Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-12-17 00:00:00

to investigate the system. of 'Lodging House in-
spection pursued in the Metropolis, with the viol'.
of introducing into that which prevails in Or
own town, such improvements as have there 11011.
found desirable. Until of late years the Comma
'Lodging Houses of almost all our large towns
were very discreditable places in a sanitarY,
social, and moral point of vieVr.‘ They were fre"
quently, not only dens of virulent disease, but of
vice in its most revolting features. And yet were
they often the only places of resort for the ho-se"
less poor,—for such of the poor, that is, as haven'
'tomes of their own—whom habits of life and in
many instances whose avocations were such as to'
render it almost indispensable' that they should
be inmates of such houses ; and, from this fact,
one may_ fOrm some idea of the great Mischief
that was being done by the existence of such
places"; and, 'of the extent ()fit& evil, one anal
judge, pretty correctly by the fact of their having
been on an average upwards of a thousand of
such houses in the metropolitan district ; 'While
even in Liverpool they have seldom fallen short
of that number. The deputation of our Health
Committee, to London, fcrund in the localitle.4
which they visited, that " some of the houSo
were occupied by sailors and labouring' nicuy
others by tramps, mendicants, and thieves ;" and
this, we believe, may be taken as a fair sample'd
the Common Lodging Houses in Liverpool also.
Now when we consider that those Lodging'
Houses in' the Metropolis are capable of accota"
modating about twenty-eight thousand peoplet
we see- at' once what a large proportion of the
Metropolitan population is of that class which
such habitations must of necessity receive, and
the moral atmosphere of which wilt inevitably
exercise its potent influences: over them. It is
subject, therefore, of very, great importance to
the interests of society, not less in a moral than
in a physical point of view; and .let us- hope that
the result of the labours of the Committee to
whose report we refer, will be to introduce such
improvements in, the Common-Lodging,Houses of
our own town, as will make them fitter abodes
than they have hitherto been, for those who are
under the necessity of having recourse to them.

The report makes pointed allusion to t, the
liberality of Lord SHAFTESBURY and others
establishing large, , airy, well arranged Lodging
Houses, sometimes by the conversion of old pro-
perty- to the purpose, sometimes by the• erection
of new buildings;" and it describes these houses
as " invaluable agents for promoting decency and
self-respect among. people who have no other
home—formidable rivals of the meaner house'
the occupiers of which are constrained, fOr their
own protection, to render. these places as.corafor:
table as possible, or they would get no lodgers.
Thus have the philanthropic efforts of Lord
SHAFTESBURY and others produced a two-fold
good—a direct and an indirect -one. Their exanr
plei we are aware, has been followed to some slight
extent in Liverpool, but by no means solar as one
would like to see it. The Legislature has don°
something for the regulation of such houses. But we
are persuaded that the most good of all will be done
by such benevolent efforts as' those to which we
have `referred,: and for, which LiverpeOl, next to
London, affords the greatest scope for philair
thropip exertion of , any. place in the-) ::.ingdoo"
There is another point as respectsfa3 philfor
throp,y—indeed we may say the humanity of this
question, which, at such a season as the present
ought not to be overlooked. All classes of the
poor suffer more or -.less severely during the
rigours :of Winter ;. but We believe .that there
no'classlof them that suffers so intensely, often se
excruciatingly, not only all the aggravated evils ("'t
cheerless poverty, but are frequently without the
coMnionest• comforts, and even necessaries of life;
Sotne'times; indeed, so great is their privation, than
1 they 'are unable to avail themselves at all cf tl3e.
shelter of such houses, or of any shelter from tl/:
inclemency of. he season. And surely in such came
as these, the commonest humanity must prong)
one to extend:relief wherever it is thought to:
necessary. Let us hope; then that, belieVi,ng
such a state of things, however painful to,e°ll;
template, thoSe rigours of winter which haYese
in :upon us so suddenly and so
.intensely, du
the present week; will' not fail to reatin4 tie
benevolent and the 'affluent' to take some. little
trouble to seek out such objects of their hurl; $
relief. The cold and cheerless facts, of szle
case ought to. be. qUite sufficient of itself
to
induce

•
" The conscious heart of Charity t,o.warinf,
And her wide wish, benewilence,

ip
WE said the other day that the course oroir
1 ''
lation of lath years has suffered far too mush7-ett
terfefeifeeitlheraiidg-Of 'the agititeiliiisoiuu
tr.
that, not only tlii.,,..sUggefitiims of a higher P:1.0,
deuce, but the eik(CiiiOia of true public opic
are distorted and overborne, Now, this Pr tie j 0
of agitation is well understood by the resfty
. 0
spirits of the, age,:---the vain, or the selfish, er'ille
eccentrie,—but we grieve very much, to, i°; 0
" leading journal's recognising it as if 'it NI"e:1:011.
legitimate exertion of influence ; and no leo
f s'erf
putting. a, premium upon the exercise 0.4
dangerous. and often pernicious arts.: The Tin° rt
;
recently been pretending to grapple with S-r
eth re '
COLERIDGE's exposition of the right or ~--11.4e0
rates at Exetei. The advocates of Church ne'`"
will probably view with satisfaction the relacr4;
which the writer eiridently feels to meet Sit' 1960,
iirgiments, or - dent his most imperta.ut er of
but those .who aro anxious for the charsectr the
the fntsre legislation of this, country, an a for
amount of respect the House of Collol°ll9 10,itiOr
tains for Tested rights and the most sacred co
or
will be sorry, on general grounds, that theoriae
ment of force is thought sufficient to °n t°
every plea of justice and equity.. Agit3tlo_u'
have its fruit, and Church Rates are W