The Express.
London, England, 1868-02-19 00:00:00

TO MILLIONAIRES AND OTHERS.

We published yesterday the statement for 1867
of the trustees of Mr. PEABODY'S gift to the poor
of London. The results of his "princely munifi-
cence," as the Qvxmi aptly termed it, are extremely
gratifying. The first giftof 100,0001. has been fully
employed, and we are told that the sanitary condition
of the houses built is excellent, that the deaths in
them are much below the average and due to
ordinary causes ; that good order, health, and
general contentment prevail among the tenants, that
the children are clean and happy, and that through
this gift a beneficial influence is being exerted
over the future of the working classes by the signal
improvement introduced into their dwellings and
domestic habits. Next year Mr. PEABODY'S
second gift of 100,0001. will be applied to the
same purpose in Westminster, and it is to be hoped
with an equally satisfactory effect.
But princely as is the gift of this golden-hearted
merchant, vast as the sum is which he has given
away, we will not uy in charity, but in brotherly
kindness, it is after all but a drop of sweet com-
fort in a whole sea of bitter misery. The report
tells us that the total population in all the build-
ings erected by Mr. PEABODY is 1,583. The second
gift will probably double the number. This is a
great thing for one man to do—to make three
thousand poor people comfortable ! But the con-
templation of the good thus effected forces into
view the vast amount of work which yet remains
for philanthropy to accomplish. What are
three thousand among a population of nearly
four millions of people, the great majority of them
poor and badly housed f We do not ask this
question as depreciating the results of Mr. PEA-
BODY'S efforts, for he has done more for the de-
serving poor than any single individual ever
did, more than perhaps any other man
has it in his power to do. We ask the
question simply to add another. Is Mr. PEABODY'S
example to go for nothing f Mr. DUDLEY Baxrra
tells us that there are a good many millionaires
amongst us. A few of them are men of Mr. Pas-
uony's own class, merchants, living in a quiet
sort of way, with no obligation to keep
up state like princes (who cannot afford to
be princely in the PEABODY sense), dukes,
and other grand folks. Will none of these come
forward and do only one-tenth of what Mr.l
PEABODY has done t Philanthropy in this world-
wide sense has only just sprung into existence.
The benevolence which might replenish the earth
with its gifts has as yet created only two
beings—Mr. GEORGE PEABODY and Mies ANGELIWA
Courrs. la the race to end there t We can
readily believe that so serious a matter as the
giving up of a hundred thousand pounds, or even
a quarter of that sum, requires time for
consideration ; but we think it a fitting
time (when Mr. PEABODY'S first report is just
I issued, and Miss Cobra is adding another to her
• many acts of benevolence by presenting a park to
, the people of Highgate), to address to all mil-
lionaires, or others who have more money than
) they want, a gentle reminder.

THE relations of Convocation to the almost for-
gotten Pan-Anglican Synod came into discussion
at a meeting of the Lower House yesterday, in a
characteristic, if not very edifying, way. For some
hours the House had been engaged in debating •
motion of Canon WOODFORD having reference to the
episcopal pastoral, which, so far as the public were
enabled to judge, was almost the sole result of
the synod. De= wasp
and some others
objected to any proceeding by which the House
might semm to express approval of the Synod.
Ultimately,, in order to secure unanimity,
a compromise was proposed, the effect of which,
if adopted, would, it was said, be the avoid-
ancce of any formal sanction to the Westminster
conclave. This was accepted by the opposition ; and
thereupon the motion as asmoded, which simply
requested that the House might be famished by
the Primate with a copy of the pastoral to be
read by the Prolocutor,. Ira! peeped. vnanitnoinily ,