The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1844-11-28

ter 10 o'clock. 1t will be remembers
that their regular nightly operations ha
| been interfered with, and they had BEEF
; hurried home!
We stopt at the door of a good looking
brick house, and were admitted by th
mother, who remained in the entry, ate
we entered the room, probably suspect
ing we were police officers. Having in
vitcd her in, we soon told our errrand. -
She was a good looking woman, not lily
clad, and the furniture of the apartment
was much better than might have been
expected. The poor woman'S ccuntenance
told worse tale than other appearances
1t was sad and detected. 1t manifested
no agition from our unreasonable VISIT
Her whole demeanor was reserved and
somewhat sullen. When we expressed
our surprise that she should allow her
children to be thus exposed, she hoped
they would never do any thing worse than
beg. at is easy to talk" said she, "but
what can a woman do who has four small
childfen, and is unable to work? ?"
As she appeared to be entirely insensi-
bic to the danger 10 which her children
were exposed, we ventured the suggestion
that if they were allowed to continue the
practice, means would be used such as the
laD provides 10 put a stop to it. This
hint reached the fountains Of feeling, and
led 10 revelation of the cause of all the
misery. She had not raised her eyes since
our entrance. and now she burst into tears,
and covered her face, excalming with
great emotion. "you had better mGke lars
10 put a stop to the gin sbOps!"
Reader there was the mighty secret
1t was a touching scene. We had not de-
signed to distress her, but it was evident
that she had sensibillies beyond our sus.
picion. Assuring her that we would do
something more than talk, and that we
would take care that there should be in fu'
ture no occasion for her children 10 be
sent out begging pennies, we left and re-
turned home. 1t was near eleven o'clock,
and all the houses were closed except the
gin shops. from which in various quarters,
The voice of revelry came forth. They
were in operation, under the eye of the
law, keeping up the supply of street beg
gars.
We have these children and their alb.
iect and slrken mothers under observa>
ZION, and shall report TO our readers in fu.
ture. We are not without hope that our
humble efforts have been, or may be, the
means of snachIng those young victims of
cupidi'y from fate infinitely
more cruel than untime y death.
Fellow Citizens there are in our midst
hundreds Of young girls, mere children,
from six 10 twelve years of age, treadlng
the same path-runnlng the streets during
The day with apples, or oranges, or match
es, frequenting the wharves ard hotels, TO
gather an occasional penny by selling
their wares or by begging-roaming at
night where they list, and mingling with
the most depraved of both scxes-recev-
ing no mental or moral culture---praclis-
ing arlifce and falsehood to gain their
ends-casting off all the restraints of fe>
male delicacy, and finally sinking into the
practice OF theft and other vices, and fur.
nshlng recruits for that immense army Of
lcentlous and abandoned women, who in.
fest and disgrace our community. These
juvenile stragglers are mostly within the
reach of help. Many of them are driven
by necessity to some such means of living,
and of maintaining their destitute or drum.
ken parents. 1t only needs the ouslre'ch'
ed arm Of humanity 10 arrest their course
and restore them to the path Of virtue,
from which they are Just beginning to
wander. Think of these things. There
is much room for useful ldbor-there is
loud cry for help.-PhiI. Temp. Sian.