BRITISH CHARITIES IN PARIS.
The British poor in Paris form no inconsiderable part of the Colony. This
arises largely from the fact that it has been the custom in France to
employ Englishmen as coachmen and stablemen, many of whom from one cause
or another have fallen into poverty. Others have taken advantage of the
small expense and gone to Paris in the hope of obtaining work, which is
by no means easy to find. Some years ago many English were employed in
various works, but lately it is not so. When first I went to Paris I held
in the Montmartre district a weekly service for the families of those
employed in the gas works in that neighbourhood, and had an attendance of
thirty to forty persons. But this gradually dwindled, until at last there
were none left—one after another had been discharged and had taken their
families back to England.
In order to meet the need of the impecunious British, several excellent
charities have been established in Paris. One of the most important of
these is the “British Charitable Fund.” This is a fund which has existed
many years in Paris, and it is interesting to know that during the
Franco-German war and the Siege of Paris, it still carried on its work,
giving out food to those poor English people who had been unable to leave
the beleaguered city.
[Illustration: SIR JOHN PILTER.]
In former years it was a most difficult matter to raise sufficient funds
to meet the various calls, and there were all sorts of expedients for
raising money. Now, happily, the fund is in a healthy condition, owing
to a generous legacy by the late Captain Briscoe, and very good work is
being done. The fund is managed by a committee, of which His Majesty’s
Ambassador is President, and the British Consul-General the Chairman.
The executive is an undenominational body, and the members usually
attending during my time were: the English Church clergyman, the Roman
Catholic priest, and the Scotch clergyman, and one or two laymen—Sir John
Pilter being a most regular and valued member. Sir John Pilter is one of
the best known members of the English Colony, and is always forward in
every good work both with means and personal effort. The secretary, Mr.
Reginald Gesling, is a well-known figure in the English colony, and an
invaluable presence at the weekly board. Being gifted with a remarkable
memory for faces, it is hard indeed for the would-be impostor to pass his
scrutiny. I have known him recognise a man who had not been before the
committee for thirty years.
The weekly meetings of the board, which I attended (with rare exceptions)
during my sixteen years in Paris, were full of interest and a curious
study of human nature. All sorts and conditions of men came there, with
all sorts of stories. We had clergymen and Roman Catholic priests,
lawyers, soldiers and sailors, black and white, Boer and Briton, from all
parts of the world. Sometimes it was a man sent as far as Paris by the
Consul at Marseilles, whom we had to send on. At another, members of an
English circus which had failed asked to be sent home. Clowns and ballet
girls, in fact “artists” (as they call themselves) of all kinds were
frequently before the committee. The Home Government give some assistance
towards the repatriation of British people, or this would be a serious
drain upon the fund, and, moreover, the Western Railway of France conveys
these unfortunate people at a reduced rate. There are often curious
scenes at the Gare St. Lazare on Wednesday evenings, when these people
are being sent off. There is frequently a reluctance to go at the last
minute on the part of those who have long resided in Paris, and all sorts
of dodges have been resorted to to avoid the train. I knew of one case
where a woman having a ticket to London left the train at Rouen, and in a
short time came up smiling before the committee again.
The distribution of charity is ever a difficult matter, and while every
care was taken, we were no doubt often imposed upon. We have an excellent
lady visitor, Miss Beaton, who spares no time or energy in finding out
the merits of each case. Here is a curious instance:
On one occasion a woman came to the committee in widow’s weeds, leading
a string of children, and in tears. She said her husband (a printer) was
dead and buried. She would not return to England, and asked for help for
herself and children. The committee were touched, and made a generous
allowance, which went on for some weeks.
One day the Secretary (Mr. Gesling) met the husband (supposed to be dead)
in the street. He went up to him and questioned him, and discovered that
he knew nothing of his wife’s deception. I believe she is really a widow
now, and receives help from the committee.
It was astonishing how many English people lost their purses, either on
the journey over or soon after arriving in Paris. Almost every week we
had the same story, which, in many if not most cases, was only an excuse
either for having given way to drink, or having been in bad company.
The committee is always desirous to get British people who are not doing
well to return to their own country, especially the younger people. Old
people who have lived most of their life in France and have lost all
their relatives cannot well be sent home. The fascination of Paris is,
however, so great, that it is often very difficult to persuade even the
poorest to leave, and all sorts of excuses are given against leaving.
Upon one occasion an old man came to the committee asking for relief. He
was asked “How long have you been in France?” He replied “Over twenty
years.” “Do you speak French?” “Only a few words, sir.” (This is quite
possible. Englishmen working together in a stable will have little need
to speak the language.) “Are you in work?” “No, sir.” “Have you any
prospect of work?” “I think not.” “Will you return home?” A decided
“No, sir.” He was then asked a number of questions in the endeavour
to discover his reasons for wishing to stay, as he was getting old,
was unmarried, and had no relatives in France. At length, with some
reluctance, he said, “Well, sir, its the wine. We can’t get the claret
in England.” And nothing would persuade him to return. He is probably
still there, ekeing out a miserable existence. I am glad to hear that
the committee are about to purchase or build more suitable premises in
which to carry on this important work. This is a real necessity, as the
present rooms are too small and badly ventilated. Visitors are always
welcome on Wednesday afternoons when the committee meets, and the study
of human nature at these gatherings is most interesting. There are
usually between 90 and 120 applications for relief each week.
Next in importance to the British Charitable Fund is the “Hertford
British Hospital.” This was the noble gift to the Colony of the late Sir
Richard Wallace, Bart., and was partly the outcome of the Franco-German
war, and the Commune in 1870-1871. This philanthropic nobleman opened
a hospital in the Rue d’Aguesseau for the reception of wounded, and in
January, 1871, added two wards for the “Sick British Poor,” and also
a dispensary. At the end of the year only one soldier remained under
treatment, and upon his discharge it was closed. A few weeks subsequently
Sir Richard Wallace communicated to his friends his intention to found
and endow a hospital in Paris for poor British subjects, to be called the
“Hertford British Hospital,” in memory of the late Marquis of Hertford.
The foundation stone of the present building was laid by Sir Richard and
Lady Wallace in August, 1877, and opened at a visit of the late Lord
Lyons in 1879. The hospital was visited in June, 1879, by their Majesties
King Edward VII. and Queen Alexandra (then Prince and Princess of Wales),
who named the principal wards “Albert Edward” and “Alexandra.” In 1900
Lady Wallace made over the hospital by deed to the British Government,
who appointed the present management. This hospital is especially
fortunate in having an endowment sufficient for its requirements, so that
the management have no need to apply for subscriptions. The hospital
contains 40 beds and cots, and has an average number of 350 in-patients,
and some 2,000 out-patients.
[Illustration: HERTFORD BRITISH HOSPITAL.]
It can hardly be realized, except by those resident abroad, what a boon
an English hospital, with English doctors and nurses, is to the British
poor.
One cannot speak too highly of the kindness of the French hospitals in
receiving English people for treatment, and I received many testimonies
from grateful patients of the benefits obtained. I frequently, however,
heard the poor say: “When one is ill, it is such a blessing to be able
to talk your own language to those about you,” or “I am afraid they did
not treat me properly because I could not explain to them the symptoms,”
and such sayings illustrate what I am sure all feel, viz.: that it is
very difficult in illness to explain as one would wish to one who is a
stranger to our language. So that the English hospital for this reason
(and it is only one of many) is a real boon to the British poor in Paris.
You no sooner pass the iron gate than you feel as if you were in England.
The porter speaks to you in your native tongue; the secretary (though a
first-rate French scholar) greets you in the same language. The wards are
bright, cheerful, and (especially) airy, and all the surroundings are
such as we are accustomed to in our own land. The nurses are all English,
and most of them have had experience in hospitals at home. All are under
the guidance of an experienced matron, chosen from among many applicants
for the post. I have known hundreds of the British poor who have been
treated there, and they often are in difficulty to find words to express
their gratitude. Certainly the works of Sir Richard Wallace do follow him.
If there is any drawback in this splendid institution, it is the lack
of a separate building for the treatment of infectious cases; and also
of a pay ward. This want necessitates a poor Britisher with consumption,
small pox, etc., being taken to a French hospital, which often is not
desirable, and sometimes a great hardship. The need of a pay ward is
also a real one. It often happens that an English person is taken ill
in an hotel where it is difficult to get proper treatment, and where
expenses are apt to increase very materially under the circumstances.
To some hotels doctors are “attached,” who charge exorbitant fees, and,
it is said, divide the proceeds with the proprietor. In such cases it
would be the greatest boon if the patients could avail themselves of a
British hospital, and they would no doubt willingly pay for the necessary
treatment. But notwithstanding these omissions, the Hertford Hospital
is doing a splendid work, and is an enduring monument to its generous
founder.
Another British charity in Paris is the “Victoria Home for Aged Women,”
founded by my predecessor, the Rev. Howard Gill, in the year 1888. He
found, as I did subsequently, that there were English women who had been
governesses, ladies’ maids, and domestic servants, living in loneliness
and poverty, generally at the top of the great houses in Paris, where the
rents—and the ceilings—are low. For the most part they had led honourable
lives, and were respected and helped by the families where they had
worked. But they were old, they had lived most of their lives in France,
any friends they had in England were dead and gone, and they had no wish
to return to their native land, indeed it would be cruel to compel them
to do so. The idea of a home where such could be lodged, free of rent,
took shape in the year of the late Queen’s Jubilee in 1887. It was then
decided that after the expenses of the Celebration, the fund collected
should be applied to the establishment of a Victoria Home for the Aged
British Poor. However, the fund collected was not sufficient, so it was
eventually decided to apply the interest of it in Victoria pensions,
until the necessary amount should be collected. However, Mr. Gill would
not allow his scheme to rest, and receiving generous help from a few
friends, he started a Home on a small scale. This was inaugurated by the
Dowager Lady Lytton in December, 1888, and has proved a real success.
The conditions of entry may seem rather “stiff,” but the fact that
there has never been a vacant room shows that they need not at present
be relaxed. The applicant must be a British subject, over 65 years of
age, of good character, and have resided at least 30 years in France.
It was one of my most pleasing duties during sixteen years to visit
this “Home,” and to act as chairman of the committee. Most of the old
ladies had an interesting story to tell, and they never wearied relating
their experiences. Those who had been governesses in French families
delighted to tell of the young ladies to whom they had taught English,
and watched over until they had married. The kindness of some of these
ladies to their old teachers and nurses was most touching. The late Sir
Condie Stephen, an attaché at the Embassy, took a kind interest in one
of these inmates, and regularly sent her a present until the time of her
death. All these old ladies had passed through the siege of Paris and
the Commune, and had interesting stories to tell of that tragic time.
I remember one of them shewed me some of the meal which was served
out during the siege—very coarse and dirty, and mixed with particles
of wood. The Dowager Lady Lytton and her daughters, and afterwards the
Dowager Lady Dufferin and her daughters, the Ladies Blackwood, took the
warmest interest in the Home, and were constant visitors. Members of
the English and American Colonies constantly go out to see the inmates,
foremost amongst whom I must mention Miss Thorndike, one of the oldest
American residents in Paris, who frequently gives a tea and presents of
warm clothing, which are much appreciated. Formerly we rented a house
in the Rue Borghèse, Neuilly, but lately a house has been purchased in
the Boulevard de la Saussais, and is now being enlarged and made more
suitable as a permanent home for this deserving class. Visitors to Paris
will always be welcomed by the excellent matron and her daughter, Mrs.
and Miss Ffarmer.
Another institution in Paris which is doing an admirable work is the
British Schools. These schools were established in 1832, in order to
afford a sound education to English-speaking children of the working
classes resident in the city, and to enable them to retain their
knowledge of the English language. A small fee is charged to those
parents who are in a position to pay, and the fees of the poorer children
are paid by the British Charitable Fund. I cannot speak too highly of the
good work done in these schools, under the mastership of Mr. R. Smith.
The children receive an education in both French and English—a French
mistress is always employed. They learn shorthand and typewriting in both
languages, and thus are able to obtain good positions in French business
houses. Indeed it is often difficult to supply the demand for both boys
and girls competent to take such posts. The children are taught patriotic
songs, and every endeavour is made to instil into their minds love and
loyalty for their own country. This is very necessary, for I found
that children of English parents who did not avail themselves of the
advantages of the schools, had the tendency to forget their own tongue,
and to gradually become French. The chairman of the schools is Sir H.
Austin Lee, who takes the warmest interest in its welfare, while Mr. H.
Webster is untiring in his work as secretary and treasurer.
The Girls’ Friendly Society is a splendid institution in Paris, hardly
perhaps to be designated as a charity. When I first commenced work in the
City it was doing but little, but of late years it has become a society
of the first importance for looking after English girls abroad. It is,
of course, a branch of the London G.F.S., which has its ramifications
all over Europe. English girls come in very large numbers to Paris as
typists, governesses, nurses, etc., and it is very important that they
should be looked after in a city so full of temptations. The society took
a new lease of life during the time when the Dowager Lady Dufferin was
at the Embassy. It was in debt and other difficulties, and the work was
comparatively small. Lady Dufferin seeing the possibilities took up the
matter with her usual energy. The debt was soon paid, the difficulties
removed, and the work placed on a firm basis. From that time to the
present the society has prospered, and when I left Paris had some 300
English girls under its care. The system of the G.F.S. is just what is
needed on the Continent. Each girl has a lady associate, who is her
friend to whom she can always apply. If she moves to another city she is
recommended to a Lady Associate there, and is met at the railway, and
looked after. I used frequently to visit the charming lodge in the Avenue
d’Jéna, and often on Sunday afternoons (the great gathering time for a
free tea) gave an address to the girls. The work of the chaplains in
Paris is much lightened by the kind help of the excellent ladies at the
head of the lodge. Indeed, one may say that the need of English girls in
Paris is fully met by this society, and the Y.W.C.A., under the fostering
care of Mrs. Hoff. This excellent lady devotes a large portion of her
time and wealth to work among American and English girls, and meets their
need, and especially that of American artists, in the beautiful homes she
has established.
The “Ada Leigh” homes have done a good work in the past. The Y.M.C.A. has
for years had a branch in Paris, and done a good work, under the devoted
presidency of the late H. Skepper.
These are the principal British charities in Paris. There are other
smaller and more private charities which were less under my notice, but
of which I would write, but for want of space.