in darkest england and the way out-第59节

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living　in　lodgings；　are　practically　without　any　opportunity　of　making　the　acquaintance　of　each　other；　or　of　any　one　of　the　other　sex！　The　street　is　no　doubt　the　city　substitute　for　the　village　green；　and　what　a　substitute　it　is！

It　has　been　bitterly　said　by　one　who　knew　well　what　he　was　talking　about；　〃There　are　thousands　of　young　men　to…day　who　have　no　right　to　call　any　woman　by　her　Christian　name；　except　the　girls　they　meet　plying　their　dreadful　trade　in　our　public　thoroughfares。〃　　As　long　as　that　is　the　case；　vice　has　an　enormous　advantage　over　virtue；　such　an　abnormal　social　arrangement　interdicts　morality　and　places　a　vast　premium　upon　prostitution。　　We　must　get　back　to　nature　if　we　have　to　cope　with　this　ghastly　evil。　　There　ought　to　be　more　opportunities　afforded　for　healthy　human　intercourse　between　young　men　and　young　women；　nor　can　Society　rid　itself　of　a　great　responsibility　for　all　the　wrecks　of　manhood　and　womanhood　with　which　our　streets　are　strewn；　unless　it　does　make　some　attempt　to　bridge　this　hideous　chasm　which　yawns　between　the　two　halves　of　humanity。　　The　older　I　grow　the　more　absolutely　am　I　opposed　to　anything　that　violates　the　fundamental　law　of　the　family。　Humanity　is　composed　of　two　sexes；　and　woe　be　to　those　who　attempt　to　separate　them　into　distinct　bodies；　making　of　each　half　one　whole！　It　has　been　tried　in　monasteries　and　convents　with　but　poor　success；　yet　what　our　fervent　Protestants　do　not　seem　to　see　is　that　we　are　reconstructing　a　similar　false　system　for　our　young　people　without　the　safeguards　and　the　restraints　of　convent　walls　or　the　sanctifying　influence　of　religious　conviction。　　The　conditions　of　City　life；　the　absence　of　the　enforced　companionship　of　the　village　and　small　town；　the　difficulty　of　young　people　finding　harmless　opportunities　of　friendly　intercourse；　all　tends　to　create　classes　of　celibates　who　are　not　chaste；　and　whose　irregular　and　lawless　indulgence　of　a　universal　instinct　is　one　of　the　most　melancholy　features　of　the　present　state　of　society。　　Nay；　so　generally　is　this　recognised；　that　one　of　the　terms　by　which　one　of　the　consequences　of　this　unnatural　state　of　things　is　popularly　known　is　〃the　social　evil；〃　as　if　all　other　social　evils　were　comparatively　unworthy　of　notice　in　comparison　to　this。

While　I　have　been　busily　occupied　in　working　out　my　Scheme　for　the　registration　of　labour；　it　has　occurred　to　me　more　than　once；　why　could　not　something　like　the　same　plan　be　adopted　in　relation　to　men　who　want　wives　and　women　who　want　husbands？　　Marriage　is　with　most　people　largely　a　matter　or　opportunity。　　Many　a　man　and　many　a　woman；　who　would；　if　they　had　come　together；　have　formed　a　happy　household；　are　leading　at　this　moment　miserable　and　solitary　lives；　suffering　in　body　and　in　soul；　in　consequence　of　their　exclusion　from　the　natural　state　of　matrimony。　　Of　course；　the　registration　of　the　unmarried　who　wish　to　marry　would　be　a　matter　of　much　greater　delicacy　than　the　registration　of　the　joiners　and　stone…masons　who　wish　to　obtain　work。　　But　the　thing　is　not　impossible。　　I　have　repeatedly　found　in　my　experience　that　many　a　man　and　many　a　woman　would　only　be　too　glad　to　have　a　friendly　hint　as　to　where　they　might　prosecute　their　attentions　or　from　which　they　might　receive　proposals。　　In　connection　with　such　an　agency；　if　it　were　establishedfor　I　am　mot　engaging　to　undertake　this　task　I　am　only　throwing　out　a　possible　suggestion　as　to　the　development　in　the　direction　of　meeting　a　much　needed　want；　there　might　be　added　training　homes　for　matrimony。　　My　heart　bleeds　for　many　a　young　couple　whom　I　see　launching　out　into　the　sea　of　matrimony　with　no　housewifery　experience。　　The　young　girls　who　leave　our　public　elementary　schools　and　go　out　into　factories　have　never　been　trained　to　home　duties；　and　yet；　when　taken　to　wife；　are　unreasonably　expected　to　fill　worthily　the　difficult　positions　of　the　head　of　a　household　and　the　mother　of　a　family。　　A　month　spent　before　marriage　in　a　training　home　of　housewifery　would　conduce　much　more　to　the　happiness　of　the　married　life　than　the　honeymoon　which　immediately　follows　it。

Especially　is　this　the　case　with　those　who　marry　to　go　abroad　and　settle　in　a　distant　country。　　I　often　marvel　when　I　think　of　the　utter　helplessness　of　the　modern　woman；　compared　with　the　handiness　of　her　grandmother。　　How　many　of　our　girls　can　even　bake　a　loaf？　　The　baker　has　killed　out　one　of　our　fundamental　domestic　arts。　　But　if　you　are　in　the　Backwoods　or　in　the　Prairie　or　in　the　Bush；　no　baker's　cart　comes　round　every　morning　with　the　new…made　bread；　and　I　have　often　thought　with　sorrow　of　the　kind　of　stuff　which　this　poor　wife　must　serve　up　to　her　hungry　husband。　　As　it　is　with　baking；　so　it　is　with　washing；　with　milking；　with　spinning；　with　all　the　arts　and　sciences　of　the　household；　which　were　formerly　taught；　as　a　matter　of　course；　to　all　the　daughters　who　were　born　in　the　world。　　Talk　about　woman's　rights；　one　of　the　first　of　woman's　rights　is　to　be　trained　to　her　trade；　to　be　queen　of　her　household；　and　mother　of　her　children。

Speaking　of　colonists　leads　me　to　the　suggestion　whether　something　could　not　be　done　to　supply；　on　a　well…organised　system；　the　thousands　of　bachelor　miners　or　the　vast　host　of　unmarried　males　who　are　struggling　with　the　wilderness　on　the　outskirts　of　civilisation；　with　capable　wives　from　the　overplus　of　marriageable　females　who　abound　in　our　great　towns。　　Woman　supplied　in　adequate　quantities　is　the　great　moraliser　of　Society；　but　woman　doled　out　as　she　is　in　the　Far　West　and　the　Australian　bush；　in　the　proportion　of　one　woman　to　about　a　dozen　men；　is　a　fertile　source　of　vice　and　crime。　　Here　again　we　must　get　back　to　nature；　whose　fundamental　laws　our　social　arrangements　have　rudely　set　on　one　side　with　consequences　which　as　usual　she　does　not　fail　to　exact　with　remorseless　severity。　　There　have　always　been　born　into　the　world　and　continue　to　be　born　boys　and　girls　in　fairly　equal　proportions；　but　with　colonising　and　soldiering　our　men　go　away；　leaving　behind　them　a　continually　growing　surplus　of　marriageable　but　unmarried　spinsters；　who　cannot　spin；　and　who　are　utterly　unable　to　find　themselves　husbands。　　This　is　a　wide　field　on　the　discussion　of　which　I　must　not　enter。　　I　merely　indicate　it　as　one　of　those　departments　in　which　an　intelligent　philanthropy　might　find　a　great　sphere　for　its　endeavours；　but　it　would　be　better　not　to　touch　it　at　all　than　to　deal　with　it　with　light…hearted　precipitancy　and　without　due　consideration　of　all　the　difficulties　and　dangers　connected　therewith。　　Obstacles；　however；　exist　to　be　overcome　and　converted　into　victories。　　There　is　even　a　certain　fascination　about　the　difficult　and　dangerous；　which　appeals　very　strongly　to　all　who　know　that　it　is　the　apparently　insolvable　difficulty　which　contains　within　its　bosom　the　key　to　the　problem　which　you　are　seeking　to　solve。


SECTION　8。WHITECHAPEL…BY…THE…SEA。

In　considering　the　various　means　by　which　some　substantial　improvement　can　be　made　in　the　condition　of　the　toiling　masses；　recreation　cannot　be　omitted。　　I　have　repeatedly　had　forced　upon　me　the　desirability　of　making　it　possible　for　them　to　spend　a　few　hours　occasionally　by　the　seaside；　or　even　at　times　three　or　four　days。　　Notwithstanding　the　cheapened　rates　and　frequent　excursions；　there　are　multitudes　of　the　poor　who；　year　in　and　out；　never　get　beyond　the　crowded　city；　with　the　exception　of　dragging　themselves　and　their　children　now　and　then　to　the　parks　on　holidays　or　hot　summer　evenings。　　The　majority；　especially　the　inhabitants　of　the　East　of　London；　never　get　away　from　the　sunless　alleys　and　grimy　streets　in　which　they　exist　from　year　to　year。　It　is　true　that　a　few　here　and　there　of　the　adult　population；　and　a　good　many　of　the　children；　have　a　sort　of　annual　charity　excursion　to　Epping　Forest；　Hampton　Court；　or　perhaps　to　the　sea。　　But　it　is　only　the　minority。　　The　vast　number；　while　possessed　of　a　passionate　love　of　the　sea；　which　only　those　who　have　mixed　with　them　can　conceive；　pass　their　whole　lives　without　having　once　looked　over　its　blue　waters；　or　watched　its　waves　breaking　at　their　feet。

Now　I　am　not　so　foolish　as　to　dream　that　it　is　possible　to　make　any　such　change　in　Society　as　will　enable　the　poor　man　to　take　his　wife　and　children　for　a　fortnight's　sojourn；　during　the　oppressive　summer　days；　to　brace　them　up　for　their　winter's　task；　although　this　might　be　as　desirable　in　their　case　as　in　that　of　their　more　highly　favoured　fellow…creatures。　　But　I　would　make　it　possible　for　every　man；　woman　and　child；　to　get；　now　and　then；　a　day's　refreshing　change　by　a　visit　to　that　never…failing　source　of　interest。　　In　the　carrying　out　of　this　plan；　we　are　met　at　the　onset　with　a　difficulty　of　some　little　magnitude；　and　that　is　the　necessity　of　a　vastly　reduced　charge　in　the　cost　of　the　journey。　　To　do　anything　effective　we　must　be　able　to　get　a　man　from　Whitechapel　or　Stratford　to　the　sea…side　and　back　for　a　shilling。

Unfortunately；　London　is　sixty　miles　from　the　sea。　　Suppose　we　take　it　at　seventy　miles。　　This　would　involve　a　journey　of　one　hundred　and　forty　miles　for　the　small　sum　of　1s。　　Can　this　be　done？　　I　think　it　can；　and　done　to　pay　the　railway　companies；　otherwise　there　is　no