The Washington times., 1906-03-25
Ancient London Saw Crowd
Driven to Gallows.
EUROPE DISCUSSES NURSING
THAT Is Advisability of States Fur
nishing School Children Days
Three Meals With Lessons.
By LADY HENRY SOMERSET.

better place than ii used to be?' is a
would unhesitatingly answer, Yes, it is
far better place. and the ideals Of
men and women are far higher
Not long ago 1 was reading a memoir
written IN the seventeenth century by
an English gentleman who had the op-
portunity of travelling over the Cont
nent and recorded his impressions. The
writing was simple. in many instances
illiterate, but the expression was per-
fectly genuine. What struck me most
was the curious manner in which. di-
rectly he reached town. his mind gray
itated toward certain points, notably
the gallows. and again and again you
will find recorded that the first visit he
paid in any foreign city was to the place
Of execution. In Venice he was espec-
tally interested by the fact that a man
was broken on the wheel on the Piazza
of St Mark, and that outside Venice
provision was made for executing FIVE
persons at one time.
In some German town through which
ne passed he SAYS Il noted a eoodlv
esllows well set up" The idea OF there
being anything terrible or inhumane in
this morbid interest in the destruction
OF human life never appeared to have
occurred TO him.
Again We have to reflect that in those
days you could not pass through the
streets of London without seeing gangs
OF men and women being led forth TO
die for crimes varying from stealing
few yards of calico to a horse, a leg
of mutton or a bank note. Death was
the universal penalty Were men more
cruel?
II has been said that human life was
held more cheaply. because there was
2 more definite and defined belief in an
after existence. and that consequently il
seemed less terrible to curtaiI this one
and yet / do not think that in the skep-
ucal eighteenth century this could have
oeen the case. Undoubtedly. IL NAV
nave accounted for the cruelties OF the
lnquisition, for the inquisitors held the
place of the modern surgeon. They
operated on the bodies in order 10 save
souls. just as our scientific men operate
In order to save life.
But unquestionably cruelty i'm its ordi
nary form. neglect of human life. the
absolute ignoring OF the responsibility
or man TO man, emphasized the past
and we must admit that in the presAnt
With all its faults. there is A true,. ideal
or the value Of every existence. and the
rlgnt OF every man and woman tn live
Wen. IL this Is so. much as we may
oeplore the sorrow and the misery and
the sin that we see around us We can
not but believe that or nation will go
from strength TO strength. and that in
the end this sentiment will strengthen
until the basic teaching Of Christianit,,
pecomes a dominant principle that "ev
Nry mans veal is each mans care
Socialistic Styles of Feeding.
This growing sentiment is more ON
.phaSlzed by the fact that our house of
FTonamons yesterday occupied itself for
many hours IN discussing the case of
Inc underfed child Mr.. DisraeIi truI,,
ssaid that "the youth of the countr,, o.
the trustees Of posterity." and consA-
rQuently the question must be of ,Inde-
'hlaole importance. At the same time
there are many who believe that 70 go
me child IS TO take from the paren+q
their undoubted responsibility. and tba+
1n so doing the state arroeates 70 t,en1s
'tne obvious duty which belongs to no
rental life. ~ pa
We are told that il we feed ma eIas.
yor children we shall have 10 feed ali
feno that this will invoIve q sar;o,,1
fnsnser TO the working classes. who Ill
= earn 10 cast the care of their cbit-
uren entirely on the state
These are no fancied nerus h,+ III
All who have any Knowledge of econonn
&c history will give them due u-aio.,,.
ne dihiculty about the matter is g.,
we are living IN a society for. the m.+
part organized on individualistic rri,,
Sipies, and yet the measure pronosed is
one OF those socialistic wedges tb.+ 90
low neing SO plentifuIly supulied
On the other hand, il is irnossihIo .
ignore that the principle is already CO.,
Seoed that parental authority is int
iered with when We insist on a child 81
'enoing school, and that the state which
mus taxes from the parent the option &C
10 now the child is to be broupn M
must also see that the child is in sucb
= condition that its education is Of sor,o
use TO it, The old idea thar the oh;I1
indubitably belonged to the pare,ts is
exploded, for the child has now a IeyaI
right and a legal status.
In the Partisan schools there 10 80
tenn called the "cantines scoIaires >,
which works admirably. All the chi,
dren are fed and where it is possible the
school recovers the cost from the ma
rents. The benefit of this plan lies j.,
the fact that il makes no difrerentiat,o,,
between the well-to-do child and the
child who is underfed and i'll cared for
No child need feel that the meal is a
disgrace for the system of universal
teeding which makes it impossible for
the child 70 ascertain whether he IS nav
ins for his meal or not is calculated TO
preserve his youthful self-respect.
The school itself must be the centar
not only OF learning, but of everything
that brings the amenities and the bn.
manizing agencies Of life to the child
and hope that IL this system of feeding
The children comes into vogue IL will
mean that many voluntary workers will
giye tender care and personal interest
tn the little ones, and that the whole
school system will not be left in the
hands of officials.
TO US who know something of the child
life of London there is nothing moro
vivid than the picture which DR.. Mac
Namara drew yesterday in the House
Of Commons of the tiny scrap of hu-
manity, picking up garbage from the
costers' carts 10 stay it's hunger at the
dinner hour. OF course. there were many
in that great assembly ready to say that
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