The Sun.
London, England, 1850-06-07 00:00:00

LOND.O

FRIDAY

SOCIETY FOR THE IMPROVE-
MENT OF THE WORKING CLASSES.
The sixth annual meeting of the friends of this society
was held yesterday, in St. Martin's Hall, Long-acre.
The hall was filled long before the time announced for
opening the proceedings, a large proportion of the
meeting being composed of the working classes.
Lord John Russell took'the chair at two o'clock.
On the platform were the Earl of Harrowby, Lord
Ashley, Lord Robert Grosvenor, Lord Ebrington, Sir
Harry Verney, and numerous other friends of the
society. After the secretary had read the report, which
was of great length, and gave a very favourable account
of the past progress and present condition of the society,
The Earl of HARROWBY moved the first resolution,
which was seconded
,by the RECTOR of Whitechapel,
who, from his own experience, drew a very graphic
picture of the miseries of the poor in that parish.
Lord J. RUSSELL then rose to put the resolution to the
meeting, but a person named Reynolds, and another
named Beacon—the former stauding on the platform,
the latter in the body of the hall—requested permission
to speak. Reynolds, who it may be remembered, took a
conspicuous part in some of the Chartist meetings pre-
vious to the 10th of April, was supported by half-a-
dozen people at the end of the hall, who shouted out his
name and demanded a hearing for him. Moving from
the left corner of the platform, he came forward to where
Lord John Russell was seated, and, amidgst considerable
uproar, presented his card.
Lord ASHLEY then started up and said—My Lord, I
rise to order.—(Uproar, and loud cries of " Chair.")
This is the meeting of a private society for the trans-
action of its own business, and I wish to know if the
gentlemen who have interrupted the proceedings are
members of the society?
Mr. REYNOLDS, pulling out a green silk purse, and
taking a piece of money therefrom, which he tendered
to the 'Secretary, said, I make myself a member, and
claim a right to speak.
The SECRETARY refused the money so proffered; and
Mr. Reynolds, amidst great uproar, retreated from be-
side the chair, but still insisted on his right to speak.
The other claimant of the privilege said that he ap-
proved the resolution, and wished to say a few words
with regard to it.
Mr. LABOUCHERE opposed the speaker's right to ad-
dress the meeting, he not being a member.
Lord J. RUSSELL—A person who is not a member of
the society cannot address the meeting on this occasion,
and I therefore cannot allow you to go on, according to
the rules of the meeting.
Mr. REYNOLDS—Am I to be put down in this man-
ner?—(Uproar.) It is a mere attempt on your part to
put me down. I offered a guinea to become a member
of this society. I assure you that lam going to speak
in the most deferential manner.—.(Uproar and laughter.)
Lord J. RUSSELL—I don't think it would be in order
that persons who are not members should address the
meeting at present. If they become members, at any
future meeting they can speak. lam now going to put
the motion.—(Hisses from the lower end of the hall, and
cries of " Leave the room.")
The motion was put amidst considerable uproar, and
was carried almost unanimously, three hands only being
held up against it:
Lord ASHLEY then stood up to address the meeting,
and was received with applause by the great majority,
but a few persons at the end of the hall atoned for the
paucity of their numbers by the violence of their inter-
ruptions, and prevented his Lordship being heard. Mr.
Reynolds stood up at the other end of the platform, ap-
parently to encourage his supporters, with a smile on his
face, as if highly entertained by their performance. The
Noble Lord several times essayed to' speak, but was
met by the shouts of those fellows, who at last became
so disorderly that the police were called in to silence
their indecent noises. One person on the platform called
out, " Oh, don't bring in the police," but his remark
was answered by cheers from the body of the meeting.
Amid some confusion Mr. Reynolds left his place, and
strutting quickly up in front of the platform till he ap-
proached close to the chair, exclaimed to Lord John
Russell, who was also on his legs, " I appeal to your
Lordship if the working classes are to be insulted in
this manner by introducing the police?"—(Shouts and
cries of "Shamel") The Earl of Harrowby and several
other gentlemen is the front row of the platform seats,
whose feet had been molested by Mr. Reynolds'advance,
rose up, and the Noble Earl getting between Lord
John Russell and Mr. Reynolds said to the latter, " Go
back, Sir; you have no business here." Mr. Reynolds
still pressing on and forcing his way towards the chair
and across the Lord Harrowby in a very turbulent
manner, the Earl placed his hands on his breast and
shoulder and shoved him back with right good will;
whereupon Mr. Reynolds retreated to his chair and sat
down, and, after several feeble attempts to disturb the
meeting, left the hall, accompanied by his single ally on
the platform. The incident created considerable con-
fusion, and cries of various kinds arose, in which "Bravo,
Lord Harrowby!" and " Well done, Lord!" largely pre-
dominated.
Lord Jouer RUSSELL (very calmly)—Are the pro-
ceedings to go on or not?—(Cheers.) If any member of
this society has remarks to make, or any question to put
connected with this resolution, he will be at full liberty
to do so when the speaker has finished—(Cheers)—but
it would be against the rules of the society to admit any
person not a member to speak or to address the meeting
and advance other topics for discussion.—(Cheers.)
Lord Ashley will move the next resolution to the meet-
ing.—(Loud cheers and some uproar, in the midst of
which Mr. Reynolds' voice was conspicuous.)
Lord ASHLEY—WiII you be kind enough to listen to
the few words I have t o say to you---(" Oh, oh! you've
sold the people")—and allow the members of the society
to transact their own business? I had intended to enter
at some length into the working of the society, and to
point out the beneficial result of its operations to the
working classes, and to call on you to join with us, heart
and hand, in furthering this great object so manifestly
for the welfare and int.crest of society at large.—'(" Oh,
oh! shut your mouth!") My good friends down there
below the rope (at the end of the room), I have been in
the habit as much as any one of mixing with all classes
and conditions, and I have been exposed as much as any
one to be brow-beaten by large assemblies—(oh,
oh)—and I can only say I have ever come out of those
associations, notwithstanding; the rebuffs I met, with in-
creased respect and esteem for the working classes of
this kingdom—(" Oh, oh ! What about the Factory Bill?")
—with increased admiration for them. [Mr. REYNOLDS
—" You betrayed the working classes on the Ten Hours
Bill."]—(Cheers and groans.) As I see we don't happen
to be in the most perfect good humour, and as the little
that remains among us may soon be evaporated, I will
give up all I intended to say and merely address myself
to the terms of the resolution.—(Cries of "Go on, go
on.") I may say it is quite in keeping with the spirit
of the meeting, which is met to celebrate, as it were,
the opening of the model lodging-houses, to
direct attention to the zeal of those who gave us the
means of carrying them out with their kindred institu-
tions. By God's great mercy we have been delivered
from a grievous epidemic, and the piety of our people
of general thanksgiving.—
people cried " Oh!") De-
pendm urged
r.
Reynoldsho tnie
it he
eto and%c hanl I f
oneor a day
murmurs,or
two
a and
says "
Oh!" to such a
sentiment as that, is not a true member Of the working
classes.—(Tremenduous cheering.) [Mr. REYNOLDS—
I only said " Oh!" because---.., Renewed and indig-
nant cheering drowned the conclusion, and soon after
the interrupter. took his departure.] The Noble Lord
proceeded to say the resolution he had to move was
grounded on the feeling of thankfulness to which he had
alluded, and called on the meeting to acknowledge the
exertions of the Bishop of London-and of his clergy,
for the collections made on the day of general thanks-
giving, while approving of the design of building dwell-
ings for the poor•as a memorial of. deliverance from
the cholera. The society' appealed to the meeting and
the public to enable them to carry into effect that great
greatly
object, and by •means of a movement of an universal
and extensive character, to do something for the bene-
fit of the poor of the metropolis, which, by their
eoxwa-nlpelen, would be extended to thousands of their fel-
-1 m all over the empire.—(gear, hear.) He re-
joiced to tell them he had sreceived communications
m
stating the necessities under which the people laboured,
d ht h
and asking for instruction and assistance from the
larger experience of the society.
--
farno Fara
tncies, 130
ugnoble position
nit:7' ' a
sw no l lan
in' advance
hear.) He
held that this was a for the country to
hold, and he intreated them as patriots and good citi-
fce, and even America,
advance of them,
citi-
zens to give the society their assistance in carrying out
so large and comprehensive a scheme for the ameliora-
tion of the whole human race.—(Loud cheers.) He ex-
pressed his admiration of the contemplated plan for
constructing a model lodging-house for from 100 to 200
people at the rate of Is. a week. The society would
thereby not only confer a great benefit on those whom
it received within these walls, but it would set an ex-
ample to be imitated over the length and breadth of the
metropolis. Let the meeting consider the present con-
dition of unhappy Aledlewomen living in garrets and in
crowded cellars—eight, ten, or twenty in one room—
without any provision for their decency or their comfort.
Yet they were paying for these miserable lodg-
ments two and three times the sum which the
society would as for lodgings provided with every
requiremet. There would be baths and washhouses-
provided, and yet the whole establishment would
be self-supporting. The buildings of the society
might be the result of charitable and kind feelings
but they were not charitable' or eleemosynary in
their character. They were maintained by the people,
who were thus enabled to preserve unimpaired the
spirit of honest independence. The wealthier classes
provided the capital which labourers could not sup-
ply ; but having done so, they left to the working-
ma.n.the duty of maintaining the habitation so provided
for him. These institutions did not place the working
man in a position of independence; they enabled him to
turn to account his wages and receipts, and to develope
his phySical, moral, and intellectual resources.—(C beers.)
One of the great advantages of such societies was, that
they set an example for good men to imitate, and from
which bad men could-not shrink.—(Hear.) In proof of
this he would mention that near where they were then
assembled the society had obtained a large house adapted
for its purposes, which was let at a very moderate rent
as compared with the charges for the most disgusting
accommodation in the same neighbourhood. The in-
spector of that house was, a short time after it had been
opened, met by the proprietor of a lodging-house over
the way, who addressed him thus:—" You abominable
fellow, you'll be the ruin of me. Since you opened I
have been obliged- to spend 400 L, for no one, atter seeing
your place, would come into mine."—(Cheers.) That
certainly would be the result when the taste of the work-
ing people improved. Their tastes had been degraded
only because they bad been compelled to live in the
midst of so much filth and, discomfort, from which no
I powers of. their, own could rescue them. He quoted
the case of Church-lane as an example of the evil
consequences of opening fine new streets through pre-
viously wretched 'localities, without providing for the
l accommodation of the poor so displaced. Four years
ago Church-lane was in an overcrowded etatei but