The Express.
London, England, 1867-12-17 00:00:00

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TIIIS EVRN/110, tatlELLo,WitT:Eitt OF VENICE. Maws.
Reynolds, Howe. Charlton, &a.: Misses Conrtenny and Comte,.
—Mr. itubert Framer Sir. Mart Floyd; the Langans A: J. Mit.
cent —And THE KLNG*3 DRS:TR-TRAP. Mrs. S. lane.

RION WATER AT LONDON REMO&

Mg DA —Morning. fili. 13m....—Atternoon, Mi. COs.
TO-MouioM—Morninit. 7a. 7111.......AMarn00n. 71%. 37m.

LONDON, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17.

A etatiors question in the practical philosophy
of life is being debated in some of our East-end
parishes. Every day some broken man or other is
called to determine on his own responsibility which
of three courses he will adopt : whether he shall
shut himself up, and starve in proud solitude; or
make sure of food and fire by perpetrating a
misdemeanour ; or, lastly, put a sudden end to
his troubles by committing suicide. The alternative
before these wretched people is simple—death or
crime, and whichever they embrace, they are sure
to offend some delicate minds. A fortnight
ago we were startled by the case of Pcircuasn,
a man who had at one time been worth
three thousand pounds, but who fell into extreme
distress, and being utterly without resources, se-
cluded himself and died, literally for want of food.
Very severe judgments have been passed upon this
man for not making his case known. Austere
moralists of the press have decided that the pride
which, in such circumstances, will not condescend
to accept parish relief is not only foolish, brit
positively sinful. To listen to these censors,
PRITCHARD had only his own obstinacy to thank
for his fate ; if he could only have overcome the
false shame which too often besets the man who
has seen better days, he might have come at once
into contact with our admirable system of Poor-
law relief, under which, thank Gon, no one need
die in this Christian land. Misanthrope that he
was, to prefer death to accepting the helping-band
of his fellow-man And yet, perhaps, PRITCHARD,
blameable as he was, knew the facts bettor than
his self-constituted judges. Perhaps in those long
hours in which he mentally resolved his
woes he had acquainted himself with the me-
thods and incidents of what is called Poor-law
relief, and had observed that it was a grim
mockery, not preventing death, but undoubtedly
embittering it. If he had not, it was not for want
of opportunity.

On Saturday Mr. HUMPHREYS held an inquest ,
upon the body of a man named CHARLES Haysma,
who had committed suicide by hanging. HAYNES
had lived all his lire in one parish, that of St.
Luke's, and had brought up a family on his earn-
bags as a whip maker, but had recently fallen into
destitution. Three years ago he broke his thigh,
and was compelled to ask parish relief, but, with
that exception, he had not been chargeable.
Last week, however, he was again under
the necessity of applying to the relieving
officers, hoping to get assistance to enable him to
keep on the room where his paralysed wife and
two children lived with him. He appears to ,
have had a great fear of losing his "things,"
for which probably no dealer would have
been willing to give him five shillings, but
which constituted the furniture of his " home."
On Wednesday HAYNES applied to the relieving
officer of St. Luke's, stating that ho could get
no employment, and representing his wants. He
was asked whether he was able to work, and re-
plying that he was, was sent into the workhouse
yard to pick oakum. At the end of the day he
received Itoripclice. That sum was the relief given
to a man who had to support himself, his wife,
and two children. The next day he again
applied at the workhouse, and the officer gave him
another order, conferring the privilege of earning
another twopence in tho same manner. He did
not, however, use it ; his thoughts were already
turning to another officer, and a different mode of
relief. On Wednesday night, when ho took the
twopence home, ho said to his wife that he should
" do something," meaning that he should commit
some breach of the law, "for it would be better for
" him to be in prison than leading such a life."
After receiving the order on Thursday morning,
however, he appears to have abandoned this
thought for another indicating a deeper despair.
The reflections and anticipations of that forenoon
fixed his resolution, and a little later in the day
his wife came into the room and found him hang-
ing by his neck from a hook in the wall, quite dead.
The jury before whom these facts were proved in evi-
dence found that HAYNES had been driven out of
his mind by want, through not being supplied with
necessary relief.

How long is this reproach to lie at the door of
our boasted civilisation ? HAYNES is but tho
latest known victim of the repressive system by
which it is hoped to extinguish pauperism, or, as
we would rather say, of its blind and undiscrimi-
nating application. When the relieving officer of
St. Luke's was asked by the coroner if he had
visited this family and 'nada himself acquainted
with its wants, ho said that he had not done so,
as he had nut time to visit all cases ; and every-
body knows that it would be impossible for the
relieving officers of our large London parishes to
snake a minute personal inquiry into tho circum-
stances of every applicant. The consequence
is that the officers follow one hard, unbending,
mechanical rule, which probably does its work
very effectually in preventing fraud, but leaves
men to die either of starvation or by their
own hands, when life has become insupport-
able and reason reels in its seat. The plan
is to receive every applicant as a designing im-
postor, who only wants to quarter himself upon
the ratepayers, and to treat him accordingly. In
this way you teach him independence and self-