The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1847-07-08
The Children Of the Brewery
"Mcn of God, to you VIC cry,
Rests on you our fearful eye,
Holm US. ChristiNnS .or We die"


I1epus, Christians, orwe die"
In our paper of April LIST, an article was
copied from city paper with the caption,
" Tie Oil BrewerV," giving some account Of
& building containing sixty or eighty rooms,
cram!ncd to Overlooking with specimens OF
togra led and suffering humanity: This
Notwithstanding edlco, more revolving eX-
tcrnollv than any Deacon Giles Distillcry"
ever dreamed Of stands just in the heart OF
our New York Sodom. Prompted by the
wish to know what there might be there to do,
or that could be done with good results, we
Yesterday improved an opportunity to accom-
pany few friends to this place on tour OF
observation. We were prepared torsad sights
and unwclcomc sccneS-but not at all tor
what our eyes behold, Truly the half had
not been told, nor can language tell It, 10
Be understood at all, it should be witnessed,
and by those possessing iron nerves and strong
Observation-Disclosures the effort to behold it would
prove a failure.
We were met at the entrance, which leads
through an alley to the rear building, with
note of warning from several voices" Don't
30 there p" Better not go in there !"-and
rs we pressed our way through, horrid oaths,
from stentorian voices, maniac rawlings, and
the swagger of the drunkard, greeted the eye
and ear. Amid the herd that lined the pas
sage way, several sturdy dogs stood sentinel,
and though we knew why they were there,
they excited less fear than our own degraded
species Tracts were handed as we passed to
those who would receive them-and guided
by several children who were at home in this
earthly Aceldama, we found our way from
room to loom, till prudence babe US deslst
and retrace our steps.
The atmosphere was any thing but breath
ablG-and all the extremes of human wretch
edness seemed here impcrsonatcd IN their
most revolving forms. In one room, upon
filthy narrow bed, laya husband and wife, sut-
fering with burning fever. They had not
room apparently even to change their position
and nothing in the room indicated the pos
session Of single article necessary to the COM
fort Of the invalid. Ga the floor, at their feet
IL ch.ld was lying upon q bed Of rags, with
parchcd lips, and breath half putrd- and
few feet distant, was another human form, too
weak apparently to remove the vermin man
ifostly more alive than their poor victim. A
number Of persons, old and young. gathered
in this room to seek our compassion. Moth
ers with babes in their arms, or young chill
dren at their side, looked eagerly for some re-
lief In another room lay corpse, shroudlcs5
and coflinloss-in another still We saw very
sick child, lying on a chest against an open
window--through which a burning sun pour
ell a measure of light and heat most undesir
able to the invalid there was no bed at
hand on which he could be laid-no relief of
auy sort-anl his meek look of anguish seem
cd TO utter the prayer, Come Death,and re-
lease me-"
The jargon of human voices upon the prem
ises was almost deafenng-the unvcntllated
rooms nauseating to the sight and sense, and
tho whole scene, without and within, was bet
ter calculated to remind one ofthc great Pris.
on House where lost spirits writhe in hopeless
anguish, than any thing earthly that we have
ever witnessed.
But the most touching part CT the spectacle
is not yet depicted. We had heard of the
"innocent Children the laughtcr-loving
children of the Brewery" But what was our
surprise to find here half score of them in a
single group !-bright-eyod little girls from
six to twelve years of age, appealing to their
wrctchcd mothers with touching cloquence, 10
let them 90 with us, and d" get some good place
t. Hos." Some twenty or thirty women and
children of this class surrounded US like SO
many hungry bcars,and followed us distance
of block or two despite our efforts to escape
them, every step appealing to our sympathies
ready apparently to 90 any where, or do
any thing for relief. Judging from what we
saw, had our Home for the friend!ess been in
operation, w! might have taken with Us from
this place ten or a dozen, and perhaps twice
tho number, of little girls, under twelve years
of age, whose poor, half-starved, dssolute or
degraded mothers, would have showercd
blessings upon us for the favor
Shall these children perish? In Chris
tian city-within a stones throw Of our splen-
did churches, where wealth and fashion bow,
and offer their incense at Gods altar p
Where Missionary meeting would call to-
g.ther-as it should do--thousands Of the
upper tcn," to listen to the story Of heather
ism afur off, to be so.moved with pity at de-
s,riptions of IIindoo degradation, that they
are constrained to contribute Of their sub
stance, "to give the burdencd conscience
else." Has truth such force when urged in
behalf Of the perishing on the other side Of
the globo--and shall the same class at our own
doors lift their imploring hands in vain p
Christians of Now York-would thatwe could
reach your eye and ear and appeal to you ii
the name of humanity-we would ask you re-
spcctfully but earnestly, not to take the wore
of another-but 90, behold for yourselves
look on those young immortals-and answer
to vour own hearts the solemn inquiry, How
much is a man better than beast ?"-Advo
cate and Guardian.