in darkest england and the way out-第13节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


d；　the　judges　all　say　the　same　thing。　　Of　course　it　is　a　mistake　to　assume　that　a　murder；　for　instance；　would　never　be　committed　by　sober　men；　because　murderers　in　most　cases　prime　themselves　for　their　deadly　work　by　a　glass　of　Dutch　courage。　　But　the　facility　of　securing　a　reinforcement　of　passion　undoubtedly　tends　to　render　always　dangerous；　and　sometimes　irresistible；　the　temptation　to　violate　the　laws　of　God　and　man。

Mere　lectures　against　the　evil　habit　are；　however；　of　no　avail。　We　have　to　recognise；　that　the　gin…palace；　like　many　other　evils；　although　a　poisonous；　is　still　a　natural　outgrowth　of　our　social　conditions。　　The　tap…room　in　many　cases　is　the　poor　man's　only　parlour。　Many　a　man　takes　to　beer；　not　from　the　love　of　beer；　but　from　a　natural　craving　for　the　light；　warmth；　company；　and　comfort　which　is　thrown　in　along　with　the　beer；　and　which　he　cannot　get　excepting　by　buying　beer。　Reformers　will　never　get　rid　of　the　drink　shop　until　they　can　outbid　it　in　the　subsidiary　attractions　which　it　offers　to　its　customers。　Then；　again；　let　us　never　forget　that　the　temptation　to　drink　is　strongest　when　want　is　sharpest　and　misery　the　most　acute。　　A　well…fed　man　is　not　driven　to　drink　by　the　craving　that　torments　the　hungry；　and　the　comfortable　do　not　crave　for　the　boon　of　forgetfulness。　　Gin　is　the　only　Lethe　of　the　miserable。　　The　foul　and　poisoned　air　of　the　dens　in　which　thousands　live　predisposes　to　a　longing　for　stimulant。　Fresh　air；　with　its　oxygen　and　its　ozone；　being　lacking；　a　man　supplies　the　want　with　spirit。　　After　a　time　the　longing　for　drink　becomes　a　mania。　　Life　seems　as　insupportable　without　alcohol　as　without　food。　It　is　a　disease　often　inherited；　always　developed　by　indulgence；　but　as　clearly　a　disease　as　ophthalmia　or　stone。

All　this　should　predispose　us　to　charity　and　sympathy。　While　recognising　that　the　primary　responsibility　must　always　rest　upon　the　individual；　we　may　fairly　insist　that　society；　which；　by　its　habits；　its　customs；　and　its　laws；　has　greased　the　slope　down　which　these　poor　creatures　slide　to　perdition；　shall　seriously　take　in　hand　their　salvation。　　How　many　are　there　who　are；　more　or　less；　under　the　dominion　of　strong　drink？　　Statistics　abound；　but　they　seldom　tell　us　what　we　want　to　know。　　We　know　how　many　public…houses　there　are　in　the　land；　and　how　many　arrests　for　drunkenness　the　police　make　in　a　year；　but　beyond　that　we　know　little。　　Everyone　knows　that　for　one　man　who　is　arrested　for　drunkenness　there　are　at　least　ten　and　often　twentywho　go　home　intoxicated。　　In　London；　for　instance；　there　are　14；000　drink　shops；　and　every　year　20；000　persons　are　arrested　for　drunkenness。　　But　who　can　for　a　moment　believe　that　there　are　only　20；000；　more　or　less；　habitual　drunkards　in　London？　　By　habitual　drunkard　I　do　not　mean　one　who　is　always　drunk；　but　one　who　is　so　much　under　the　dominion　of　the　evil　habit　that　he　cannot　be　depended　upon　not　to　get　drunk　whenever　the　opportunity　offers。

In　the　United　Kingdom　there　are　190；000　public…houses；　and　every　year　there　are　200；000　arrests　for　drunkenness。　　Of　course；　several　of　these　arrests　refer　to　the　same　person；　who　is　locked　up　again　and　again。　Were　this　not　so；　if　we　allowed　six　drunkards　to　each　house　as　an　average；　or　five　habitual　drunkards　for　one　arrested　for　drunkenness；　we　should　arrive　at　a　total　of　a　million　adults　who　are　more　or　less　prisoners　of　the　publicanas　a　matter　of　fact；　Isaac　Hoyle　gives　1　in　12　of　the　adult　population。　　This　may　be　an　excessive　estimate；　but；　if　we　take　half　of　a　million；　we　shall　not　be　accused　of　exaggeration。　　Of　these　some　are　in　the　last　stage　of　confirmed　dipsomania；　others　are　but　over　the　verge；　but　the　procession　tends　ever　downwards。

The　loss　which　the　maintenance　of　this　huge　standing　army　of　a　half　of　a　million　of　men　who　are　more　or　less　always　besotted　men　whose　intemperance　impairs　their　working　power；　consumes　their　earnings；　and　renders　their　homes　wretched；　has　long　been　a　familiar　theme　of　the　platform。　　But　what　can　be　done　for　them？　　Total　abstinence　is　no　doubt　admirable；　but　how　are　you　to　get　them　to　be　totally　abstinent？　　When　a　man　is　drowning　in　mid…ocean　the　one　thing　that　is　needful；　no　doubt；　is　that　he　should　plant　his　feet　firmly　on　terra　firma。　　But　how　is　he　to　get　there？　　It　is　just　what　he　cannot　do。　　And　so　it　is　with　the　drunkards。　　If　they　are　to　be　rescued　there　must　be　something　more　done　for　them　than　at　present　is　attempted；　unless；　of　course；　we　decide　definitely　to　allow　the　iron　laws　of　nature　to　work　themselves　out　in　their　destruction。　　In　that　case　it　might　be　more　merciful　to　facilitate　the　slow　workings　of　natural　law。　　There　is　no　need　of　establishing　a　lethal　chamber　for　drunkards　like　that　into　which　the　lost　dogs　of　London　are　driven；　to　die　in　peaceful　sleep　under　the　influence　of　carbonic　oxide。　　The　State　would　only　need　to　go　a　little　further　than　it　goes　at　present　in　the　way　of　supplying　poison　to　the　community。　　If；　in　addition　to　planting　a　flaming　gin　palace　at　each　corner；　free　to　all　who　enter；　it　were　to　supply　free　gin　to　all　who　have　attained　a　certain　recognised　standard　of　inebriety；　delirium　tremens　would　soon　reduce　our　drunken　population　to　manageable　proportions。　　I　can　imagine　a　cynical　millionaire　of　the　scientific　philanthropic　school　making　a　clearance　of　all　the　drunkards　in　a　district　by　the　simple　expedient　of　an　unlimited　allowance　of　alcohol。　But　that　for　us　is　out　of　the　question。　　The　problem　of　what　to　do　with　our　half　of　a　million　drunkards　remains　to　be　solved；　and　few　more　difficult　questions　confront　the　social　reformer。

The　question　of　the　harlots　is；　however；　quite　as　insoluble　by　the　ordinary　methods。　　For　these　unfortunates　no　one　who　looks　below　the　surface　can　fail　to　have　the　deepest　sympathy。　　Some　there　are；　no　doubt；　perhaps　many；　whowhether　from　inherited　passion　or　from　evil　educationhave　deliberately　embarked　upon　a　life　of　vice；　but　with　the　majority　it　is　not　so。　　Even　those　who　deliberately　and　of　free　choice　adopt　the　profession　of　a　prostitute；　do　so　under　the　stress　of　temptations　which　few　moralists　seem　to　realise。　　Terrible　as　the　fact　is；　there　is　no　doubt　it　is　a　fact　that　there　is　no　industrial　career　in　which　for　a　short　time　a　beautiful　girl　can　make　as　much　money　with　as　little　trouble　as　the　profession　of　a　courtesan。　　The　case　recently　tried　at　the　Lewes　assizes；　in　which　the　wife　of　an　officer　in　the　army　admitted　that　while　living　as　a　kept　mistress　she　had　received　as　much　as　#4；000　a　year；　was　no　doubt　very　exceptional。　　Even　the　most　successful　adventuresses　seldom　make　the　income　of　a　Cabinet　Minister。　But　take　women　in　professions　and　in　businesses　all　round；　and　the　number　of　young　women　who　have　received　#500　in　one　year　for　the　sale　of　their　person　is　larger　than　the　number　of　women　of　all　ages　who　make　a　similar　sum　by　honest　industry。　　It　is　only　the　very　few　who　draw　these　gilded　prizes；　and　they　only　do　it　for　a　very　short　time。　　But　it　is　the　few　prizes　in　every　profession　which　allure　the　multitude；　who　think　little　of　the　many　blanks。　　And　speaking　broadly；　vice　offers　to　every　good…looking　girl　during　the　first　bloom　of　her　youth　and　beauty　more　money　than　she　can　earn　by　labour　in　any　field　of　industry　open　to　her　sex。　　The　penalty　exacted　afterwards　is　disease；　degradation　and　death；　but　these　things　at　first　are　hidden　from　her　sight。

The　profession　of　a　prostitute　is　the　only　career　in　which　the　maximum　income　is　paid　to　the　newest　apprentice。　　It　is　the　one　calling　in　which　at　the　beginning　the　only　exertion　is　that　of　self…indulgence；　all　the　prizes　are　at　the　commencement。　　It　is　the　ever　new　embodiment　of　the　old　fable　of　the　sale　of　the　soul　to　the　Devil。　　The　tempter　offers　wealth；　comfort；　excitement；　but　in　return　the　victim　must　sell　her　soul；　nor　does　the　other　party　forget　to　exact　his　due　to　the　uttermost　farthing。　　Human　nature；　however；　is　short…sighted。　Giddy　girls；　chafing　against　the　restraints　of　uncongenial　industry；　see　the　glittering　bait　continually　before　them。　　They　are　told　that　if　they　will　but　〃do　as　others　do〃　they　will　make　more　in　a　night；　if　they　are　lucky；　than　they　can　make　in　a　week　at　their　sewing；　and　who　can　wonder　that　in　many　cases　the　irrevocable　step　is　taken　before　they　realise　that　it　is　irrevocable；　and　that　they　have　bartered　away　the　future　of　their　lives　for　the　paltry　chance　of　a　year's　ill…gotten　gains？

Of　the　severity　of　the　punishment　there　can　be　no　question。　　If　the　premium　is　high　at　the　beginning；　the　penalty　is　terrible　at　the　close。　And　this　penalty　is　exacted　equally　from　those　who　have　deliberately　said；　〃Evil；　be　thou　my　Good；〃　and　for　those　who　have　been　decoyed；　snared；　trapped　into　the　life　which　is　a　living　death。　　When　you　see　a　girl　on　the　street　you　can　never　say　without　enquiry　whether　she　is　one　of　the　most…to…be　condemned；　or　the　most…to…be　pitied　of　her　sex。　Many　of　them　find　themselves　where　they　are　because　of　a　too　trusting　disposition；　confidence　born　of　innocence　being　often　the　unsuspecting　ally　of　the　procuress　and　seducer。　　Others　are　as　much　the　innocent　victims　of　crime　as　if　they　had　been　stabbed　or　maimed　by　the　dagger　of　the　assassin。　　The　records　of　our　Rescue　Homes　abound　w