The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-01 00:00:00

up yesterday at the Worship-street Police-court,
and fined 10s. or seven days' imprisonment ! Con-
sidering that serious injury might have been in-
flicted, and probably was inflicted, on orderly and
respectable persons, that blindness or other seri-
ous consequences might ensue even from the vio-
lent pelting of snowballs, much more from the
reckless use of flints, such a sentence is prepos-
terously lenient. If a man had been found drunk
and incapable of taking care of himself in the
streets, he would have been fined 55., without
doing any real mischief, and for all this active
and willful injury he is only to pay two shil-
lings more ! In fact, the infliction of a fine at
all was a mistake. Those were cases in which
offenders richly deserved to be made to suffer
personal inconvenience, and should have been
made to feel that such refined pleasures must have
their cost. If a person or a child had been killed,
as might well have happened, a frightened horse,
a flint on the temple, a dangerous fall, or even
the pressure of the excited mob, there would have
been a general outcry : as it is, the affair is passed
over, and only the immediate sufferers concern
themselves with it. It is quite time, however,
that some steps should be taken to preserve better
order in our parks. What the bystanders were
about, not to take more active measures on Sunday
; by reporting the state of things at the station
and demanding the immediate despatch of a strong
. body of police, is difficult to understand. The
L authorities of the park were still more to blame

for not earlier bespeaking some such assistance,
since, from the character of the " roughs" who
filled the park, it was apprehended from the first
that they meant to create a riot. It is a mere

sinecure to undertake to keep order in a park on
ordinary occasions ; but certainly the protectors of
Victoria Park have shown themselves totally un-
equal to preserving the public peace in a time of
confusion and disturbance. As for the behaviour
of the populace themselves, it was disgraceful to
Englishmen. There must have been many pre-
sent who did not belong to the " dangerous
classes" who joined in the riot. Our parks are laid
out with taste and elegance for the recreation of
the people, and are thrown open alike to all ranks.
The opening of parks in the eastern and less
fashionable quarters has been hailed as a step in
the right direction in providing for the pleasures
and the wants of all our citizens alike. It would
seem, from the experience of Sunday, that a large
proportion of those thus benefited are not only un-
worthy of the privilege conferred on them, but
incapable of enjoying any gratification of taste and
intelligence—a most disappointing and unsatisfac-
tory result.

It is quite time that the Poor Law Board did
something to alter 'the workings of their statutes,
and to allow the unfortunate paupers through the
land a chance of some relief, without insolence and
a total want of feeling so often prevailing to mar
the effect of the benefits provided for them. If
Bethnal-green has been for some time distinguished
for its failures of a melancholy kind in respect to
the relief it afforded, or often refused to afford,
the conduct of Mr. RUNCIE3IAN, the re-

lieving officer, at an inquest last evening,
is a sufficient answer to the statements
made by those who declare that there is a
great deal of exaggeration mixed up in the details
of the ill-treatment and neglect of those who seek
relief in such quarters. It is, indeed, seldom that
such want of respect for the decencies of life and
the solemnities of death is exhibited in a court of
inquiry as that shown by Mr. ItuNeictirAN during
the inquest. He distinctly stated that he objected
to paupers coming to his house at all, and to get rid

of the importunity of the application of the husband
for his wife's admittance, as he had been told it was
a case of life or death, he said he was going to
church. As it was half-past twelve, a juror told
him that was an unusual hour. He stated that he
was always at his office to give relief to paupers,
and certainly whether he is or not the chances of
relief are about the same. If this is a specimen of
the manner in which he conducts his business and
comforts himself, Mr. 111.7NCIEMAN'S great idea of
managing his arduous duties seems to be to contra-
dict all that is said which does not suit his views.
He found time during his conversation with
JENNINGS to extract from him that he earned thirty-
six shillings a week, but he professes not to have
heard that Dr. CHAMBERS had said that it was a
case of life and death. The inquest was held on the
body of an infant who had died from various causes
accelerated by injuries received from its mother,
who had become insane after her confine-
ment. As Dr. CHAMBERS stated it was a case
of life or death, and not the application

for ordinary pauper relief, Mr. RUNCIEMAN
is very clever in sneering at " doctors and their
law," but he had better show himself a little more
proficient in his own duties before he attempts to
criticise • others for enunciating the principles of
common humanity which should guide all those
functionaries who have responsible offices in a
Christian country. The poor woman was subse-
quently admitted into the lunatic ward by another
relieving officer, and the Master of the workhouse
had sent JENNINGS to Mr. RITNCIEMAN on the Sun-
' day, which visit had caused such dire offence to his
feelings of propriety, and interfered so much with
his devotional exercises. So that, according to the
rules and regulations of the establishment to which