[10] See the Second Report, lately published, of the “Association for promoting the Relief of Destitution in the Metropolis, and for improving the Condition of the Poor, by means of Parochial and District Visiting, under the superintendence and direction of the Bishop and Clergy.” It contains a large amount of most interesting information. Copies may be obtained by application to Mr. Haly, at the Office of the Association, No. 4, St. Martin’s Place, Trafalgar Square. The Secretaries of this Society will also endeavour to obtain copies for any parishioner who may express a wish to that effect.[11a] Very frequently, however, they assert that they are resident, and have long been resident, in the parish. Without hesitation they name their abode; which is often stated to be at a particular house in Gore Lane. No one unacquainted with the minute circumstances of each street would suspect that the number they take care to select is one which does not exist in Gore Lane at all. The deception is of course only detected when the case is recommended to the District Visitor for inquiry.[11b] It appears from the last Report of the Mendicity Society, who have had opportunities of proving the fact upon an extensive scale, and have endeavoured to apply such tests for the purpose as might discriminate fairly between the idle and the unfortunate, that of 3289 applicants, who, being able-bodied men, were offered work at stone-breaking, only 839 availed themselves of it, 1630 did not work at all, and 820 worked only one day. “Facts which, after making all reasonable allowances, would lead to the conclusion that about three-fourths of the above applicants, were persons who were quite satisfied to lead a life of idleness, and determined to use no exertion to earn a subsistence.”[12] The following instance, among others, which show forcibly the necessity of caution in this respect on the part of Residents and Subscribers, appears in a communication from a Visitor to the Secretaries:—“I have this day refused to give any relief in Mrs. —. Firstly, because she appears to be forming a habit of making a regular weekly application, on each Saturday. Secondly, because anything given in the District seems to be considered by her as justifying her in making application. Thirdly, because she uses bad language to her children, and shows violence of conduct and temper. Without naming other reasons, it may suffice to say, that I have seen no one feature in her case entitling it to so much attention, on account of character, conduct, or circumstances, but the reverse. She told me that she had acquainted a lady yesterday, that I had not been in the District during the last fortnight; I have been there three times this week, and given relief where required. A glance at the accounts will show that the —’s have, when occasion has demanded it, participated largely in the funds of the District Visiting Society; and that great caution is necessary to prevent them and others from obtaining a regular winter allowance.”[13] “The present demoralizing system of begging—a thing so ruinous in its effects, that the major part of the delinquents with which our prisons are filled, owe their progress in crime to the encouragement given to idle habits by the false feeling of charity acted upon by the public, in the promiscuous dispensation of alms to those who are seldom, if ever, deserving of them.”—Report on Poverty, Mendicity, and Crime, to the House of Lords in 1839, by W. A. Miles, Esq.[14] In some districts the greatest inconvenience has been felt from their unsettled condition. The following is but one out of several similar complaints on the part of Visitors:—“I have found the people thankful for the little they receive. But they are such a moving race, that before I get acquainted with their habits they are off to another quarter, and new people fill their places; this to me is most unsatisfactory.”[15] “The present month, has afforded further evidence of the discontent and disappointment produced by undiscriminating bounty. The gift of bread or coals to a certain number of families taken indiscriminately, or to every poor person, in such a locality, is not only indiscreet but unjust, and impedes the exertions of a society whose principle is to discover and encourage the good, to deter the bad.”—Report of a Visitor, February, 1845.[16] “The month of February appears to be the most trying to the poor of this district. Their little savings, if any, have been exhausted; their clothes and furniture are gradually being taken to the pawnbroker; hunger and cold are producing disease, unless timely help is afforded. . . . The clock is generally the first article sent to the pawnbroker; then the wife’s articles of wearing apparel; the children’s shoes, the husband’s coat and waistcoat; and afterwards his tools, his spade, his saw, &c. The last portion of property, is the bedding and furniture, when shavings are substituted. Such seem to be the regular gradations of distress. The last, happily, has seldom been witnessed since the first month or two of the Society’s operations in this district. It was pointed out to me to-day in another place.”—Report of a Visitor. February 1845.[17a] A subject intimately connected with that noticed above, viz. the relation between IGNORANCE and SOCIAL MISERY, has received some remarkable illustrations from the practical operations of this Society.

It would appear from the amount of relief administered in certain districts, selected for the calculation on account of their remote distances from one another, and from their containing a labouring population exclusively, that, although subject to modifications from the peculiar character and condition of the inhabitants, or from circumstances of an accidental nature in each case, yet the same law is found in the mass to prevail throughout; physical distress and want of Education are exhibited as co-existing in a direct ratio.

Omitting, for brevity, 80 families of intermediate degrees of education, it appears that of the remaining 100 families respecting whom the calculation was made, the amount of relief required by those in which neither father nor mother could read, or one of them imperfectly, has been actually twice as much per head as by those in which either father or mother could read and write well.

The attention of the Committee was drawn to this important subject in consequence of the Report of an Intelligent Visitor. The result of his experience shows that, in his district, “distress has been very much in proportion to the deplorable ignorance of the recipients. More than half the relief has been given to persons who could neither read nor write.”

Upon this fact he has founded an energetic appeal for measures to be taken to provide for the education of the adult population, so far as practicable. The Committee trust that the liberality of the Subscribers may put it into their power to co-operate with the Clergy in adopting measures for the purpose, which the limited means at their disposal have up to this time rendered impossible.[17b] It seems desirable to mention that in both the years 1844 and 1845 the benefits of the Coal Fund have extended over the whole of Kensington—St. Mary Abbots, St. John’s, and St. James’s. A Coal Fund and Clothing Fund have also been established in St. Barnabas’ District supported by local contributions.[19] “It very gratifying” writes a visitor, “to observe the alacrity with which the women went to their boxes to get out their Clothing Fund cards and money. [The deposits were collected weekly by the Visitor in person.] The exchequer of the poor in this, an Irish district, generally consists of a few shillings deposited within a very small box carefully kept within two or three other boxes, or at the bottom of an old chest. On no one occasion has any bad money been offered to him. The money is generally, indeed invariably, paid by the females. The confidence with which they give their money is a trait not to be unnoticed; it being often difficult to prevent them paying their money in the street, and without any card or check. When the Visitor has been prevented from calling at the time appointed, they have very frankly and very properly reminded him of it.”[20a] It not unfrequently happens that residents have needle-work, charing, or other work to be done, and are at a loss to know where to find respectable persons to undertake it. A reference to a District Visitor will both supply their want and at the same time obtain employment for some deserving individual to whom it may prove an invaluable assistance. A large number of sempstresses, charwomen, laundresses, &c., depend solely upon the work which they are casually able to obtain.[20b] The intervention of the Visitors has been productive of most valuable assistance in many other respects. The following instances have been reported as occurring in a SINGLE district:

Mrs. A. came to me in great distress in consequence of her goods being about to be seized for rent. She owed about a pound; she begged of me to save them. She stated that in about a fortnight she should go out as a monthly nurse, and then she should be able to pay. She had told her landlord this but he was inexorable. In consequence of my opinion of her character, I called on the landlord and reasoned with him, and begged a little time for the poor woman; which he granted me. She has since discharged the debt.

In another instance:—“B. had been long out of work; at last he got employment; but on the first week, late on Saturday night, he came to me in great perplexity to tell me that his landlord to whom he owed 3s. 6d. had entered the house during the time his wife and himself had been out, and turned his children and little furniture into the street and locked the door; and where to put his head under with his family he did not know.” The immediate intervention of the Visitor succeeded in obtaining from the landlord permission for the poor family to stop there until they could get some other habitation.

. . . “I found Mrs. C. lying in extreme debility from inflammation of the chest, and in great distress of mind from fears of her destitute condition. She said it appeared almost like an interposition of Providence that I had come to see her. . . . She told me that she and her husband had partly gained a living by selling vegetables to a lady, and by occasionally being employed by her; but for some cause they had been discharged from their employment and ordered not to come near the house. She wished me to get her an interview with the lady, as soon as she could get out. I ventured to write to her stating all the particulars. She promptly, the next morning, sent to tell the woman to come as soon as she was able. An interview taking place, the secret came out that the lady’s cook wanted to obtain that a tradesman in town whom she knew should supply her mistress; and accordingly had represented the poor woman to her as imposing and ungrateful. On vindicating her own character, the lady restored her to her former position. I have since been enabled to give them a character from personal observation that has enabled them to get the charge of a gentleman’s house, who is so satisfied with them that he has personally thanked me. The poor couple’s gratitude has been great to the Society for thus rescuing them from poverty and disgrace, and placing them in comparative comfort.”

. . . “I had known D. and his wife to be cleanly, industrious, and upright people; but the husband having a serious attack of illness was laid up three months, during which time the rent accumulated to £4. The landlord seized on their furniture, which if it had been sold, must have broken up their home for ever. She applied to me in her distress. On making her case known to the managers of the District Visiting Society, they obtained (from private sources) a loan of the part she was not able to make up, and saved them from destruction. A part of the money that was lent has been returned. The continued illness of the man I believe to be the only reason why the whole has not.”[21] Any person may obtain Bibles and Prayer Books at the prices of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, by applying at the depÔt at the Girls’ National School Room, on any Monday, between one and two o’clock only; the Mistress having kindly consented to take charge of them.[22] The following short extracts from reports by various Visitors will exhibit some of the difficulties with which they have to contend, as well as many grounds of encouragement and anticipation of better things to come.

“Of the persons in this district, there is much to be hoped from the gratitude of the families who have been relieved, and from the symptoms of self exertion that are beginning to exhibit themselves, shown by the subscriptions to the Coal and Clothing Funds.”

“The people have generally appeared quiet and cheerful, and have shown every outward mark of respect and gratitude for the assistance rendered them by the Society.”

“I feel convinced that the trifling assistance supplied during sickness or the temporary want of employment, has been in many instances of the greatest importance to the sufferer, sometimes saving his little all from the pawnbroker, and enabling him to struggle through his difficulties.”

“The District Visiting Society’s funds are highly beneficial in my district; and have been so especially in S’s case; also F’s, and B’s, M’s, and B’s. All has been most gratefully received. I feel great comfort in knowing much good has been done. . . . There is severe distress in my small district. . . . ”

“In a district,” it is reported, “where one day was remarkable if spent without some disgraceful scene of drunken brawling taking place, a day of brawls has now become the day to be remarked. . . . The most profligate characters have left the district, finding they have not the attention paid them that others have. . . . Christmas day (last) was spent without one drunken scene; a circumstance unknown for many years—almost within the memory of the ‘oldest inhabitant.’”

Several instances have occurred of famines of bad character having migrated first from district to district, and then, finding that each successive Visitor was aware of their character and withheld relief from them, have finally emigrated from the parish altogether. In two instances in particular, families of a very bad class left, giving out that it was in consequence of the inspection of the Visitor. It is needless to add that by all respectable poor, the attention and personal interest of the Visitor is invariably courted, and gratefully acknowledged.[23] Individuals who desire to visit personally and to relieve from their own resources a small number of poor families, but who are unable to take charge of a District, are requested to communicate with the Clergy upon the subject. It will not be difficult to make arrangements by which such benevolent persons may be provided with a field of labour proportioned to the time and the funds at their disposal.