The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1870-02-13
"seven Curses Of Lor dom

This is q work by the same author. rs that of
"The Amateur Casual" Mr. Greenwood. The
horrors here detailed are shocking: the very
first statement is enough to paralyze one. He
says:
lit is Il startling fact that in England and
Wales alone at the present time, tnc number
of children under the age Of sixteen d pendent
more or less on the parochial authorities for
maintenance, amounts to 't|'c 6""d,ed and ftty
Thousand. Ii is scarcely less startling to learn
that annually more than {. hundred thousand
criminals emerge at the doors of orr v:lrions
prisons. But (and here is the point of the
authors frs; curse rightly headed Neglect
ed Children il is an accepted fact, that
daily, winter and summer, within the limits of
ourNast and wealthy city of London alone,
there wander. destitute OF proper CHardian-
ship, food, clothing or employment, u hnndred
MoHsand boys aid girls in fair training for the
trcad-nliu and the>oal<um shed, and finally for
Portland and the convicts mark.
This making of povertysa crime this treat
ing of the orphan and the t;ithrrless che OBJ
jccts of Lords special tcntlcrneS>) as an
inals less worthy of consideration than 50 the
beasts that pcrish,' two OF the special
features OF the roor-lnw system. naugurlted
" Good Queen Bess." Bat as Mr.. Greenwood
says, these figures do not represent tenth
part of the millions who live in ne streets,
''rasamuhn babies. Graded in gnoscbcrry
sleeves, with Il wisp of straw to lie ~ He con
tinucs:
Il have had mach experience IN this way,
that one day | may write book on the
llaunts and Homes of the British Baby 1t
was not long after the .inc.dtut OF the goose
Berry sieve that I discovered in one small
room in which family of six resided three
little children, varying III age from three to
eight, prriIaps, and stark naked. 1t was noon
of ii summers day, and there hey Were, nude
as forest monkeys, and so hid""nsly 'iirty that
every rb-bonc in their poor. wasted little
bodies shome plain and in color like mahogany.
As soon rs put my head in Il the door, they
scattered, scared as rabbits, t" the bed IN
arrangement OF Tyi!-smeilIng iI'ek and "'d
r"tat" sacks. and was informed by the mot her
that they had not II rag 10 Wear and had been
in their present condition for more than h'rcc
HtOH!hS.'
An extract is given from DR.. Lethcby's re-
port (Inidn to the Commissioners OF Sewers
which is the more horrible from tn" absence OF
feeling or disgust at he tcrrihl" picture 1T dis
closes. 8 In 1879 rooms. 51jl inmates, men,
women and chjllren hcrding together like
hrut" beasts. Grown persons of both sexes,
s!rcr,ng III common with their parents,
bret hers ard sisters. cousins. and even the
casual acquaintance %! Il day tramp, occupy
ing the same bed OF filthy rags or straw" a
woman n-,l,i-h birth, dead snt!, and Il; lying
father all in the same wrctchcd room. with no
s,'l,arat ION between the living. the dying and
the dead in another court - men, 13 women,
and ~ children living in 81 rooms - the at
nabe,'' e" ittid and stagnant eNhnlations," the
- products of rutI"t;tction.' p"lluting the air
OF the whole place.
Bat why Gas Mr.. Greenwood asks does not the
Ia" sup Al = - Stringent anu Nir-ii'tht
enough regards inferior animals l, has !,
stern eye for pigs. and will not permit them to
h. kept except certain, iuhrNibc conditions,
bu it takes no heed of the cries OF its perse-
cutrd babes and sucklingS. Any one may
start pIotrssrti ad"pter of children Any !
one, However guor,iit and brutal, may start
:, baby farmer. with liberty t" do she pleases
with the helpless creatures placed III her
charge. And is there
remedy for IS !? Would it not be possible, mt |
least, to is~ licenses to babykccpers, is they |
are ut preset issued to cow-kecpcrs 1t may |
appear Il brutal way of putting the matter; |
but il becomes less when considers how
much at present the brutes have the best of
it.
Within stones throw of the Houses of Par
Lament, here sit Geo wise gentlemen impan-
eled to make what laws they please for inn
proving the condition OF the people-every one
ut the said GOO being an educated man of lib
cral mind and fully recognizing the Christian
maxim that gos,liness and cleanliness iden-
tical--Inay he found human creatures housed
in places that would ruin the health of Il coun-
try-brcd pig. In these same places parents
and grown up and little children herd i'll the
rrtr,ti-ri;i and Sickness does not
break mp the party, even the presence of
grim dealt! itself
Such is tn" picture drawn of the capital of
The British Empire by an Englishman. A pic
lure which stares English philanthropy and
'hrstn civilization in the face of this nine
tccnth century,