The Saint Paul globe., 1902-02-25


novel that has changed the lives OF
15,0OO people from misery to fair treat
ment, and shook the house Of commons
was Charles Reade's famous Its Never
Too Late to Mend" 4he whole of the
present fNformed prison system = due
to that book, which was founoeu on solid
facts.
Only a short time ago prisons were
at the mercy of their governors and
starving, punishment Jackets and SOL
1tary confinement, which drove the pris-
oners mad, were every day occurrences
The number of deaths in prisons was
40 per cent more than it is now, and
this state of things was unknown to
the public until It's Never Too Late to
Mend appeared.
Charles Reade placed the whole his
tory in the book, not naming the par
ticular jail, which was real one All
the characteristic. Eden, the clergy
man, Hawes, the governor, and the in
quirer from the home office-were real
people. The original of Hawes died a
short time ago The whole inquiry
the discovery and the punishment
Jacket a jagged torture implement in
which prisoners were bound till they
fainted the driven insane by con-
finement in a dark hole; and poor lad
Josephs, whose dead body was found in
the cell on the morning of the inquiry
all were facts
storm of indignation that shook the
country resulted when the book appear
ed, dozen members of parliament took
the matter UP, the old system was swept
away and the present laws established
without delay
The paupers Of Britain owe everything
to "Oliver Twist, the wizard of Dick
ems great production, and the miseries
of some 10000 homeless people were rem
n6; cd
the publication of this book, and the
immediate cry for workhouse reform on
all sides brought about one Of the quick
est changes for the better ever known
Poor divers misery, the dea.n of lit
tie Dick and the brutalities Of tumble
the beadle, and his staff touched the
hearts of everyone who could read The
famous dietary of the workhouse was an
actual fact-to-wit, IAN unlimited water
supply, three small bowls Of this Cruel
a day, an onion twice a week and half
a roll on Sundays. This was done to
get rid of the paupers.
Aroihcr great work tho same book did
was to save the lives Cf some fifty or
sixty poor children per annum who were
formerly arprenliced to the chimney
sweep trade. These boys-always very
small-Were sent up the fues to clean
them, and the number OF accidents that
occurred through this was enormous The
masters We're generally very brutal, ana
their was no sort Of control over their
treatment of the boys who We're hound
to them The vivid account of the ex-
animation of Mr. Gamfield the sweep.
was the cause Of the vigorous inquiry
made by committee who had read the
book, and who thereupon agitated till
the employment of "fue-boys' was for
bldden, and the present laws for the pre-
lection of working children passed The
horror which led to this change lay in
Dickens immortal words. in the moutn OF
the chirlney-sWeep:
Young boys have been smothered III
chimneys before now" said member
of the board.
That's because they damped the straw
afore they lie 1t in the chimney, to make
the boy come down. said Gamfeld. :
There's nothing like d good blaze
to make 'em come down It's humane.
too, gentlemen, acause roasting their feet
makes 'em struggle to extdcate them
selves"
This speech, whicli was read throughout
Great Britain, led to the great aeitation
headed by Mr.. Vaynor, and the passing
of the new law.
British seamen, who were treated 7vorso
than dogs and fed or cffaI that even
dogs refused. a few years ago, owe the
laws which protect them now to Clark
Russells well-known book, The Wreck !