The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1851-01-04
The Low Lodging Houses of England.

Tho Low Lodging Houses of England.
From the LONDON Chronicle, Dec.
Our readers have long been acquainted with the
frightul state Of the low lodging houses throughout
me country. They have long known that, though
dlhcult to be dealt with, the evils resulting from
the existing condition and management of these
miserable feceptacles of vice andswretchedness,
are alike shocking and disgraceful. Yet, though
these evils are constantly referred to by those
who have investigated the subject of the poor,
no real efforts have hitherto been made to sup
press them. Instead of being placed under the
surveillance OF the police, the establishments
in question are practically unregulated by any
thing but the mere convenience of the moment,
and are allowed to flourish undisturbed in
a very luxuriance of inlquty. Our own letters
rom our various special correspondents, both in
the metropolis and the provinces, have contained
accurate and authentic exposions of the over
crowdng, disease, filth, and crime of these lodg-
ing houses-while sanitary reports, and house-to-
house commissions, have published the same facts
IN more oii1cIal, II IN less popular form. Their
evil is incalculable-and it is none the less serious
because not Immediately felt by the higher classes
tue, and distribute moral contamination wherever
they exist, striking upward as well as downward,
and difiusing their noxious influences TO the fur
tbest confines OF the social circle.
painful case connected with these lodging
houses has been lately reported in our poc &c intel
lgsncs and as the investigation was brought 10
conclusion on Tuesday last reported in ourp,per
OF yesterday, we now feel no hesitation in aludng
TO ". The circumstances, which are too gross 10
Be more than erely indicated, disclose stale Of life
and manners not TO be met with among the lowest
races OF savages and fearfully corroboratve of the
descriptions given by our special correspondents.
The outrage to which we allude--one of the vilest
kind, and accompanied with circumstances of pc
cular atrociIy-was committed by an elderly man,
Elisha Denton, on the person OF Emma Bennett,
young grl, aged fifteen. u was Witnessed GER
tainy by one person, who deposed TO the fact-pro-
baby by more than one-and IL was known to
several; yet il excited no attention at the time and
but little interest rffervnria--cn HffIp hat tba
roiice were not informed oft until week after its
occurrence, though the girl had manifested much
distfess and terror on the occasion. We would
lot sreek now of the guilt OF the wretch who per-
petrared this outrage, but of the facilities which
the arrangements of these lodging houses oticr To
such as HIM for crimes ct the like nature, and OF
the utter want of decency-ihe utter deatening OF
all moral feeling AMI perception-in those who
live under the communicating influence Of such a
syttem.
1 Eighteen people, "men and women mixed in
Discriminatory" ii IN twelve beds, all in the same
room, and SIT close together the hoor-the
latest conner placed where most convenient TO the
landlord, without reference to the sex or cond-
ton Of the person already occupying the bed
yOnih and age, vice, disease and drunkenness, all
mix, up in one seethDg mass Of iniquity-such
were the dormitory arrangements of tiis casual
lodging boufe-and ueh are the conditions of do
mestic existence for Enghsh men and women in
hundreds OF like places They excite no alarm
they create no shame; they are considered itung
fer the people for whom they are made, aud are
accepted as IN the natural order Of things Dscen-
cy would there be- out Of places II would be unin.
telgiele asa foreign lanRuage-itw ould be Laughed
down, and cried "shame" on, and treated as IA Of
fence against the local law. The landlord OF this
model lodging hOuse-for so the den was desg
mated when que STONED by the magistrate admit
that he had three sleeping rooms Ia his house,
with twelve beds IN each;" adding, with perfect
GOODNESS, " men and women all sleep together
IN one room" The thing 10, u seems, COM
mon, that no one thinks IL strange or shameful
suffers the smallest disturbance a. a m
desiy that Is about equal 10 that which a cage OF
apes ard monkeys wonld exhibit Like bruies Of
the lowest order. thus crowd OF human being lie
down, thick and rank together, and every barrier
that the commonest sense of morality or humanity
would raisc between them, IL Hang down, till all
becomes one indstingulshable heap Of vice aud
hth.
such things es these ouqh, to be prevented by
the strong arm of the law. They are too olariaRy
oTpostd even IN the lowest lessons of civtiizi
tion--too revolving 10 every higher instinct Of
humeniu Ito lie suffered in nation that claims 10
h. in the van Of moral progress. They are among
the true plague ~ the time; and We should do
Nell 10 RENE mber that disease spreads upward
u al the moruhcation of the foot al last reaches
Tie heart That these lodging houses have
worked fatal evil among the NrtuOus poor. many
cf our correspondents letters show. Many are
the cases ip which confirmed thief or coz
yicied fclon he's dated from them his irsi lessons
in crime. lie came there innocent aud poor
he left, an accomplished swindier or 4 suc-
cessfnl burglar. They have brought 10 shame
and the streets many poor girl, who, when out
Of place or out Of work. aud without resources or
friends has been obliged 10 take advantage of their
chespness They have been fruitful nurseries Of
crime IN every iorm-soutcts oi certain corruption
to all who enter their hideous circle-breedng dis
ease and vice IN equal proportions, and thus be-
coming both ply seal and moral scourge to
our generation. There is no solid reason why they
should not be checked ana controlled by the public
authonties OF course the poor must have places
wherein to sleep--cssusl lodgings for night or
twc. or perhaps Tor a few hours only in the night;
end such lodgings must he cheap, and, therefore,
without much atempts at refinement, ei her as
regards the inmates or the accommodation. But
they may We made decent-they mey be made
places whtre the poor who are not vicious. can
sleep without ouuaging every feeling, aud destroy
ing every moral princiPle-they may be made
simple lodgings, houses of refuge and resort, and
not the dens of iniquity they are now practically
houses Of the very worst fame.
When the lsndlord, in the case to which we
have alluded, was asked why, having three sleep
ing apartments in his house, he could not make a
chat plore moral classification Of his lpdgers
SO that the married couples might steep Va one
room, single mtn in a second, and single ~0inen
m a thud. he answered frankly that |" this would
not SUIT his business" We need not diaie On all
that les behind these few words, nor nee se ex.
llGio IN what particulars this ciasslhcaiiCS would