The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-11-23
FARM CONDUCTED FOR WOMEN
Lady Somerset Tells Of an Enterprise
From Which Benefit is Expected.

Lady Somerset, known widely in this
country through her connection with the
Woman's Christian Temp ,rance Union,
relates in a current publication story
of a benevolent and, in very large meas
ure. successful endeavor to rescue from
ruin women who nave fallen a prey 10
the appetite for drink. Lady Henry
paints a dark and mournful picture OF
the conditions which surround the poor OF
London and of the extent to which drunk
enness prevails among theni-mcn, women
and even children. 1t was to do some
thing to save the women and children
that Lady Henry Somerset established an
industrial farm colony for inebriate wo-
men at Duxhurst in Surrey, the first in
stitution of the kind oponed in England.
and her account Of the means by which
her farm Is year by year raising the
fallen and restoring them in their right
made desolate Is full of encoura cement
to those who are interested in philan-
thropic work OF a similar kind. Here
is part of Lady Henry's description OF
what is to be seen daily in some of the
streets of London:
But in order rightly to understand
what this colony means we must leave
for a moment the fields and flowers and
the birds and beasts and go into the dingy
city and pass the courts and the alleys
and the pa wnbrokers' shops and the old
clothes shops: we must go down into the
kitchens where the rats share the damp
darkness with the inhabitants and then
walk out again into the dusty street and
is the center of attra ction to the dwelers
in the narrow court and gloomy slum
At the corner Of the street there is a
public house, and If We watch that swing
ing door for n moment we shall be able
to realize WHY ~ is that in England there
are more Drunken women than in any
other nation and how n Is that the brew
ers have made larger fortunes than can
be rrassed at anv other trade.
Between the hours of ] and o'clock
YOU win see In this suualid district from
1nc to 200 women enter the drinkshop with
little babies IN their arms and as those
women crowd into that nublic house and
stand to drink they will often give the
baby a share Of the liquor, and the little
mouth will greedilv suck the spoon or
the glass that has in 1t the taste Of gin.
Between those hours. too. you will see
150 or 200 girls. with tattered clothes. torn
piraforos, some almost shoeiers. all RI g
god all dirty. all dishnvelAd entering
with JUGS To carry away the drink to their
miserable homes Az many boys under
the age Of II or Is will be there. too. max
ing perhaps a total In one afternoon OF
$40 children. 7 remember on one occasion
standing in front of inst such a public
house (and II Won look down the street
Won will see that there are twenty more)
with an American and when she saw
the women going into the public house.
some Of thero respectahlv clad she said:
Are thew gciro 10 hold a crusade meet
ing there rs they did In America twenty
wears ago.? II seemed to hAr inconceiv-
phle that women were going there TO
drink but to us IL has become com
monplace and those who know ANYTHING
of the social life Of the people In Engls nd
have long realized that children are
drunk for tho fret sime In the'- mothnrs'
arms or cursed with the apnetlte before
they are ho~n In their earliest associa-
ton the public house stands the mne4