The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-12 00:00:00

USURY.

Money-lenders seem to have resolved themselves
into one of the evils of the clay. Seeing the result
of our system of trading, as shewn forth in the panic
of 1866, and remembering the temptation to which
young men with expectations are exposed, one is
puzzled to know which is the worst, the present prac-
tices or the old usury laws. Proposals come from all
quarters for the suppression of extortion. It is for-
gotten, however, that already, as far as the law is
concerned, this is done. An application to Chancery
would, in the case of over 5 per cent. being charged,
be immediately followed by relief. The evil is, that
men would rather pay than be exposed. For them
there is no law, and so the extortioner prospers.
THE METROPOLITAN CHARITIES.
Mr. Hicks has done good service to the public and
to the suffering poor by endeavouring to throw
some light on the complicated machinery of our
London charities. He has prepared a synopsis of the
reports of our principal metropolitan charities,
which must have cost him an immense
amount of time and labour. Mr. Hicks has given us
a list of the names, addresses, and objects of no less
than 363 charities, institutions, and asylums, ranging
from those which provide for the care of crippled
infants to the associations which provide for
the widows of professional men, or assist the
task of self-education by the loan of diagrams
and maps. Many of the charities here referred
to are probably unknown by nam bey ond
their own immediate circle, but each has its special
object of usefulness. The great matter of regret, as
Mr. Hicks observes, is the want of all organisation,
and consequent loss of power. The prevailing
absence of uniformity, as well as the defective
manner in which some of the balance-
sheets are prepared, prevents the information
contained in the several reports from possessing
their full value. Under a different system they
might, as Mr. Hicks points out, become valuable
centres for information from various points of view.
Mr. Hicks does not profess to give a complete repre-
sentation of the metropolitan charities, but his synopsis
is, no doubt, sufficiently accurate for any ordinary
inquirer. He divides it into seven classes, under the
heads of infancy, childhood, manhood, old age,
professional, afflicted, and general assistance ; giving,
in all cases where a report has been furnished, a
summary of their receipts and their expenses. The
sum total of all the balance-sheets thus dealt with
presents the immense aggregate of 4040,807, and
yet the last tables of pauperism shew us that in the
last week of January the total pauperism of the
metropolis was 154,067. Mr. Hicks points out that
the names of some of our charities, such as those for
the Homeless and Destitute, speak for themselves of
the inefficiency of the poor law. At present, he says,
the public, instead of supplementing the rehef of the
poor law, is, and has been for years past, doing the
work of the poor law itself. The synopsis before us,
occupying as it does two-and-a-half pages of the
Times, seems to confirm.the assertion.

66 HEARTLESS PARASITES."

People who take houses for any length of time are
always anxious to know if they are " clean." Nothing
can be more trying than to be assailed in the first
night after the bustle of removal by those nameless
minute insects which are the abomination of every
clean housewife. A Mr. Trevenan, of Wareham,
Dorsetshire, unaccustomed to the inconveniences of
"half the houses in London," found it trying indeed.
He removed from Wareham to the metropolis, and
took a house at Brixton. But it was absolutely
uninhabitable. He could not rest by day or sleep by
night; so he gave up the house in despair. He was
put to great expense in removing, and thought the
owner of the house ought to pay him for sending him
into an uninhabitable house. But the owner obj ceted.
He did not put the parasites there. Mr. Trevenan
was, however, determined to get the money if he
could, and brought an action in the Common Pleas
to compel his landlord to "hand over." The action
was tried on Wednesday. The jury were sympa-
thetic with the plaintiff, and would have given
damages to any amount. But the judge thought the
case had better be "settled," not being at all sure
that any damages were due. The lawyers, therefore,
made it u between themselves. Henceforth it must
belait_d_japgiutre not 111114.)1411_4' tzllickh