The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-13

part of his life he was busy, heart and
soul. in trying to improve the condition OF
the English laborer
Agitations OF this kind are liable to be
condemned as sentimental by the general
public, but from the revelations in this
book one may judge that the early move
ment in behalf of the English laborer was
anything but sentimental. unless the pre-
vention of almost unlimited and wholly
unnecessary vice, crime, pauperism, and
disease may be thought to deserve that
adjective. Here is a quotation from the
testimony Of q vicar in the county OF
Cambridge:
l two years in getting block of houses
condemned although they had back door,
consequently no through ventilation, window
in bedroom, consequently again no ventilation or
light, and the floor Of the living room inches
below the outside surface, and no drainage.
poor old woman. since dead. pointed out to the
sanitary medical and the inspector her ingenious
eontrivance for conducting the soaked-in water
under the fireplace, and how she 'deeved' as
she expressed it, the water out with scoop
into a pail, and showed the sacks on the floor
saturated with stagnant water. There is still
one bedroom at least without window. and pos
sibly more. The thatch is rotting. and the rain
comes freely in. though this is being remeded
a little now, by the rotten thateh. sinking as
it is. being covered up by thin layer of new
straw in patches couple OF open bitches run
from end Of the village to the other, gen
orally three feet deep of the filthiest liquid
Imaginable / enclose piece of sack
ing taken today from cottage hearth, and de-
scribe its sanitary condition. Tenant, a widow
and invalid son. both with chronic colds Living
room, through broken drain at back. soaked with
water all along side to height OF two feet
nine and onehalf inches. Water flows TO hearth
on which enclosure laid Hearth-rug com
pletey wet. Fireplace falling out, no cooking
arrangements whatever. Bedroom on floor too
damp to sleep in. Loft over used bedroom.
Floor actually three inches away from wall that
that side.
And again:
Kingsley, at the time of the outbreak OF ehol
in 1919 had preached three sermons, which
had attracted much attention by their outspoken
denunciatiOn OF the popular notion that the
cholera special visitation Of God sent as
national punishment, and demanding the
proclamation of national fast and confession OF
sins Upon the recurrence of the cholera five
years afterward, Kingsley republished these ser
mons, with a preface entitled, Who Causes
PestilenceT from which t may still be useful
for the foolish sheer as to ''the Gospel of Drains
taking the place OF tie Gospel of Salvation, in
the Broad Church scheme of doctrine is even
yet not quite obsolete-to quote the ground upon
which Kingsley was accustomed to base his strong
opinion that the promotion OF the science OF
health was a distinct obligation OF the Christian
Church
AS a Clergyman" he says 81 feel bound to
express my gratitude to Lord Palmerston for
having refused to allow a national fast day on
the occasion Of tie present temperance OF pesti
lence and having prevented fresh scandal to
Christianity, fresh excuses for the selishness,
laziness, and ignorance, which produce pestilence
fresh turning mems minds away from the real
causes Of this present judgment, to fanciful and
suPerstitious
'It was to be hoped that after the late dis
coveries of sanitary science that the clergy OF
all denominations would have felt it sacred
duty to go forth crusade against filth. and so
save the lives Of thousands, not merely during
the presence OF cholera. but every year.
This is plain, hard, common sense, and
it appears that England needed it at about
that time. 1t is almost incredible that the
English Church should have adhered with
such Chinese conservatism to the ideas
that the business of good people was not
to interfere with drains and other things
which directly affect the public health,
and that when cholera resulted from I'M
speakable conditions of filth the remedy
lay in fasting and prayer, and not in
cleaning house. Chicago: Herbert S.
Stone & Co. s1.25.l