.66

trouble, if he must needs concern himself with them, he had better take.

Other ways in which a clergyman who is not careful may encourage and indeed produce mendicity in his parish might be mentioned. Let one suffice by way of

and school treats, as it is the fashion to conduct them, are expensive affairs. Amongst other devices for raising the necessary funds, several of the children are sometimes sent with collecting cards on a round of house-to-house visitation. Thus initiated into the art of begging, they occasionally learn to practise it on their own account. Painful instances of

The

kind may be put." The woman got no situation, but soon afterwards left the district under circumstances which led me to perceive that I had made a mistake. Some years afterwards, when I held a curacy in another parish, I met this woman one day in the Strand. illustration. A school treat is on hand; Trusting, I suppose, to my having forgotten all about those circumstances, or perhaps thinking they had never come to my knowledge, she stopped me, and producing from her pocket my letter of recommendation, handed it to me with a request that I would rewrite it with the date of the current year. Her recollection of me had no doubt inspired her with no respect for my sagacity. "This demoralization of children by this means letter," I said to her, "it was a mistake have come under my observation. Moreon my part ever to have written. It has over, as a police report a few months ago evidently seen service. But its course showed, the clever professionals are not has now come to an end." I put it in my slow to provide themselves with collectpocket, and wishing her good morning, ing-cards "for the school-treat." passed on. If my old friend, the above- treat itself, apart from objectionable mentioned incumbent, should chance to modes of obtaining money for it, is often read this paper, he will at this point so managed as to be a demoralizing inquote a favourite maxim of his. "Yes," stitution. Instead of being a reward for he will say, litera scripta manet." regularity of attendance, it is too often There are none whom it more behoves virtually a bribe to allure children away than the clergy to bear that maxim in from other schools, and becomes, as the mind. It has happened, I suppose, to Bishop of Manchester has said, a shamemany a clergyman to put his signature to less method of "touting for scholars." a petition, perhaps to draw up the pe- The position of teacher and scholar is in tition himself, in which assistance is so- one respect reversed, the latter supposing licited for some more or less deserving that, by the desultory attendance which case. Armed with this document the secures his admission perhaps to two or petitioner goes the round of the parish, three treats at rival schools, he confers and collects enough, or more than enough, instead of receiving a favor. Meanwhile to meet the wants of the case. But in the clergyman has himself taken a turn going his rounds he is perhaps struck at mendicity. Last summer I read in the with the idea that this is an excellent way Times an appeal from a clergyman, who of gaining a livelihood; and when the said he "only wanted £70" in order to money collected on his first round is gone take his school children for "a day in the and spent, he sets his wits to work how country" to a place which he named. to collect more in a similar fashion, and How much money he obtained by his in one way or another adopts the profes- appeal, or how many children he took sion of the mendicant. Nor does the with him, of course I do not know. mischief end here. Some of the clever I do know that 230 national school chilpeople described in the earlier part of dren and 228 adults, mostly parents of this paper get information that it is the the children, went from an East-end parpractice of this or that clergyman to put ish on an excursion in the same month to his hand to documents of this kind. the same place, and paid their own exThey forthwith manufacture a petition, penses all but 18s. 10d.! and forge his signature. The police reports in the papers show that this has been done again and again. Of course it is impossible altogether to prevent its being done. But a clergyman may at least put his own parishioners on their guard, if he is able to tell them that he never puts his signature to anything of the kind. Such a course may entail upon him extra trouble in particular cases; which

But

Much might be said—indeed a whole treatise might be usefully written on the subject of "urgent appeals" in the newspapers. There are those in East London who could tell of a rise of rents in particular parishes owing to an influx of population consequent upon the success of clerical appeals. Tradesmen, whose favoured names have appeared on the "tickets issued in those parishes,

MENDICITY.

could tell of a tide in their affairs which in the year to what is given by the guardhas led on to fortune. The same tide, ians to a few families, is often a heavy taken at its turn, has led several of the burden to themselves. Any position more great masters of the art of urgent appeal | humiliating to one who is able to see But through the mischievous character of the But -well, away from East London. here and there, as the advertisement system cannot well be imagined. sheet of the Times testifies, we have still what can he do? Throw it overboard of altogether? He does not like to do so left amongst us worthy successors those whom we have lost. One would whilst surrounded by other clergymen think-at least many a West-ender, on who keep it up; and if he were to urge reading such advertisements, must think upon them for the purpose of alleviat22 are in ing such distress as does not come under that these clerical "solicitors charge of exceptional parishes. But we the charge of the guardians - the desiraEast-end parsons know only too well that bleness of fusing several districts into "an entirely poor parish" is the rule one, handing them over for this purpose rather than the exception in these parts. to a general committee selected from all Assistance, heaven knows, is needed religious denominations, he would probsorely enough by all. What with church ably be met by the rejoinder: "It is expenses, with "balances " here and there very well for you to urge this, who have "due to the treasurer" in every depart- everything to gain by it, and little or ment of his parochial work, with "contri- nothing to lose." Meanwhile he is of butions from local sources"-i.e., too opinion that it is not he only, but the often, from his own pocket-"to meet whole church and people, who would gain the grant" from this or that society, there by such an arrangement. But he does is many an East London vicar who might not see how it is to be brought about. Nor is there any likelihood of its being well cry, "Who will help ?" But he would think it unfair to his brethren to parade brought about till a great emergency, his difficulties in the papers, as if his case perhaps an outbreak of cholera, or anwere one which stood alone; and as to other such winter as that of 1867-8, again appeals on behalf of the poor, emanating calls public attention to the subject. On from this or that particular parsonage, he such occasions certain important but knows full well how they tend to compli- previously unrecognized principles have cate the whole question of the relief of a way of just showing themselves, giving the poor, the true solution of which can- the public, as it were, an opportunity of not be to send hundreds, or as in some laying hold of them. If not laid hold of, cases has happened-thousands of pounds these principles return to the obscurity Such into one parish, converting it into a hot- from which they have emerged, and there I have said, bed of mendicity, whilst adjoining parishes await a more convenient season. similarly circumstanced in every respect, an opportunity was, as have to be content with the grant from suffered to pass by when the Mile End the Metropolitan Relief Association, eked Committee of 1868 was disbanded. out with what the clergy can obtain from I am glad to say that we can point to at their private friends. The very existence | least one instance of a permanent organiof such inequality suggests that the relief zation resulting in East London from the of the poor should be altogether separated labours of the laity upon a great and stirring occasion. During the cholera outfrom clerical administration. break of 1866 there sprang up everywhere committees to alleviate the distress which it occasioned. But for the most part, when the crisis was over, the members of these committees did not seem to recognize that there remained anything further to be done than to hear and accept their secretary's report, and to pass a vote of thanks to their chairman; after which, as "the proceedings terthe reporters say, minated." But on one of the committees

But no doubt this is more easily said than done; for though the clergy, with some exceptions, are now more or less aware of the mischievous results which follow from their giving relief with their own hands, they are not, as a rule, yet aware that the results of their distributing it through their known agents are almost equally unfortunate. Those who are most aware of it are generally they who have least to distribute; and therefore their voices are uninfluential in advocating reform. Shrinking then from solitary attempts to carry out the requisite reform, they go on doling out their tickets, at a cost which, though it does not amount

But,

Some clergymen, however, already refuse relief to see a pamphlet, published at 15, Buckingham Street, all but the sick; for an able advocacy of which system, Strand, on The Charitable Administration of an East End District, by A. W. H. C."

the truth; for though this society has its branches in the borough of Hackney, including Bethnal Green, it has hitherto had nothing but an Inquiry Office throughout the Tower Hamlets. To this office there come week after week several gentlemen from the West-end, who devote themselves with praiseworthy diligence to the work of examining cases of appli

there happened to be men who had not only caught sight of a few valuable principles, but who also were resolved to make an attempt to put them to permanent use. Accordingly they have ever since continued to meet together, and have established a system of administering charitable funds, which, if not as complete and satisfactory as they could wish, is at least a step in the right direction. Ication for relief which have been referred am alluding to the Hackney Association hither from all parts of London - the for improving the condition of the Poor. cases being those of persons resident in The most noticeable feature of this asso- the Tower Hamlets careful reports of ciation is that it is composed of resident which, after due investigation, are forinhabitants of Hackney, of all classes and warded to those who have asked for the creeds, and that, whilst inviting the co- inquiries to be made. But, as yet, the operation of ministers of all denomina- only persons connected with this office tions, its operations are not under their who live in East London are the secredirection, and its almoners are its own tary and the agent. Nor, except in peagents. I am told that the zeal and in- culiar cases, and then only as a loan, is dustry of several of the lay members of relief ever given by this committee. Elsethis association is worthy of all praise. where, I understand, inquiry forms but a But I also understand that some clergy- part of the business of the Society. To men of the neighbourhood keep aloof what extent the principles which Í have from them, and moreover that, with some advocated in this paper are acted upon, exceptions, they do not receive the sup- through the instrumentality of the port which they desire from the noncon- Society, in other parts of London, I do not formist ministers. Why the latter should know. But in any case, even if it has not be apathetic in this matter I do not ex-yet succeeded in inducing the West-end actly see; because I should have thought and suburban clergy to cast their charitthey were less trammelled by burdensome able funds into a common treasury, to traditions in this respect than the clergy. If they suppose that it is a secular business, which would interfere with their devoting themselves to the preparation needful for the discharge of spiritual duties, I can but refer them to the spiritual achievements of Stephen, the tableserver. I think that there must be some confusion in their minds as to what it is that really constitutes spirituality, and that they fail to perceive that spirituality does not consist in the thing done, but in the way in which it is done. After what I have said concerning the prominence of the lay element in the Hackney Association, it may seem odd that I should have to record that the prime mover of the plan from the first has been a clergyman.* This association is now a branch of the Charity Organization Society; but it was in active operation before that society came into existence.

Some of my readers will perhaps here exclaim:-"He is coming to the point at last; we had almost begun to think that the Charity Organization Society must be utterly unknown in East London." Well, to some extent, that is about

be administered upon a uniform system, it must be doing good service as a centre of information, of discussion of principles, and especially as a means of affording publicity to the various relief agencies which cross each other's paths in any given neighbourhood. I am far from thinking that we East London clergy, always excepting our advertising brethren, stand in greater need than the clergy of the West of publicity in order to keep our relief proceedings within the bounds of innocence. The mere fact of our having so much less than they to give, and so many more poor among whom to distribute it, would itself settle that point. Still we do need - what we certainly have not got -some means of co-operation, for the purpose of arriving at common principles in the administration of charitable funds. Nor is it the clergy alone who are in this need. At present the various agencies, societies, chapels, as well as churches, act in complete isolation from each other. And no doubt they will continue to do so, until, as I have said, some great emergency again puts all their machinery out of gear; when out of the confusion let us hope that there may arise a

The Rev. E. C. Hawkins, Head Master of St. new and better order. John's Foundation School.

A SLIP IN THE FENS.

From Macmillan's Magazine.

A SLIP IN THE FENS.

CHAPTER VIII.

MRS. GAITHORNE had hardly slept, but was astir soon after daybreak. On her way downstairs she peeped into Elsie's room and found her fast asleep, looking so placid and happy that she did not disturb her.

on her part, for she carried their food
straight past them and hurried on to the
house as soon as she saw Elsie.

"Well, child, you're looking fresh
enough now, though you were up so late
last night, or this morning as I ought to
"I ran in to tell
say." She rested her sieve of corn for a
minute on the table.
you that it's well after all you decided on
stopping here, for that was Joe Bailey's
boy who you frightened, and it's like to be
all over the parish soon that you were out
there."

"Did he know me, then?" Elsie asked
quickly.

"I've heard no sound of you as yet, but that there is no knowing how those things come out, and I wouldn't for anything that you'd be going away just now — would set all their tongues a-going; but As for Master I think we can manage that they don't know nothing about it. Claude, I've got a trimming ready for him The "trimming" heightened the colour as soon as I can catch him alone." on Elsie's cheek, but she said nothing.

Mrs. Gaithorne moved much more slowly than was usual with her, at the beginning of such a busy day as this promised to be. It seemed as if she was planning some scheme to set matters right. Presently, when she had fastened back all the shutters and set the kitchen-door open, she took her black bonnet down from the hook, tied the strings in a decided manner, as if she had made up her mind, and set out for the dairy. The air was cold and raw, and there was a heavy fog over the meadow. The fens are in a perpetual ague. Yesterday they were parched and feverish, now they shuddered with the cold. Many people waste their lives here, and know nothing different. If Mrs. Gaithorne had been conscious of a lighter air while she lived with the Lillingstones, she attributed it, in some vague way, to wealth and its influence; so she did not know that she felt its heaviness, she only said to herself, "If I hadn't plenty to do I shouldn't like to hear that engine going all day long," and she quickened her pace, for the thought of "plenty to do " brought to her mind the plenty well done which always stirred her housewifely pride, and now coaxed her back into cheerfulness. But this cheerfulness was not thorough, and it did not spend itself pleasantly. "That's Mr. Claude's writing," said Jim the farm-boy felt its energy, and so did the dairy people, though somewhat Mrs. Gaithorne, taking it from her hand. deservedly, for they showed a tendency" Well! what can he be up to now? to gossip, quite unusual at that early hour.

Elsie slept long after her usual time, but Mrs. Gaithorne was still in the dairy when she went down. As she lighted the fire and set the place in order, she went from time to time to the door and looked out at the morning. This had brightened into pleasantness. The dew had settled on the grass, and showed the tracks of the fowls as they grouped wistfully round the brick path waiting for Mrs. Gaithorne. Then Elsie reproached herself for loitering, and was going out to find her, when an unexpected cackling of the fowls announced her arrival. The loud remonstrative cackle that quickly succeeded this, however, noted the unusual conduct

"Joe's father was took worse in the evening, and it was in going to fetch physic for him that he took fright at you, the little fool. Now if you'll clean out the dining-room," gathering up her sieve, "I'll take up the hot water myself. We must manage to keep you as much as possible out o' their way this morning ;" and Mrs. Gaithorne went back to the fowls that had huddled impatiently round the door.

She was still feeding them when Elsie ran back to her quickly.

"Here's a note I've found on the table; it's directed to Miss Grey."

Well, I suppose I must take it to Miss Mildred, but why he can't speak to her when he's in the same house with her is more than I can make out. I hate those nonsensical whimsies. I'll call them in a few minutes, and take it then. Now be as quick as you can with your work, there's no time to waste."

An hour later the room was looking fresh and pleasant, with its French window open. Mr. Lillingstone was walking thoughtfully up and down under the verandah, waiting for the ladies. Mildred came in and looked round hurriedly.

"There you are, uncle. I wanted to find you, for I have a note from Claude. He went off to Cambridge before six o'clock."

"He says he is so disappointed at not getting nets here that he has gone to get some in Cambridge; and he will bring a croquet set with him also, that the eve-behind with the breakfast, overheard Milning may not be so dull; but I think it is a pity, do you not? The day would have passed off better if he had stayed here to amuse them."

"Oh, oh!" said Mr. Lillingstone, still "I can tell you what that letter was pacing up and down, and continuing his about, Elsie," she said, as soon as she got own musing. "The butterfly nets! is back into the kitchen. "Mr. Claude's it?" then stopping before his niece, he gone to Cambridge, and he won't be back held out his hand for the note, and, fixing till dinner-time. Like enough he didn't his glass on his nose, he glanced over it, care to be all the morning with his father," but did not wait to read it. she added, smiling satirically to herself."