The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-07-25
"Grey Triars" on the Down Grade,


"Grey Friars" on the Down Grade.
When poor old Colonel Newcome, in
his fallen fortunes, humbly betook him
self for shelter to the Hospital of the
Grey Friars, 1t is recorded that there
was dismay, and even indignation,
among the more exalted members of the
family at the degradation which they
conceived to have fallen upon their
house; and Mrs. Hobson Newcome, in
particular, discovered in this humilia-
ton a special judgment of Providence
upon the sins of the family, This was
nfty years ago or more. Had the trag-
edy occurred to-day far deeper would
nave been the dismay in Park Lane and
Bryanston Square. For the Charter
House has been going down in the So
cial scale since Colonel Newcome an
sWered "Adsum," and at the present
moment its condition is In many re-
spects such as to call for public conside-
ration and reform.
The Charterhouse hospital is officially
described as designed for the benefit of
|
ers~-"who have become reduced by mis-
fortune or accident without their own
| wilful default" officers in the army or
navy, elergymen and merchants, being
! specially mentioned. These are few
representations of this class now there
Officers and gentlemen, with every
right and title to the bounty Of the pi-
Gus founder. But what sort of compa-
ny do they keep? 1t is difficult to as
certain the past record of ali the fifty
one inmates; but here are particulars Of
a few cases, which will serve we'll
enough as samples. Passing over eight
unsuccessful shopkeepers and a couple
of reduced publicans, 1 find that one
brother was formerly a journeyman ba-
ker, another was footman, a third a
sheriff's officer, a fourth a shoemaker, a
fifth a clock-winder, sixth bar-keep-
err, and so on. That all of these were
worthy men in their several vocations
make no question, nor are these voca-
lions in themselves less honorable than
those of military and naval officers.
But that is not the point. The objec-
tons to the presence of these worthy
men in the Charterhouse are, first, that
they are not the people for whom the
charity was invented; secondly, that
their presence there deprives the chart
ty of all value for that portion of the in
mates whose right to it's benefits is un-
questionable. have it on good author
ity that about half the present brothers
enjoying, as each Of them does, a cou-
pie of. rooms, an allowance of thirty-six
| pounds per annum, a good dinner, daily,
a. ration of bread and butter, lights all
the year round, and abundant fuel in
winter--so far from being in reduced
circumstances" are as comfortably
off as they have ever been
in their lives; while to not a few the
ltranslation to the Charterhouse must
have come as substantial rise in the
world In all such cases the charity is
/ grossly abused. Equally at variance is
it with the founders intention that those
gentlemen of better social position who
have here been provided with an asylum
against reverses Of fortune IN their old
age should be forced to associate with
others whose conversation, manners,
and habits are repulsive to them. On
such conditions they are no better off
than In the humblest of almshouses, or,
for the matter Of that, in the work.
mouse Itself. 10 snow 10 WHAT lHe
Charterhouse has come in this respect,
/ am assured that there is now among
the brothers a transgressor of the laws
of his country, who has done his time in
prison, and wfo,is SO far from being re-
formed by his past experience that he
has brought disgrace upon the Carthu-
sian black gown by further lapse from
the path of honesty. Another brother
has recently withdrawn from the Car
thusian circle for good, after having
previously had temporary change OF
air in home for inebriates unfortunate
ly without permanent cure being eff
fected That a certain number of the
fraternity spend the best part of their
time near their annuities in the pot
houses around Smithfield is only what
might be expected from such antece-
dents as I have sketched above; but il
does not make them any more desira-
BILE as companions of men who have
held the Queens commission in the
army or the navy What room is there
for the Colonel Newcomes of the present
generation in such a brotherhood?