Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-10-13
Letter from Boston.
VI, COqucrel-Decr JsIand-New Aims
hOuse-PreFeHfiOH OF CrIme-H eetIng
in Aid of Chicago,
lFEox OR REGULAR ooRREsroSDESI.I
Boston. Oct II. 1sI1

Dp.LpNf gll- II, ISL.
The city is full Of life, and II Is hard TO tell
what are the chief interests Of the crowds Of
busy people Mile. Nilsson ezcites 2 great en-
thusiasm, and lovers of music rejoice over their
present good fortune, and the promise, besides, of
such music all winter as Boston has never before
heard Then we have NJ. Coquerel here the IA
nous French preacher. have heard him lecture
twice-once in the Rev. John 7. Sargent's par
lor, on Indsdualism in Art; and once in Music
hail. on the siege of Paris. He is a charming
speaker, vivid and rapid in description, clear in
statement, brilliant, witty, and playful; giving
his hearers the impression, not only of intellect
and cultivation, but still more of a strong, no.
bic, tender and sunny character. He speaks
English with perfect ease and a very slight
foreign accent; yet it is difficult to follow him
in his rapid speech, unless one is near to him
and can see his face. In a parlor, thought him
almost faultess as a public speaker; but sitting
far back in Music hall, lost entirely a part of
what he said and other passages were indistinct
to me. If you have him in Worcester, as of
course you will, l hope you will hear him in
| church, rather than in Mechanics hall. It seems
so unfair, both to speaker and audience, to have
a lecture in a hall too large for the orators
voice, and where hundreds of persons on back
seats are disappointed and displeased because
they can't hear. The disappointment usually
takes the form of unfuvorable criticism; and a
chorus of 81 don't think much of him. is heard,
when really the lecturer has done admirably,
and only the committee of arrangements were
in fault
Boston is to have a new almshouse, and the
question where shall it be is interesting, in
yolving not only the cost and situation of the
building, but the condition and treatment of
pauperS. The almshouse is now on Deer Island,
in one of the wings of the prison. The island
is pleasant place, with plenty of room, pure
air, lovely views, and a more moderate climate
than the main land. The islands in the harbor
are five degrees Fahrenheit cooler in summer
and warmer in winter than the city is. But
Deer Island has been for so long a time place
for criminals that, reasonably or not, it is con-
sldered by most persons, and especially by the
honest poor, disgrace to be sent there. AT
| present there are $40 paupers on the island; and
about $50 persons in the prisons and the reform
| schools. Whatever faults there may be in the
| present system of treatment of criminals and
paupers land it is not at all certain that the
whole system is not radically wrong), one thing
is sure, that kind intelligent and efficient officers
are constantly trying to improve the system,
and to make it as beneficial as possible. One
| step in this direction is the classification of the
inmates of these large institutions. At Deer
| Island the male prisoners live and work by them
| selves; the female prisoners by themselves; the
boys in the reform school by themselves; the
boys have separate schools and male teachers :;
the girls in the reform school have a house to
| themselyes-there are about forty of them, and
they do the work of the house, taking turns at
| different kinds of housewolk, so that each one
learns something of various kinds of labor,
Their school room is in the house. and they
have female teacher. The old paupers occu-
Ply, as SAID, one wing Of the
prison, and the sexes are separated, but
the men are allowed TO make calls
upon their wives; the pauper children have a
fine new building to themselves, with beautiful
school rooms, and everything necessary for their
comfort and proper instruction They are, OF
course, under less restraint than the members
of the reform school, and can have a more
thorough training, for the reform school bows
leave when their sentence has expired, but the
pauper children have no other home, and live
on the island until they can learn trades or il
some way are enabled TO support themselves
In the new poor house the old married pair
will not be separated, and half Il dozen Or NOR
will mess. together. A large majority of tn
paupers have become so from drunkenness o
some other vice, and many of them have beel
at the island as criminals before they became 81
poor. The nice people, whose Indulgence is causeC
by misfortune, seldom fall so low as a city aims
house, but are cared for in homes established BY
private charity, or helped by the ovesreers o
the poor to a iorlorn pittance, which just keep
them out Of the dreaded poor house.
All the Deer Islaud buildings are models o
cleanliness aud order; the great dormitories ar,
as sweet and pure as air and whitewash anC
securing can make them; the coppet
basins and boilers aud covers in the kitchen
and wash rooms are dazzlingly bright; the lon.
rows Of bathing tubs, each in sort of stall
by itself, were all ready 1.-THE day was there
with hot water for the new corners who woul,
arrive by the daily boat, drunk aud dirty
Dozens Of set tubs were steaming in the laundry