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treated　some　places；　especially　where　there　is　a　bullying　superintendent。　　Has　done　21　days　for　absolutely　refusing　to　do　the　work　on　such　low　diet；　when　unfit。　　Can't　get　justice；　doctor　always　sides　with　superintendent。

J。　S。；　odd　jobber。　　Is　working　at　board　carrying；　when　he　can　get　it。　There's　quite　a　rush　for　it　at　1s。　2d。　a　day。　　Carried　a　couple　of　parcels　yesterday；　got　5d。　for　them；　also　had　a　bit　of　bread　and　meat　given　him　by　a　working　man；　so　altogether　had　an　excellent　day。　Sometimes　goes　all　day　without　food；　and　plenty　more　do　the　same。　Sleeps　on　Embankment；　and　now　and　then　in　Casual　Ward。　　Latter　is　clean　and　comfortable　enough；　but　they　keep　you　in　all　day；　that　means　no　chance　of　getting　work。　　Was　a　clerk　once；　but　got　out　of　a　job；　and　couldn't　get　another；　there　are　so　many　clerks。

〃A　Tramp〃　says：　　〃I've　been　in　most　Casual　Wards　in　London；　was　in　the　one　in　Macklin　Street；　Drury　Lane；　last　week。　　They　keep　you　two　nights　and　a　day；　and　more　than　that　if　they　recognise　you。　　You　have　to　break　10　cwt。　of　stone；　or　pick　four　pounds　of　oakum。　　Both　are　hard。　About　thirty　a　night　go　to　Macklin　Street。　　The　food　is　1　pint　gruel　and　6　oz。　bread　for　breakfast；　8　oz。　bread　and　1　1/2　oz。　cheese　for　dinner；　tea　same　as　breakfast。　　No　supper。　　It　is　not　enough　to　do　the　work　on。　　Then　you　are　obliged　to　bathe；　of　course；　sometimes　three　will　bathe　in　one　water；　and　if　you　complain　they　turn　nasty；　and　ask　if　you　are　come　to　a　palace。　　Mitcham　Workhouse　I've　been　in；　grub　is　good；　1　1/2　pint　gruel　and　8　oz。　bread　for　breakfast；　and　same　for　supper。

F。K。　W。；　baker。　　Been　board…carrying　to…day；　earned　one　shilling；　Hours　9　till　5。　　I've　been　on　this　kind　of　life　six　years。　　Used　to　work　in　a　bakery；　but　had　congestion　of　the　brain；　and　couldn't　stand　the　heat。　　I've　been　in　about　every　Casual　Ward　in　England。　　They　treat　men　too　harshly。　　Have　to　work　very　hard；　too。　　Has　had　to　work　whilst　really　unfit。　　At　Peckham　（known　as　Camberwell）　Union；　was　quite　unable　to　do　it　through　weakness；　and　appealed　to　the　doctor；　who；　taking　the　part　of　the　other　officials；　as　usual；　refused　to　allow　him　to　forego　the　work。　　Cheeked　the　doctor；　telling　him　he　didn't　understand　his　work；　result；　got　three　days'　imprisonment。　　Before　going　to　a　Casual　Ward　at　all；　I　spent　seven　consecutive　nights　on　the　Embankment；　and　at　last　went　to　the　Ward。

The　result　of　the　deliberate　policy　of　making　the　night　refuge　for　the　unemployed　labourer　as　disagreeable　as　possible；　and　of　placing　as　many　obstacles　as　possible　in　the　way　of　his　finding　work　the　following　day；　is；　no　doubt；　to　minimise　the　number　of　Casuals；　and　without　question　succeeds。　　In　the　whole　of　London　the　number　of　Casuals　in　the　wards　at　night　is　only　1；136。　　That　is　to　say；　the　conditions　which　are　imposed　are　so　severe；　that　the　majority　of　the　Out…of…Works　prefer　to　sleep　in　the　open　air；　taking　their　chance　of　the　inclemency　and　mutability　of　our　English　weather；　rather　than　go　through　the　experience　of　the　Casual　Ward。

It　seems　to　me　that　such　a　mode　of　coping　with　distress　does　not　so　much　meet　the　difficulty　as　evade　it。　　It　is　obvious　that　an　apparatus；　which　only　provides　for　1；136　persons　per　night；　is　utterly　unable　to　deal　with　the　numbers　of　the　homeless　Out…of…Works。　　But　if　by　some　miracle　we　could　use　the　Casual　Wards　as　a　means　of　providing　for　all　those　who　are　seeking　work　from　day　to　day；　without　a　place　in　which　to　lay　their　heads；　save　the　kerbstone　of　the　pavement　or　the　back　of　a　seat　on　the　Embankment；　they　would　utterly　fail　to　have　any　appreciable　effect　upon　the　mass　of　human　misery　with　which　we　have　to　deal。　For　this　reason；　the　administration　of　the　Casual　Wards　is　mechanical；　perfunctory；　and　formal。　　Each　of　the　Casuals　is　to　the　Officer　in　Charge　merely　one　Casual　the　more。　　There　is　no　attempt　whatever　to　do　more　than　provide　for　them　merely　the　indispensable　requisites　of　existence。　　There　has　never　been　any　attempt　to　treat　them　as　human　beings；　to　deal　with　them　as　individuals；　to　appeal　to　their　hearts；　to　help　them　on　their　legs　again。　　They　are　simply　units；　no　more　thought　of　and　cared　for　than　if　they　were　so　many　coffee　beans　passing　through　a　coffee　mill；　and　as　the　net　result　of　all　my　experience　and　observation　of　men　and　things；　I　must　assert　unhesitatingly　that　anything　which　dehumanises　the　individual；　anything　which　treats　a　man　as　if　he　were　only　a　number　of　a　series　or　a　cog　in　a　wheel；　without　any　regard　to　the　character；　the　aspirations；　the　temptations；　and　the　idiosyncrasies　of　the　man；　must　utterly　fail　as　a　remedial　agency。　The　Casual　Ward；　at　the　best；　is　merely　a　squalid　resting　place　for　the　Casual　in　his　downward　career。　　It　anything　is　to　be　done　for　these　men；　it　must　be　done　by　other　agents　than　those　which　prevail　in　the　administration　of　the　Poor　Laws。

The　second　method　in　which　Society　endeavours　to　do　its　duty　to　the　lapsed　masses　is　by　the　miscellaneous　and　heterogeneous　efforts　which　are　clubbed　together　under　the　generic　head　of　Charity。　　Far　be　it　from　me　to　say　one　word　in　disparagement　of　any　effort　that　is　prompted　by　a　sincere　desire　to　alleviate　the　misery　of　our　fellow　creatures；　but　the　most　charitable　are　those　who　most　deplore　the　utter　failure　which　has；　up　till　now；　attended　all　their　efforts　to　do　more　than　temporarily　alleviate　pain；　or　effect　an　occasional　improvement　in　the　condition　of　individuals。

There　are　many　institutions；　very　excellent　in　their　way；　without　which　it　is　difficult　to　see　how　society　could　get　on　at　all；　but　when　they　have　done　their　best　there　still　remains　this　great　and　appalling　mass　of　human　misery　on　our　hands；　a　perfect　quagmire　of　Human　Sludge。　They　may　ladle　out　individuals　here　and　there；　but　to　drain　the　whole　bog　is　an　effort　which　seems　to　be　beyond　the　imagination　of　most　of　those　who　spend　their　lives　in　philanthropic　work。　　It　is　no　doubt　better　than　nothing　to　take　the　individual　and　feed　him　from　day　to　day；　to　bandage　up　his　wounds　and　heal　his　diseases；　but　you　may　go　on　doing　that　for　ever；　if　you　do　not　do　more　than　that；　and　the　worst　of　it　is　that　all　authorities　agree　that　if　you　only　do　that　you　will　probably　increase　the　evil　with　which　you　are　attempting　to　deal；　and　that　you　had　much　better　let　the　whole　thing　alone。

There　is　at　present　no　attempt　at　Concerted　Action。　　Each　one　deals　with　the　case　immediately　before　him；　and　the　result　is　what　might　be　expected；　there　is　a　great　expenditure；　but　the　gains　are；　alas！　very　small。　　The　fact；　however；　that　so　much　is　subscribed　for　the　temporary　relief　and　the　mere　alleviation　of　distress　justifies　my　confidence　that　if　a　Practical　Scheme　of　dealing　with　this　misery　in　a　permanent；　comprehensive　fashion　be　discovered；　there　will　be　no　lack　of　the　sinews　of　war。　　It　is　well；　no　doubt；　sometimes　to　administer　an　anaesthetic；　but　the　Cure　of　the　Patient　is　worth　ever　so　much　more；　and　the　latter　is　the　object　which　we　must　constantly　set　before　us　in　approaching　this　problem。

The　third　method　by　which　Society　professes　to　attempt　the　reclamation　of　the　lost　is　by　the　rough；　rude　surgery　of　the　Gaol。　　Upon　this　a　whole　treatise　might　be　written；　but　when　it　was　finished　it　would　be　nothing　more　than　a　demonstration　that　our　Prison　system　has　practically　missed　aiming　at　that　which　should　be　the　first　essential　of　every　system　of　punishment。　　It　is　not　Reformatory；　it　is　not　worked　as　if　it　were　intended　to　be　Reformatory。　　It　is　punitive；　and　only　punitive。　　The　whole　administration　needs　to　be　reformed　from　top　to　bottom　in　accordance　with　this　fundamental　principle；　viz。；　that　while　every　prisoner　should　be　subjected　to　that　measure　of　punishment　which　shall　mark　a　due　sense　of　his　crime　both　to　himself　and　society；　the　main　object　should　be　to　rouse　in　his　mind　the　desire　to　lead　an　honest　life；　and　to　effect　that　change　in　his　disposition　and　character　which　will　send　him　forth　to　put　that　desire　into　practice。　　At　present；　every　Prison　is　more　or　less　a　Training　School　for　Crime；　an　introduction　to　the　society　of　criminals；　the　petrifaction　of　any　lingering　human　feeling　and　a　very　Bastille　of　Despair。　　The　prison　brand　is　stamped　upon　those　who　go　in；　and　that　so　deeply；　that　it　seems　as　if　it　clung　to　them　for　life。　　To　enter　Prison　once；　means　in　many　cases　an　almost　certain　return　there　at　an　early　date。　　All　this　has　to　be　changed；　and　will　be；　when　once　the　work　of　Prison　Reform　is　taken　in　hand　by　men　who　understand　the　subject；　who　believe　in　the　reformation　of　human　nature　in　every　form　which　its　depravity　can　assume；　and　who　are　in　full　sympathy　with　the　class　for　whose　benefit　they　labour；　and　when　those　charged　directly　with　the　care　of　criminals　seek　to　work　out　their　regeneration　in　the　same　spirit。

The　question　of　Prison　Reform　is　all　the　more　important　because　it　is　only　by　the　agency　of　the　Gaol　that　Society　attempts　to　deal　with　its　hopeless　cases。　　If　a　woman；　driven　mad　with　shame；　flings　herself　into　the　river；　and　is　fished　out　alive；　we　clap　her　into　Prison　on　a　charge　of　attempted　suicide。　　If　a　man；　despairing　of　work　and　gaunt　with　hunger；　helps　himself　to　food；　it　is　to　the　same　reformatory　agency　that　he　is　forthwith　subjected。　　The　rough　and　ready