The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-11-12 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD•

TOWN EDITION.

OPENING OF THE NEW SCLIOOLS
CONNECTED WITH
ST. MICHAEL'S CHURCH, TOXTETH-PARK

The schools were opened on Wednesday last, and though
the weather was unpropitious, the attendance of friends
was numerous. Shortly after twelve o'clock a number
of the influential members of the congregation assembled,
with their families, and several of the clergy, at the house
of the Rev. W. Hesketh, the incumbent.; and about one
a procession of the children of the schools, followed by a
number of ladies and gentlemen, and headed by the band
of the Blue Coat School, moved towards the site of the
new schools, in Lark-lane. The buildings are arranged
in three divisions of nearly equal dimensions, under the
same roof, for boys, girls, and infants respectively ; and
have been most substantially built and suitably furnished
by Mr. Edward Roberts, of Washington-street. When
the children had taken their places in the lower school-
room, the Rev. W. Hesketh opened the meeting with
prayer. which was followed by appropriate collects, and
concluded by a fervent and impressive prayer prepared
for the occasion. This service being brought to a close,
the children sting al.: Hundredth Psalm, and the Rev.
Chairman addressed the company to the following effect:
—He expressed his deep and cordial gratification at the
generous and prompt contributions already given in the
neighbourhood towards the erection of the schools, and
the speedy manner in which they had been applied, little
more than twelve months having elapsed since the build-
ing, (now completed for use,) was first contemplated.
Their high object in view, in prospective. was well known ;
their present object was not to establish schools where
none were before, but, in proportion to the enlargement
of the neighbourhood, to enlarge the previous school ac-
commodation, and, upon the solid and unerring principles
of divine appointment, to carry out those texts of Scrip-
ture inset ibed on the walls of the schools, and thereby to
mould the heart in obedience to their restraints and obli-
gations. This was the only system upon which God had
promised his blessing in his Holy Word—that children
being trained in his fear and love, might possess an eternal
inheritance. With respect to the infant school, the only
new branch proposed in their system, he would not delay
them, as he was pledged to bring the subject (more ap-
propriately) before them on Sunday next. He thanked
all present for their contributions, and requested them to
unite with him in a vote of thanks to their kind friend and
neighbour, Mr. Beckwith, who had proved himself not
only a liberal benefactor, but a skilful architect and able
superintendent. In conclusion, he addressed the children
in an earnest and affectionate manner, urging them to
early attendance, diligence, and good conduct.
The rev. gentleman then proceeded to award prizes of
books to four of the children, two boys and two girls, who
had attended the school the longest period with dilicence
and punctuality. The national anthem, "Lord of (leaven
and earth, and ocean," was then sung by the children,
who then passed in order to the upper, or girls' school-
room, where a substantial dinner of roast beef and plum
pudding was provided for them, and where they were
speedily joined by numbers of the company, who seemed
to derive as much gratification from the inspection of the
scene as the children did in the enjoyment of it. Thus,
though not till nearly four o'clock, terminated the inter-
esting and important ceremony of opening the Saint Mi-
chael's School—a festival which will be long remembered
by all, both young and old, who wete eegaged in it.

MORE CRUEL EFFECTS OF TILE NEW

POOR-LAW.

In the Times of Saturday last, we find recorded two
painful cases of suicide, arising, in all human probability,
from the rigour of this new, and, we fear not to add, un-
constitutional and unchristian law,—the victims (both re-
spectable in their stations) being driven to desperation by
dread of the Union Workhouse ! Tire first case was that
of an aged farm labourer, William Haynes, of Ruislip,
who had, through life, borne an irreproachable character
by all who knew or had employed him. An inquest was
held on view of the body, at Eastcot, in the parish of
Ruislip, on Thursday last, before Mr. Wakley, IMP., and
a jury of respectable farmers and inhabitants. The de-
ceased was nearly seventy years of age, and had a wife
nearly as old, to whom he was affectionately attatched.
He was found on the pr.ivious !sunday in a ditch, near the
cottage which he inhabited, dead, but not quite cold,—he
having cut his throat with a razor,—at first, it appears,
ineffectually, and afterwards enlarged the wound with a
penknife, so that he had bled to death. The razor was
found under his arm, covered with blood, and the pen-
knife was still sticking in the perforation. It was stated
that " he was a very good man, and had an aged wife ; also
that he had latterly been rather feeble and poorly; that he
had subscribed to a benefit club for forty years, and had
for some ,weeks received 6s. weekly from it, but that this
would in twelve months be reduced to 3s. a week for life,
but that the funds had become so much reduced by ma!-
practices of the officers in charge of them, that it was pro-
bable the soci- ty would be broken up, so that he would
receive nothing !". This disgraceful conduct of the par-
ties (upon which the coroner strongly remarked, expressing
his regret t' at the opulent inhabitants did not look after
those clubs) prayed upon his spirits, and nearly broke his
heart, as he had long often denied himself a Sunday's dinner
to meet his payments, in order to secure himself and aged
partner some little provision in old age and decrepitude.
He had been attended latterly by a doctor, who directed
him to have half-a-pound of butcher's meat a-day ; and
he got, on that account, from the parish, an allowance,
not of the quantity prescribed, but only 31b. a-week, the
half-pound for Sunday (the poor man's holiday) being
omitted, " according to the custom there:" aaother ex-
ample of the considerate mercies of the new poor law !
About seven weeks ago, the deceased called on Mr.
Jenkins, a retired London tradesman, who resided at
Easteot, and occasionally employed him, consider-
ing him "an excellent person.' Mr. J., seeing him
dejected, said to him, " Why have not you called
upon me lately ?" He replied, " I was going sir, but
didn't like—didn't like to impose on his good nature."
Witness told him not to be afraid of that; there should
always be something for him when he called. He thanked
witness, and said that he had been to several places to get
work, without succeeding ; and that he was afraid that he
and the ol.t woman would be starred to death this winter;
and that he should have perished of want this winter if
he (witness) had not relieved him. Witness said, " Well,
at all events, should it come to the worst, ou could go
into the house," meaning the union workhouse ; to which
deceased sharply said, " No, I would rather starve' to
death." He repeated this, and very firmly, and then
added, that as for the farmers, they were as bad off as the
workmen ; that there was plenty of work wanting to be
done, but no money to pay the men, and that the poor
farmers were eaten up by game, tithes, and taxes.
()tie of the jurymen here stated, that a farmer, not far
off, was obliged to pay a boy 3s. to keep the game off his
corn land. Several others of the jury remarked that the
game had become a dreadful evil against them.
The witness fin continuation) stated, that he again
advised, if deceased could not procure work, and the club
failed, that he should go into the union. " No," deceased
replied, " I would rather suffer a dozen deaths than go
there, and be separated from my poor old woman in our
old age." Witness did not doubt that deceased would
have destroyed himself last winter if he had not assisted
him, and that, from knowing him well, his habits and
his character, he firmly, and in his conscience, believed,
that it was his dread of ultimately being compelled to go
to the union-house that had caused him to commit suicide.
He had not the slightest doubt of it.
The coroner stated that, with the exception of the short
allowance of meat, the parish officers had administered
the law its it stood. There was no proof of insanity, but
after having paid so long to the club, hearing that the
funds were nearly exhausted, and dreading the workhouse,
he had adopted the dreadful alternative of putting a period
to his existence. The jury returned a verdict to the
effect, that he had destroyed himself, but that there was
no evidence to enable them to determine his state
of mind. Several of them stated that they bad no
doubt but that finding the club about to break up, the
fear of being obliged to go into the Union-house
was the cause of the act.
The second case was disclosed at an inquest held
before the same coroner, on Friday last, on the body
of Mary Allaways, aged 63, a poor needlewoman,
whose body presented a dreadfully emaciated ap-
pearance. She was last seen alive by the landlady
of the house in which she lodged on Tuesday evening,
wire ; her manner appeared strange, and on going up
stairs she broke a piece of bread from a loaf she had with
her, and said, ' Only taste it ; it is so very sweet."
Next day she was found in the bed quite dead. A cup
with some liquid was found near the window, and on the
table a letter, which stated that she was much troublA
in mind from being unable to procure work, and owing
seven weeks' rent. It further stated, that the only thing
in the world she possessed was a watch, which she im-
agined to be worth £lO. She beqeeathed the proceeds of
its sale to liquidate her debts, and the remainder to go to-
wards her funeral; but if it did not raise sufficient for the
latter purpose, her body was to be sent to the workhouse
for interment by the parish. It then added her earnest
wish that she should have one friend to follow her to the
grave, and a-hope that her poverty would not be made
known ; concluding with the words, " God bless you all ; I
am very much excited, and my pen is very bad." Deceased
was an extremely well-behaved woman, and had been well
educated. 1 hey always imagined she had some trifling
income that helped to support her, but since her death
they had found such was not the case, and that she sup-
ported herself by her needle. She bad latterly appeared
very desponding, which she stated arose from her inabi-
lity to procure work and the poor wages she received for
it. She had once or twice adverted lately to the double
suicide at Kilmarnock, and said she would rather follow
that example than apply for relief. She had some friends,
who occasionally gave her food, but she seldom had any
other meals but breakfast and tea. The surgeon said,
the body was wretchedly emaciated, and the deceased bad
all the appearance of having been completely starved.
The coroner remarked, that this was an exceedingly pain-
ful case, and he feared he should have a great many more
similar cases whilst poverty was treated as a crime. it
was evident from the letter that she was a well-educated
and highminded woman, but it was wholly impossible for
them to judge of the misery she felt when she contem-
' plated the degraded manner in which she would be treated
if she made her distresses known. The jury returned a
verdict, "That the deceased destroyed herself by taking
oxalic acid, but in what state of mind she was at the time
there was no evidence to show."

MRS. CLARKE'S BENEFIT.'--It will be seen that Mrs.
Clarke takes her benefit at the Theatre-Royal, on Mon-
day next.

AN AMERICAN EXPLA.N'ATION.—A shopkeeper in
New York, who pretended to sell his goods very low, male
a practice of telling the purchasers that he lost money by
every article he sold. " I wonder much," said one of his
customers, " that you continue in so bad a line of busi-
ness." '` Oh." replied the shopkeeper, " I couldn't
stand it, only I do so much of i'.