The Express.
London, England, 1859-12-08 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 8. 1869.

the simple history he told ? Hear it, Christian ladies
whose hearts are full of melting charity for the be-
nighted heathen, sr the romantic negro ; hear it, ye
rosswater philanthropists and fashionable enthusiasts,
who dance for Poland and pray for Patagonia!
" She was a widow, hard working and well con-
" ducted, and had a son whom she had pot to a
" bosiness, and worked until two, three, and four of
" a morning at drommshing to earn her living and
to support her son. He could say that she was
" driven to do this in consequence of ladies for whom
"she worked not paying her for the work she did
" for them. They had her labour, and poor as
" she was they would not pay her except upon
0 long credit, which she could not afford to
" give ; but money she could not get; and
" not hay.og the means to purchase materials to
finish work she had in hand, she had unfortunately
resorted to stealing them. There were several
0 ladies who owed her money-101., ii!., or 121.
" hat she could not get a penny from them—ene in
"particular, in Montague-place, Russell-square,
" owed her about that sum for her work ; and though
the prisoner was ill for five weeks at one time,
0 and sent to the lady time after time, and day after
" day, she could get nothing, and her recent appliea.
bons were unheeded. Another lady living in
" Highbury-terrace, Islington, had owed her a
"similar sum since last December; and though she
begged and prayed for some part payment,:the lady
had not paid her anything; and if she resorted
"to compulsory steps, her connexion world be
"destroyed. It was entirely through being thus
" kept out of money which was due to her for the
" sweat of her brow and the work by night and day
" that she had been driven, as he believed, to do that
" which had placed her in her present position, for a
" more honest, striving woman he had never known.
" Had it not been for this he believed she would
have starved, and she was in arrear of rent at the
0 time, which very much preyed upon her mind, and
"she wanted to finiah the work she had in hand to
" pay for it, as these ladies would not pay her."
Mr. BODKIN dismissed the ease with a few words
of generous sorrow and pity, which deserve to be re-
membered to the honour of this upright judge and
noble-hearted man. " Should what had been stated
" find its way tote publicity, those who had
"so cruelly used this poor creature, by de-
" prising her for so long of the reward of
" her labour, would understand what must be
" thought of their conduct." Bat are the per-
sons to whom this remonstrance is addressed
capable of anything so vulgar as a moment's consi-
deration of " what will be thought of their con-
" duet ?" We apprehend they would deny the soft
impeachment with disdainful surprise ; scout the
maudlin sentimentalism of the day, and tremulously
wonder what the world is coming to when shop-
lifters are scarcely punished for stealing and needle-
women hardly permitted to starve ! How many
years is it since the voice of poor TON HOOD
was beard in the land ? The echoes of his song
have died away; but a " Distreseed Needlewoman's
" Society " attests the poignancy of his appeal.
Who knows? There ere more unlikely things in
the world than that among the delicate debtors of
SARAH DYER there may be distinguistesd subscribers
to that terribly commonplace Institution--for the
relief of the consciences of insolvent ladies of
fashion ?