New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-01

STiAFTTSBURYS EFFORTS TO OVERCOME THE
EVIL OF THE OPIUM TRADE. TREATMENT OF
THE INSANE. AND THE EMPLOYMENT
OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN
John Graham Brooks gave the hfta lecture in his
course The Social Question Seen Through
Leading Personalities OF our Time" yesterday
morning IN the Mendelssohn Glee club Hall. be-
fore the League for Political Education. HIS sub
ject was "Shaftesbury," and he began. as usual
with few personal detail describing the Earl as
the unhappy child % fashionable mother. but
fortunate IN having 4 nurse. who supplied the
element Of tenderness
The main points against which Shaftesbury d.
rected his efforts were given the opium trade
with China, tn treatment OF The insane. the EN-
plOyment 81 children chimney sweeps. the en-
ployment Of women and children in mines. and
their employment for excessively long hours IN
factories.
In all these things" said the lecturer he was
bitterly opposed by almost all the intelligent and
enlightened people of the time Gladstone, Sir
James Graham and Sir Robert Peel were among
the opponents Of The factory bill. the bishops re-
tired when Il came before the House OF Lords. and
alnlos, all the doctors and lawyers against f.
II had the support OF Charles Dickens however.
and II few other great men. A number Of physi-
clans testified the injurious effects 81 exist
ing factory conditions and their reports made a
great impression . Parliament. one made aihda-
tory districts three or four inches below that
OF other Englishmeu, and that. unless some change
were made. the future of the country nas hopeless.
Tho lawyers engaged BY the great manufactu-
rers 70 defend them invented the last-haf-hour
argument namely. that all the factories MADE all
their prohts In the last halfhour and mat 10 take
II away would be TO ruin the mill-owners and de-
s;roy the prestige Of England This position they
main aimed with so much ability and apparent
reason that they deceived the abest minds q the
time, JUS a. clevcrness IN the pay or FrSted ~
teress deceives people to-day. Shai'esoury hlm-
self could not answer them. out BE- still maintained
with unshaken conviction ths; they were wrong,
for there were the results which could not De DIS
puted. and ne was convinced that nothing when
produced such results could be- right
The bill ~as passed only after seventeen years
Of nghune and al il asked for was that woIn"I.
and children should not - permitted 10 WORK
loI ger than from o'clock a. m. 10 b. n
The history OF the Othe- reforms which Shaftes-
bury endeavored to secure is much he same as
that q TIE Agh. fer tne factory law conunued
10 EngianI annually, and. therefore II could noi
such way thar it Wa thought that only children
could clean them and K Was believed any nierteI =
r,iH ssif the nroperty in tie city
The question q the treatment OF the insane
was much the same difficulty a. We have nov 70
face IN the treatment Il criminals. When shaftes-
bury became interested IN them the insane werr
ished FOR intractab!ty and We are doing precisely
the same thing with our criminals: We nave slNty
under system Jus, AS cruel and stupid as that OF
in Massachusetts says NAT u satan hAa me man
Mr. Brooks thinks that there are evidences that
crime 10 on the increase and be attributes iAls Re-
by the occupation of an me !aid utt = 49,. 49,.
ericacious IN the prevention OF crime and says
that the Judge above referred . f3lni intt, N,
instant efeot upon MS work This school he's ben
ana Efforts are now being made TO get the ei'y 10
ke