The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-17
LITDRATURE.
REVIEW or VIEW 0oKs.

L
Mr.. James Greenwood made himself famous
nv spending n night in the Lambeth work.
bonee in London as n pauper and then
piving the world graphic description of his
exper1ences. His article was scathing ex-
nose of the British workhouse system, and
the deep impression it made induced the
writer to make a speciality of the same class
of subiects-subiects, by-the-way, that sadly
need to be set before the public by the pen
of an honest and able reporter. The present
work is n descriptive analysis of the seven
curses of London, which the author desig-
mates as Neglected Children; Pro-
fessional Thieves; Professional Beggars; Fal-
len Women; the Curse of Drunkenness; Bet
ting Gamblers and Waste Of Charity. Seve-
raj chapters are devoted to each of these
themes. and considerable information of
statistical as well as Of general character is
presented, which is well worthy of the
thoughtful consideration of readers on both
sides Of the Atlantic. Mr.. Greenwood is
forcible and often an eloquent writer; he is
thoroughly conversant with his theme, and
we commend the book to the consideration of
the public.
We present tho following extract on "Baby
Farming, as better calculated to give our
readers an idea Of the merits of the work
than any comments of ours could do
Here is daily newspaper that is mainly an
advertising broadsheGt 1t is an old-establishcd
newspaper. and its advertisement columns may
be said fairly to reflect the condition of the
female labor market over vast tracts of the
London district. Column after column
tells of the wants OF servants and
masters. "Cap-hands, ''tcother-honds"
"artifclal flower hands 'ChCne-
hands hands for the manufacture Of CHG
mons and 'hair-nGts' and bead work. and
all manner Of plating and quilting and
"gauttcring' in ribbon and net and muslin, con-
trbutng towards the thousand and one articles
that stock the "lancy' trade. There are more
newspapers than one that aspire as mediums
between employer and employed but this,
before all others is tte newspaper, daily conned
10y thousands of girls and women i'm search OF
work OF the kind above mentioned, and it is
i'm this newspaper that the baby-farmcr fishes
wholesale for customers.
write ''wholcsole," and surely it is nothing
else. To the uuiniJiatcd i'm this peculiar branch
OF the world, wickednc-s it would seem that.
ls au article OI negotiation, baby would figure
rarcr than anything, aud in their innocence
they might be fairly guided to this conclusion
on the evidence of their personal experience of
the unAiuchug love of parents, though ever so
poor, for their children: yet in q single number
OF this newspaper, published every day of the
week and all the year round. be il borne i'm
Vertiscment@, cmauaJing from individuals So
HcitOus for the care, weekly monthly. yearly
anyhow, OF other peoples children. and that on
terms odorous Of starvation at the least in every
mcaMc figure,
u L evident glance that the advertisers seek
Tor customers and expect none other than from
among the sorely pnchcd and pOyerty-stricleu
class that specially patroniIc the newspaper in
question. The complexion, tone. and terms Of
their yillainOusly cheap suggestions Tor child
adoption are most cunningy shaped to meet the
possible requirements of some unfortunate work
girl, who, earning while at liberty never more
than seven or eight shllllngs week, finds her
self hampcTcd with an infant for whom no
father is forthcoming. There can scarcely be
imagined q more terrible cncumbrance than u
young baby is TO a working girl or woman
so crcumsunccd. Very often she has
home before her disaster announced itself
her first home, that is, with her
parents-and in her shame and disgrace she
abandons it, determined on hiding away where
she is unknown, keeping herself to herself
She has no other means OF earning a livelihood
excepting that she has been used to- She b
''cap hand or an 'artlcial-tlOWer hand, and
such work is always entirely performed ut the
warehouse, Immediately under the employers
eye. What is she to do She cannot possibly
carry her baby with her to the shOp and keep ii
with her the liVelOng day. Were she inclined
50 to do, and could somehow con-
trive TO accomplish the double duty of nurse
and tlowcr-WeaVcr 1t would not be allowed. If
she stays at home in the Wretched little room
she rents with her infant, she and it must grow
hungry. 1t is a terrible dilemma for Young
woman "all but good and honestly willing to
accept the grievous penalty she must pay If it
may be accomplished by the labor Of her hands.
Small and puny however the poor unwccome
little stranger may be, it is perfect ogre of
rapacity on its unhappy mothers eXertions
Now and then an instance of the set-sacrificinG
devotion exhibited by those unhappy mothers
Tor their fatherless children creeps into print.
There was held in the parish of st. Lukes, last
summer. an inquest on the body of neglected
infant, aged seven months. The woman to whose
care she was cOnfded had rot drunk, and left
the poor little thing exposed to
the cold. so that it died. The mother paid the
drunken nurse four-and-siXpence Il week for the
child's keep, and it was proved in evidence that
she (the mOther) had been earning at her trade
OF paper-bag making never more than siX-and-
threepence during the previous five months.
That was fOur-and-SiNpenCe for baby and one
and-ninepence for herself.
don't think, however, that the regular baby
farmer is a person habitually given To drink,
The successful and lucrative prosecution of her
business tOrbids the indulgence. Decidedly not
one OF the eleven advertisements before men
toned read like the connections of persons
whose heads were mudded with beer or gin
Here is the first One:-
EY7NURsE CHILD WANTED, OR TO ADOPT-ThC
advertiser a widow with a little family of her owl
and moderate allowance from her late husbandI
friends, would he glad to accept the charge of
young child. Age no object. If sckly would receive
a PARENTS care Terms, fifteen shilings month
or would adopt entirely II under TWO months for tn
small sum Of twelve pounds.
Women are shrewder than men at understand
ing these matters, and the advertisement j
addressed to women; but | doubt if
man would be far wrong in 5ettin
little family of her own" as one of thos
monsters in womans clothing who go abou
seeking for babies to deyou. Her 'moderat