The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-07 00:00:00

THE CONVICT WATERS.

Three medical gentlemen have met and protested
against the sentence upon the convict Waters, the
baby farmer, being carried into execution, and one
of them, Dr. Edmund; has forwarded their protest,
in writing, for publication in the Daily News.
Having In view the impossibility of ascertaining
public opinion before Tuesday next, the day fixed for
the execution of the miserable woman, in any other
manner, Dr. Edmunds urges all of the faculty who
endorse the opinions set forth in the protest to for-
ward their names to him, accompanied by an autho-
risation 'to annex their signatures to it, for presenta-
tion to the Home Secretary. In the first place the
protest Ants consider that the evidence fell short of
proving murderous intent or action on the part of the
convict. In the second place the death of Miss
Cowen's child was precisely the result which very
commonly accrues to newly-born infants, deprived
of their mothers' milk and fed by hand, even with
the best intentions, inasmuch as diarrhoea,
emaciation, exhaustion, coma, and death are
,con-
stant occurrences, under such circumstances. Lastly,
the protest declares that in the presence of diarrhea
and colic, laudanum in proper doses is a medicine
constantly prescribed by medical practitioners to
check the diarrhea and to relieve the pain, and that
if laudanum really were administered to the
child, it could not have been the cause of the
death, which occurred thirteen days afterwards, while
the laudanum might have been administered with
an innocent intention.

THE PLEASURES OF IDLENESS.

When Thomson wrote his "Castle of Indolence,"
the pleasures of a life at ease in the parish work-
house did not probably enter his imagination. To
judge, however, from the information just afforded us
by the skilful detective appointed to report on the
habits of our casual paupers, the dolce far niente of
their existence must possess especial fascinations. The
laziness of their lives had not impaired their
mental Acuities, for in their answers to the too
inquisitive inspector they soared into sublime heights
of philosophy, and displayed a due appreciation of the
vanity of earthly pursuits. One of them thought it
useless to try for work. "He might as well take it
easy, it would be all the same by and by." Another,
resigned to his fate, had never done much else but
tramp, and did not suppose he ever should, "but it
was only for life." This philosopher had done a job
of gardening nine years ago at Guildford. Date and
place might well be marked in his calendar, for he
has done nothing since. Another, convinced of the
fruitlessness of human effort, admitted that he never
tried much for work, which he was sure he should
not get, but though he did not feast every day,
" there was always something to be got
if you kept your eyes open." Three youths
objected to work on logical grounds. It did
" not suit their complexions, and they never knew
anyone grow fat on it." The spirit of the village
.Hampdens is not wanting among these heroes. One
of them would not emigrate. "He did not see why
the bone aril sinew of the country should leave their
homes; there was room enough for all, but the
aristocracy wanted the country to themselves." The
" bone and sinew " of the country is so afraid of
wearing itself out that only two casuals in West-
minster Ward, one snowy winter, would accept
2s. 6d. a day for cleaning the streets, preferring the
shelter of their ward. The question is whether
gentry with such elevated notions should be allowed
the alternative, if the ratepayers are to support
them.