dom.

THE FENIAN MOVEMENT IN IRELAND.

DUBLIN, rms. 8.
A general court-martial, under the presidency of
Lieutenant-Colonel Baker, 10th Hussars, was held
this day at the Royal Barracks, to try Gunner John
Flood, of the 9th brigade Royal Artillery, on a
charge of disloyal and treasonable conduct, and of
writing a letter to the editor of the Irish People
newspaper. The letter, which was written on the
15th of September from Portsmouth, expreesed
sympathy with Fenianism, and said every Irishman
in the British army was watching with eager atten-
tion the movements of that society. It was
found among the papers seised in the office
of the Irish People. Colonel Fielding, in opening
the prosecution, said that in consequence of rumours
of Fenianism existing in the army, the authorities
were determined to bring to trial all soldier, to
whom such an accusation could be brought home,
and the present case was amongst the few that had
been brought home to the soldiers. Proof was
given of handwriting, and also that when the first
documents were made public the prisoner remarked
to some of his comrades that be feared he would
get into trouble about a letter he bad written toi
thefrish Peepier ?beam foe the prorreoution has
not yet concluded.
The limerick correspondent of Saunders' Nevi
Leifer reports that on Wednesday night the resi-
dence of the widow of the late General Caulfield,
near Pallsskenry, was attacked by a band of armed
men, who fired through the drawing-room window,
but fortunately without effect. The outrage is
said to be of an agrarian nature.