Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-01-21
L0ND0N'S 0UTCASTS.
BORN IN CELLARS, SUCkLEO ON GIN
AND GRABBED IN THE GUTTER.
Pictures of the Saddest Side Of Human
Existence - Proposed Establishment of
Houses of Refuge Good Intentions of
the Phiianthropists.


the Philarthropists.
When We introduced The Bitter Cry of
Outcast London to the attention of the
great public i've years ago, we suggested one
thought which Is never absent from our
minds when confronted with the realities of
life in the g 5unken Sixth of London
the grim Florentine might have added to
the horror of his vision of hell by a soiourn
in London slum. For in lis Inferno the
damned at least did not breed. With us they
do Every year sees an addition TO the long
roll of the new born list Born in the fetid
atmosphere of a crowded cellar, sucked on
gin, and crailed in the gutter, they never
have n chance"
The passage reverts to our memory as we
read DR.. Bar rlardo'S appeal in The Times for
the establishment of casual wards for chill
dren at the east end. The fate of the chill
dren is the cl max of horror. The existence
OF hundreds and of thousands of children
with no other parentage than women like
Elizabeth Stride aud Annie Chapman and
Mary Ann n ichols, with no other home than
the DOSING ken aud no other playground
than the gutter, that is the abiding and ap
palilng tragedy of the situation, beside which
all other horrors pale and disappear.
Dt BARN AhDO StHEME
Dr. Barnar,io i'll his letter to The Times
d,Sci ibing the lives of the children, brought
up IN the common lodging houses, says quite
truly that it is impossible to describe the
state in which myriads of children live in
these human sewers, breathing from their
birth az atmosphere fatal to ali goodness
They are saturated from their birth i'll vice
and all uncle; -nness, and DR. Barnardo in his
Lpal Wnuh fO1 hid oil lodi 10 t,,
shelter any children under l6 Therein he
goes too far Any of us may some day be
driven by poverty to seek the shelter of a
dosing ken; and, even in our direst extrem.
Ity, would not care to be separated from
our children.
But great deal may be done short of legis-
lative prohibition. The first thing obviously
is TO establish, lodging houses for boys and
girls, if, as Dr.. Barnardo SAYS, they can be
nude. self supporting, or nearly So" We
confess that we have doubts as to the posi-
bility of making these places self supporting
Still DR.. Barnardo is an authority second to
none, and we hope he will explain how it can
be done. Ii lie can get out practical plan
by which all the homeless lads and lasses of
London can he lodged deceutly in places
where they would not he contaminated by
the constant converse of prostitutes and
thleVeS, We DO not think he Will lack for
funds, supposilg that the first cost of the
building is raised by public subscription,
and the coppers of the children pay the work
ing expenses.
One poor woman who may have been Eli
zabeth Stride herself, for she was in the cir
Gle that listened to DR.. Barnardo's exposition
of the advantages of his scheme, is said to
have exclaimed: We're all up to no good
and no one cares what becomes OF US. Per
haps some of Us will be killed nextl If any
body had helped the like of us long ago we
would never have come to this" The likes
of u.s. are indeed up TO no good" although
the bishop of Bedford does well to appeal for
a laundry to help them earn a living, if they
wish to do so iecently. But it is the chill
dren who offer theb est field for philanthropic
activity, and in default of anything better
DR. Baruardos scheme might we'll he tried.
RESPONSE BILITY OF PARENTAGE