The Sun.
London, England, 1858-03-05 00:00:00

WOMEN AND TV AT€IH WORK.

sa. letter dated Naples, Feb. 26, says :—Like
most of those who have had occasie n to speak of the
prisons of this kingdom I have painted them in
coloars dark enough ; nor do I believe that I have
in any degree exaggerated the state of the case.
That which I have asserted I have done either
on the authority of credible witnesses or on the
evidence of my own senses. Strict impartiality,
however, demands that I should give a brief out-
line of a visit which I recently paid to two which
may be called model prisons, those of San Francisco
and St. Agnello. A Royal decree published some
months since put these and all other prisons under
the control of the Fathers of Jesus. In many the
very name will awaken a prejudice. I cannot help
that. I must speak only of the results of their
labours, and those appear to me to be of the best
kind. Of course I can only contrast what I have
new seen with what I had heard described, but the
truth of those descriptions was abundantly con-
firmed by the Father wino accompanied us, as Le
pointed with just and reasonable pride to what he
and his companions had effected. Leaving de-
tails I must confine myself to a very general
picture of what I saw, and the impressions
which that induced me to form. The prison
of San Francisco is at once a hospital, a
workshop, and a place of confinement for the young.
The hospital was tolerably clean and in good order,
and I trust we saw it and the other portions of the
prison in their normal state, though it did not escape
me that people preceded us in every room
burning incense, and the doors were all opened
readily as if in anticipation of a visit. As we
passed along, "Muoio di fame" escaped from the
lips of many, but I regarded it as the expression of
a habit, for generally speaking the looks of the pri-
soners belied their lips. In one rcom after such an
exclamation had been uttered, I observed, in turn-
ing sharp round, a Cuetode threatening the unfor-
tunate lad as he lay in bed with his stick, and I
mentioned the fact to the Father, who, I am per-
suaded, disapproved it, and would in obedience to
his orders labour to suppress all capricious several( s.
The prison allowance, I was informed, consists of a
basin of soup of beans or haricots, or at times of
pasta, and of 20oz. of bread—and it is quite enough,
for they have not much appetite, said the priest.
In the working apartment are shops for carpenters,
tailors, shoemakers, weavers, bookbinders, cabinet-
makers, d:,-c. I observed many respectable pieces of
workmanship, and the influence of occupation was
very apparent in the countenances of the unfortu-
nate men. Before leaving the prison we were in-
vited to hear a musical class ; the singing was
rather "forte," but it was in good harmony,
and very respectable. We did not see by any
means the whole of the prison ; perhaps
what we saw was under the most favourable
circumstances, too. One great evil might be
suggested for removal, and that was the horrid
stench which arosein almost every department from
the privies and from bad sewerage. The Father
admitted it, but added that it was "still a prison."
The least satisfactory part of the building was that
appropriated to the juveniles. The youngsters
were all ranged in line to receive us, one being
imprisoned for homicide, and the youngest, a
child of six years of age, who had been found 1
" unclaimed" on board a steamer. The injustice
of this infant's imprisonment was evident enough,
and as I remarked upon it he was questioned
and a promise held out that he should be tent
to St. Agnello. I think ;too that the wisdom and
the moral influence of accost' ming the minds of
these young persons to the degradation and the
stigma of a prison may be questioned. It may be
doubted, too, whether the occupations of the chl-
dren were precisely those adapted to them. Thus,
in the morning they had to attend to certain
religious services—mass ; then they dined ; after-
wards,
more religious services ; then a run on
the tep of the building ; afterwards, the "bene-
diction ; " then they consumed the remain-
der of their bread, and off to bed. The
courteous and intelligent Father who accom-
panied us- was everywhere received with marks of
great respect and affection, and seemed to take a
great interest in his labour of love. A hypercritic
might point out many defects, but his is not the
spirit in which to observe and speak of a compara-
tive recent attempt to purge and reform the foul
prisons of the Two Sicilies. For myself lam dis-
posed to speak with much satisfaction of this the
first step in prison reform, and to hail it as promis-
ing other and more successful efforts in the very
wide field which yet lies before the philanthropist.
My guide told me that this prison bad been
placed under the control of the Jesuits since 1851.
The question suggested itself to me directly, did
this merciful movement receive any impulse from
the publicity given to the prison abuses of that
country by Mr. Gladstone and others ? I will
z
assume that it did, for I have faith in the hemline
influence of light, and, if the assumption be
not incorrect, then there is cause of self-con-
gratulation to them that their labours, however
evilly spoken of, have not been altogether lost,
and are an encouragement to all who have it in
their power to enlighten the world to speak the
truth fully and courageously. From San Francisco
we were conducted to what is called the " Istituto
Artistico" of St. Agnsllo, about a mile distant.
Into this institute are draughted off those youths
1 who have finished the term of their imprisonment
at San Francisco, but with regard to whose moral
strength there is some doubt. It is a neat new
building, and every effort has been made to divest it
of the chat actor aad associations of a prison.
On the right as we entered was a large room, in
which many were taking a singing lesson, while
they were accompanied by a maestro on a
piano. On going into an upper room we found
a number of youths who were learning to play
on wind instruments, and a very respectable
performance it was which we had. Ia another
part of the building we were shown rooms where
the members of the institute were learning to bind
books, to lithograph, to print, " and we have too
our theatre, and some good acting at times," said
the benevolent Padre Cucinello. The performances
I ascertained on inquiry to be pieces in illustration
of moral sentiments. On leaving the Institute the
boys were all drawn up in the courtyard under the
command of a sergeant, went through some exer-
cises, and performed the military hymn to the
Virgin. A little fellow was brought to us in his
new uniform to show how the band was dressed,
and proud and happy enough he looked. Not only
in the name of the establishment and general dis-
cipline adopted is there a difference made between
this institution and the prison, but iu the diet ; in-
stead of black it is white bread which is always
serves, and then twice a day they are sensibly
taught that they have made another step in
social progress, and that they are no longer
what they were. It was a very short
visit which I paid, but what I saw gave me almost
unmingied satisfaction. The Padre, who had
nursed the institute, evidently regarded his labour
as one of love—his whole soul was, absorbed in it—
and the members appeared to repay his exertions
0 te prison
istream, i
.E.
with their affection. They were evidently happy
and contented, and the influence of discipline and
education and increased self-respect WaS very
marked in a superior degree of reilnement in ap-
pearance
and manner. I was struck by it on
wpoewreerthtohseey
pionsseSss
listening to the singing class as I entered. Their
voices were not merely mechanical instruments, as
and feeling, lend, Fuurtantheiseycoe,xperexshsiebditsienigitimwehiaitt
g, mind and soul were beginning to be ,
awakened.,2finristconclusion I . caution two classes
s under theas,—first,
reformatory •
prisotta of this thatec
rally speaking, the generalisers, who, because a
satttute is being established and
a wa
I 1).117.
exaggerated,
and,snot so.
course of purifleatio d
what has been ' ' r
bat the Jesuit
No language could is false- It of the
exaggetate their sta.te:ve
Agnello are "exception
Fathers propose to do, and are labfo -
stliat -1,,, language
gene-
al nroalrr..- and cant
opposition to many difficulties." Selacriol!,lgl,,tg_TClo2 in
caution those who may be inclined to disar-:m`lst
comparatively slight effort which is esaa, aa
toe tite
when
pro-
vide against a great evil. It is a great step
reform is forced on the conviction
the necessity of

Last Hight Mr. Bennett, the well-known watch-
maker of Cheapside, delivered a lecture on the his-
tory, manufacture, and construction of an ordinary
pocket watch, in the schoolroom of St. Baruabas
Churcb, King-square, Clerken well. The room wars
crowded with men and women, as might be expected
in a locality where watchmaking is the great staple
trade, although there was at first a disposition
amongst the male portion Lot to give Mr. Bennett
a fair hearing, in consequence of his advocacy of the
introduction of female labour in the construction of
some of the finer portions of horology. Mr. Ben-
nett's good-humoured and hearty manner, how-
ever, ultimately secured for him the attention of his
audience.
Mr. BENNETT, having explained that he appeared
amongst them by invitation to deliver the present
lecture, began by giving a history of the origin and
progress of horology from the water-clocks of the
Greeks to the beautiful contrivances of modern
times. Almost all the great improvements iu
horology were due to Englishmen. But it was not
enough that time-keepers were accurately and ele-
gantly. In the present age it was indispensable
they should be made cheaply. How then could the
best possible watch be made for the lowest price
Mr. Bennett said that his attention was strongly
directed to this subject by the beautiful display of
Swiss watches at the Great Exhibition, and after-
wards at the Paris Exhibition, and by finding that
the Swiss manufacturers could produce an instru-
ment as good as one of English make and as beau ti
ful in finish, 20 and 30, and in some cases 59, per
cent. lower than it could be done in this count► y.
This was a startling fact ; and to ascertain the
cause of it he paid a visit to Switzerland. He en-
deavoured to ascertain the secret of this sups: iority
on the spot. He saw every where au amount of in-
dustry, cleanliness, good order, and intelligence
which, he regretted to say, contrasted vary un-
favourably with what he often met with in
Clerkenwell. He was told that only 2,000 watches
had been manufactured in the Neufchatel district, 80
years previous to his visit, and only 8,000 watches
50 years before. The year before his visit he was
told, on the best authority, that the Neufel.a• el
people manufactured 1,500,000 watches, whilst that
very year the number of Hall-marked watches made
in England amounted to only 186,000. This coun-
try received in 1853 no less than 42,000 Swiss
watches for home consumption ; in 1854, 79,000 ;
in 1855, 90,000 watches. He expected the returns
for 1856 in a few days, which he would make known
-as soon as he had received them. This was not
taking into account the number of watches which
were smuggled, and which probably were quite as
numerous as the watches which paid duty. Now,
he protested against the Swiss making watches for
them to this extent. (Hear.) And let them nit
suppose that the Swiss we; e not capable of making
good watches. Some of the highest class of watches
were being brought over here from Switzerland.
Mr. Bennett then dilated on the causes of the
superiority on the part of the Swiss, which he
attributed to the greater division of labour, the
employment of women, and the greater diffusion of
education amongst the population of Switzerland.
By these means a maximum of quality was pro-
duced at a minimum of cost. Mr. Bennett con-
cluded his lecture by referring to his own efforts to
introduce female labour in the manufacture of
watches, and said that the watchmakers of Clerken-
well were the enemies of their own welfare in
throwing obstructions in the way of the employ-
ment of women. He expressed his readiness to
renew the subject on a future occasion if it should
be their pleasure to desire it. (Cheers.)

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.