CHAPTER XII.

Obstacles: Who shall remove them?

O royal island, beautiful and fair!

There are who aid when ev’n thy statesmen sleep,

With the soft voice of prayer.

EACH year’s intimacy with the interesting people of whom I have written

has afforded fresh information, so that I find myself embarrassed with a

multitude of facts; and after six years’ experience, selection from the

accumulation of details is the only difficulty. It would be easy to

multiply scenes of interest, equalling any already described; but if

enough have been given to awaken sympathy, and stimulate to exertion, my

object is accomplished. A few observations on subjects of great

importance, not prominently brought forward in any of the preceding

narratives, will be sufficient to close the whole.

One of the greatest obstacles which meets those who are striving to

improve the homes of the poor is the construction of dwellings. There

are whole streets of houses in this neighbourhood, whose appearance gives

you the idea that they were originally designed for a higher class of

people; and yet the builder must have known that the supply of such

houses was already much beyond the demand, and that, if let at all, the

inmates must be poor. Nothing, however, adapts them for this class of

inhabitants. Five or six families may occasionally be found in one such

house, with no more provision for health, comfort, and decency, than

ought to be made for each one.

The houses professedly erected for the poor are still more deficient.

They are sometimes built below the level of the road, so that the

drainage is _to_ them, instead of _from_ them. The basements are

consequently fearfully damp, and the whole atmosphere, in every part of

the house, is impregnated with the effluvia from stagnant sewage.

The materials used in buildings are so bad, and the workmanship so

inferior, that the floors are always loose, and everything seems

constantly getting out of order. We have whole streets of small

six-roomed houses let out entirely to the poor; so that three families

frequently live in one house. _There is no outlet to the air at the back

of these dwellings_, _either by door or by window_. One long, blank wall

is all that is to be seen. Frequent illness prevails among the

inhabitants of these streets, and I can never forget the scenes presented

there during the visitation of the cholera. I cannot bear to dwell upon

them, but, for the sake of my subject, I must mention one case. In a

small bed-room on the top floor of one of these dwellings I found, one

morning, that a woman and a child had died in the night; and another

woman in the same room, though still living, appeared in a dying state.

I shudder when I think of that room; no pen can describe its horrors. It

was a close, hot morning in July, not a breath of air was stirring. The

window was thrown up at the bottom; it could not be opened at the top;

and as there was no draught through the house to draw the air into the

room, very little relief could be obtained. The dying woman was the

mother of little children, and I would have given anything to save her.

The only possible expedient that suggested itself to me was to have some

of the bricks forced out of the back wall. This was done; but all was in

vain, the poor mother died, surviving her husband only a few days; and

the little children either cried in the street, or were cared for by a

neighbour, till they were taken away to the workhouse.

As I left that street, I could think only of the words—“It is of the

Lord’s mercies we are not consumed.” The contrivances of men seemed so

fraught with destruction, that, if it were not for the interposition of

God, the consequences would be still more disastrous.

I sat down as soon as I reached home, and wrote a letter to the editor of

the _Times_, describing the scenes I had witnessed that morning, calling

his attention particularly to the construction of those houses; and then

asked, in the bitterness of my heart, if, with all our extensive and

costly paraphernalia of government, nothing could be done to stop this

awful waste of comfort, health, and life. The importance of the subject

at once commended itself. The narrative not only appeared, but was

backed by every argument and appeal that the talented pen of the editor

could bring to bear upon it. But there it ended: no steps have been

taken to make the construction of such dwellings contrary to the law of

the land. Many fathers, mothers, and children, too, have since died in

those streets; only, in these cases, by lingering fever, instead of by

sudden cholera. Surely the cries of distress must have ascended again

and again, and have “entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth!”

But there is still a darker side to this grievance. The death of the few

is less calculated to excite our compassion, than the miserable,

lingering existence of the many. When I see the little boys and girls

playing before the doors, often with crooked backs or crooked limbs, with

emaciated forms and faces, if not with still more unmistakable marks of

disease, I cannot help thinking,—Are these boys to be our future

working-men, upon whose sinew and muscle we are to depend for cultivating

our soil, constructing our railways, sinking our mines, and defending our

country; and are these girls to be the mothers of the next generation?

There was mercy, as well as judgment, in the punishment that followed the

disobedience of our first parents. The sentence, “In the sweat of thy

brow shalt thou eat bread,” is not an unmitigated evil. The most active

persons are generally the most cheerful; and the hard workers are usually

happier than the deep thinkers. But when the body, which God intended

and adapted for labour, has, by the habitual violation of the laws of

health, during all its first years, become enfeebled and deranged, the

necessity for exertion becomes a _painful_ reality, and may, indeed, be

looked upon as a curse—as “the dark cloud without a silver lining.”

There is a deeper meaning than some suppose in that constant application

for “light places,” of which we hear so much. Some tell us, it is all

indolence; and thus on the surface it often appears. But surely there

must be some cause, even for indolence. A child of good constitution,

and where health has been judiciously cared for, becomes, as soon as he

is able to manifest his power, almost inconveniently active. The nurse

complains that “he will never bide still;” that she “can’t get a minute’s

peace for him;” that “there is no end to the mischief he does.” Now, a

child is not active from principle, nor because he feels it would be

wrong to be indolent. He has not to be instructed to move, although he

sometimes has to be taught to be still. Activity is the joy of his life,

and would doubtless continue so, if it were not for the evil influences

that are permitted to surround the body, marring God’s beautiful work,

and bringing down the dishonouring reflection upon the Creator, that man,

as he is constituted, is “not strong enough for his place.”

A friend of mine was changing her residence a short time ago. She wished

to retain throughout the day the men who were employed in removing her

furniture; she therefore provided a dinner for them at her own house, to

prevent the necessity of their returning home. Some meat-pies were

warmed for them, which had been made the previous day; and this, with the

addition of hot potatoes, made a nice dinner. As the men left in the

evening, they thanked her for their good dinner, especially that she had

taken the trouble to have it made _hot_ for them; “for you see, ma’am,”

they added, “there is such nasty air in the places where we sleep, that

we never care to eat when we get up in the morning; nor yet much at any

other time, except it is made tasty, like, for us.”

If such is the case, whence is the strength for labour to come? The

workman’s livelihood depends upon his ability to work. He may not leave

off to rest because he is tired. This is a sad subject, and it reveals

to us the great source of intemperance. Is it any wonder that, if a man

has a few pence in his pocket, he cannot pass the doors of a public-house

without feeling a strong temptation to go in and purchase what, though

imparting no strength, enables him to forget for a time the miseries of

his existence?

There are two things which I cannot understand: 1st, That the government

should do so little for the people in the way of sanitary reform; and,

2d, that the people should so seldom ask them to do more. It is a matter

of much regret that the only subjects which our legislators take up, when

they come among their constituents, are such topics as “Extension of the

Franchise,” “Vote by Ballot,” “Electoral Districts,” “Foreign Policy;”

while Education, Temperance, and Sanitary Science are completely

excluded.

It would be interesting to go through the Parliamentary reports of a

year, and note what proportion of time the representatives of the people

spend in doing or saying anything that has reference to the moral and

physical elevation or general well-being of their constituents. I am

quite willing to acknowledge that my want of appreciation of what is

actually done may arise from an inability to comprehend the magnitude and

importance of these subjects to the country. But, granting this, may it

not at the same time justly be said, “These ought ye to have done, and

not to have left the other undone?”

I must confess that, up to the present moment, I cannot comprehend how

_anything_ can be more advantageous to the country than the elevation of

its own people. This need not, at the present day, be undertaken

hopelessly. Enough has already been accomplished, through Ragged Schools

alone, to shew what can be done. Most of the evils from which our poor

people suffer are fortunately removable. They do not arise from bad

climate, unfruitful soil, determined hostility on the part of the

governed, or determined oppression on the part of the governors.

The way in which the poor usually respond to efforts made for their

relief, the patience and forbearance they manifest in times of public

calamity, are most encouraging to witness, and prove that “English hearts

and English hands” are worthy of the assistance which an active and

sensible government could extend to them. I cannot think of anything, at

the present time, that would be so helpful to the poor as suitable,

well-adapted houses to live in. The miserable places which they are now

compelled to call homes have a great deal to do with _all_ the immorality

that is to be found among them. No one, who has taken the trouble to

investigate the matter, can doubt this for a moment; and as long as there

are people in the world unconscientious enough to erect such dwellings

for the poor as those we have described, it must surely be a right and

proper thing for the legislature to step in and say, “We will not stand

by and see our people mentally, morally, and physically degraded in this

way: we interpose our authority, and insist that such-and-such modes of

construction can no longer be permitted.”

But we must also consider the other side of the subject—the indifference

of the working-classes themselves in obtaining assistance from their

rulers. The fact is, they so seldom hear that any but purely political

matters claim attention, that they can hardly realise the possibility of

being helped by government out of any domestic difficulties. Nothing,

however, can justify their foolish clamour for what, if obtained, could

in no way benefit them. I have often told working-men that, so long as

they continue to ask for stones when they want bread, they must expect

only to get stones.

I once witnessed a very exciting election, from the windows of a house at

Bath. I shall never forget the sight of that sea of human faces, which

extended as far as the eye could reach, and all directed towards the

hustings. It was a cloudless day in July. The sun beat piteously down

upon the many uncovered heads, yet there they stood—this closely-packed

mass of people—from ten or eleven in the morning till two or three

o’clock in the afternoon, enduring an amount of torture that was worthy

of a better cause. A gentleman, who was witnessing it from the same

window, was greatly distressed at the sight; and, at last, when some one

was carried out of the crowd in an unconscious state, he stamped his

foot, and, as if he could bear it no longer, exclaimed—

“I have no patience with it—such a set of muffs broiling themselves to

death under the sun, and shouting themselves hoarse, for they don’t know

what. If there were any chance of their getting any good out of it, I

might respect them for their powers of endurance.”

“Yes,” I said; “if, for instance, they were agitating that a bill might

be brought into Parliament for making it the law of the land that all

windows should be made to open at the top as well as at the bottom.”

“Just so,” replied my friend; “or that wages were always to be paid

before four o’clock on Saturday afternoon. Yes, I could respect them for

_that_, instead of despising them, as, upon my word, I now do, for their

much ado about nothing; that is, about nothing to them.”

I am, however, induced to think, from much which I have met in my own

experience, and also from what I have heard through other observers, that

among the better class of working-men (a class whose value and importance

to this country cannot be over-estimated) there is a sincere wish to

avail themselves of the assistance of any helping hand held out to their

relief. They have often confided to me their troubles, with the

simplicity and earnestness of children, and have asked—

“Do you think, ma’am, you could do anything for us? We should be so

glad, if you could put us up to some better way of getting on.”

This subject is worth every attention, even with those who take no higher

ground than what will _pay_. How many of the victims of unhealthy houses

are now crowding into our hospitals, asylums, and workhouses, a burden to

their country, living upon its wealth, instead of adding to it by their

activity and skill! Sin and sorrow, in this world, are inseparable.

Neglect and bad management have made the very class intended by a wise

and kind Creator as the spring of the country’s greatest wealth, to

become a source of great trouble and expense.

If there is any doubt as to the _duty_ of caring more for the poor, we

have only to look at the example of Him who went about doing good, who,

“when He saw the multitudes, had compassion upon them.” We cannot, like

Him, heal the sick and cleanse the leper; but, by the use of appointed

means, how much sickness and moral leprosy may be prevented!

If the government of this country would, in this way, follow the steps of

“another King, even Jesus,” doing justly, loving mercy, and walking

humbly with God, then might we look for the fulfilment of the promise—“I

will open the windows of heaven, and pour out upon you such a blessing as

there shall be scarce room to contain.” And now that dark clouds are

rising around our political horizon, and many hearts are failing them for

fear, is it not a time to turn unto God in the way that He has Himself

marked out?—“Is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bands

of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free,

and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry,

and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house: when thou

seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from

thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and

thy health shall spring forth speedily.”

When we contemplate how great a change would be wrought in a nation, were

its rulers men fearing God, and hating covetousness, and, like Daniel,

going many times a-day to ask counsel of the Lord, we seem to see the pen

moving in the hand of the recording angel, as he writes, “No weapon

formed against it shall prosper.”

We must return for a moment to our own more immediate work. In

consequence of the disadvantage to which we have alluded, we have not

been able to effect all the improvement we could wish in the dwellings of

our poor mothers; but, by the introduction of cleanliness, order, and

ventilation, the aspect of many homes has been much changed. Soon after

we commenced these meetings, we spent the greater part of one evening in

explaining the nature and effects of pure air and ventilation, and

illustrating the subject in various ways. The listeners were startled at

the facts brought before them: and by their unfeigned expressions of

astonishment, it was evident that their ideas on the subject, and

nature’s intentions, were quite at variance. Several months afterwards,

on entering a house where two of our poor mothers lived, I was pleased to

observe how clean and well-ventilated it was. On remarking this, one of

the women said—“Ah! that was a wonderful evening when you told us all

about what air we could live upon, and what we couldn’t. I says to Mrs

L—, as we were going home, ‘There now, we have been a-shutting up our

windows, and thinking we were shutting the _pizen_ out, instead of which

we were shutting of it in.’ I soon got my window made to open at the

top, and it has never been quite shut since; for we always sleeps six in

this room. The neighbours did say, at first, that we should catch our

deaths; but they soon saw that we were so much better, that half the

people in the street open their windows at the top now.”

This same woman came to me a few weeks ago, and told me that she had

lately removed into another street, where the houses were apparently of a

better order than those she had left; but after the first week or two,

she found that, in consequence of a drain-pipe being out of order, they

were constantly subjected to an unpleasant smell. “I tell my landlord of

it,” she said, “every Monday morning when I pay my rent; and he always

says to me, ‘I’ll send a man here in a day or two, and have it put to

rights;’ and that have been going on now for six weeks, and nobody has

been a-near the place to do anything yet. I have two children ill with

fever; and we all wake of a morning now with that old miserable, sick,

tired feeling we used to have before you told us how to manage better.

My boys said this morning, ‘Mother, the work do seem so hard now, to what

it used to.’ You know, ma’am, the work isn’t no difference; but we are

all getting pizen’d with that nasty smell; and it do seem so hard to me,

for I have never had no illness to speak of among ’em all, for the last

four years.”

At a very early period in our meeting we introduced a whitewash brush.

This is lent to any of the mothers who apply for it. It is very

frequently out; indeed, in the spring of the year, it is seldom at home.

As many as seven or eight of these brushes have been worn out in the

service of the society since its commencement. A thick iron saucepan is

also kept at the house of one of our missionaries, and lent for the

purpose of soup-making. Each member is supplied with a large printed

receipt, giving particular direction for the composition of this soup.

This receipt is so valuable, that I intend placing it at the end of this

book.

There is one other subject to which I wish to refer, before laying aside

my pen. An objection has sometimes been raised to the establishment of

Mothers’ Societies, on the ground that it is wrong to offer these poor

women any inducement to leave their homes; that accident may arise from

their absence; that the husband may be dissatisfied, and so forth. A

lady once reminded a working-man of these objections; he roughly replied,

“What’s the use of a woman being always at home, if she can’t do

nothing—no good, when she is there? Now she does pick up something at

the meeting, and we are all a sight better off the rest of the week for

her going there a bit.” Another lady, visiting at one of their houses,

asked the husband how he liked having to remain at home, and take care of

the children, while his wife was at the meeting. His reply was, “I

should think, ma’am, that was little enough for me to do for all the good

my wife gets there. She is always bringing home bits of clothes for some

of us that she makes there, besides lots of things to talk about.”

It must be evident to all, that it is not possible for any mother to

spend every hour of her life at home. When, unfortunately, she is

obliged to assist in the maintenance of the family, many hours of absence

have to be provided for; and it is not more difficult to arrange for her

absence at the Mothers’ Meeting than anywhere else. Children, from the

age of one to seven, are generally in bed before seven o’clock; older

children are not so likely to get into mischief; and the baby, if

necessary, can be brought with the mother.

It is not desirable, however, that any president should require

regularity of attendance. The illness of their husbands or children, and

many other things that may arise, ought, of course, to keep the mothers

at home. When they have come to me to apologise for their absence, as

they frequently do, I have generally to say, “I should indeed have been

sorry to have seen you here under such circumstances.”

There is surely some want of sympathy in the hearts of those who continue

to urge this objection. A lady once not only declined subscribing to the

society on this plea; but said also, it was all owing to the “miserable

mothers that the servants of the present day were so bad; and she would

not have anything to do with such a set.”

Those who can dismiss their children, at pleasure, to the nursery or the

school-room, are apt to forget the sufferings of others differently

situated, whose lives are worn down by one constant and unmitigated

pressure. I have thought that one principal reason why the poor mother

often fails so much in her duties is, that there are no _pauses_ in her

work. The physical suffering and the weariness of spirit induced by this

constant toil have much to do with that fretfulness of temper which often

makes the homes of poor children wretched indeed. A cord strained too

tightly, and too long, will snap at a touch that would otherwise have

produced the sweetest music. The words of sympathy which meet the ear at

these meetings refresh the wounded spirit. The thought is suggested,

that, painful and irksome as the work may often be, it is of God’s

appointment; and that to do it for Him, and with a view to His glory, at

once ennobles and sanctifies it.

A poor woman, whose heart had been renewed by Divine grace, once said to

me, “I used to think I was the poorest, miserablest thing in the world,

always slaving about after children; but now God has shewed me my work so

different, that I wouldn’t change with the parson.”

The following letter, which I received from one of our poor mothers, will

prove the truth of these observations better than anything I can add:—

“POTTERIES, _January_ 7, 1856.

“DEAR CHRISTIAN FRIEND,—

“It was very much my wish to have spoken a few words on Thursday

evening, but was unable to do so; therefore, to pacify my conscience,

I write to you, stating a few of the advantages I have received since

I became a member of your society.

“1st. That of sympathy. If I have been in trouble and difficulty,

you have ever lent a willing ear to my tale of sorrow, and led me to

cast my care on Him who has promised to care for me.

“2d. That of training my children in the best way. Being obliged to

work very hard for them, I have found little time to spare for

teaching them; but being reminded by you so often that a mother’s

voice, a mother’s look, a mother’s actions, are all noticed by

children, I must say it has often influenced me to bear with patience

much that I should not have done, and offer a silent prayer for their

welfare; and been more happy myself in thus acting.

“3d. We enjoy rest. Often with hurried step we hasten there, and

the first sound that salutes our ear is the calm voice of prayer,

which seems at once to hush the mind to peace, and carry our sorrows

to a throne of grace, where we find relief and comfort.

“Again, there are the texts of Scripture, which often prove a word in

season. Sometimes we have been very tired, by reason of the way;

difficulties have beset our path, and every hour of the day has been

full of care; and perhaps we hear those kind words—‘Come unto me, all

ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.’ ‘Cast

thy burden on the Lord, and he will sustain thee.’ ‘Call upon me in

the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee.’ We thus leave the

place of meeting relieved from much that would distress us. I have

thus written a few of the advantages derived from attending the

Mothers’ Meeting.

“Praying that a blessing may rest on you; and hoping you will never

grow weary in this work of faith and labour of love,

“Believe me to remain,

Yours most respectfully,

—”

In drawing this narrative of facts to a close, I would make one or two

concluding remarks:—

Dr. Chalmers used to say that most of us think too much of our abilities,

and too little of our influence. The force of example is always great,

even though the exemplar be a fool. A man of the narrowest intellect

will accomplish more by personal conduct than the large-brained man will

effect by mere verbal precept. It is true not only that

“A peasant may believe as much as a great clerk,”

but that he may _do_ as much. Not only to hope and to faith are the “not

many wise” called, but to charity also. We have seen in the preceding

pages that our Great Master has made use of the humblest servants to

achieve that which the professional philanthropist, with all his busy

schemes, had not been able to compass. Therefore to the wise, who may

chance to look into this volume, I would say, “Be not over-confident of

success in undertaking the work of which I have spoken. To charity, the

heart is a far more necessary and vital organ than the brain. What you

do will have twenty-fold the force of what you say. And in order to do

rightly, you must be content to learn of those whom you could teach

everything but this one thing.” Those who are conscious of much

intellectual weakness I would encourage by the narratives of what has

been wrought by instruments of an even less keen temper than they.

But I would not be understood to slight the literature of philanthropy.

Facts and figures, statistics compiled with much toil and difficulty, are

the foundation stones of all legislative social reforms. They are

indispensable in all cases where we wish the government of a country to

interpose.

Next, I would observe that we should “patiently wait” for results. There

is a grand Eastern proverb which says, “Hurry is of the devil, but slow

advancing comes from God.” Hurry is not progress; sure progress is

generally slow. It may not be given to us, who sow the seed, to gather

in the harvest. But if our faith is strong, we shall believe that

hereafter it will be our great reward to join the glad song of the

heavenly reapers, as they lay the bounteous sheaves at the feet of the

Lord of the harvest.

Lastly, there is one thing that is in the power of all of us. However

difficult it is to _do_ our Father’s will on earth as it is done in

heaven, we can at least _pray_ that His kingdom will speedily come; each

may pray for those who are in “trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any

other adversity.”

“More things are wrought by prayer

Than this world dreams of. . . .

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

For so the whole round earth is every way

Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.”

APPENDIX.

RULES FOR THE REGULATION OF THE MOTHERS’ SOCIETY.

1. THAT this meeting shall assemble one evening in the week, at seven

o’clock or half-past seven, according to the season of the year, and

close as nearly as possible at nine o’clock.

2. That at every meeting a passage of Scripture shall be read, and

followed by prayer. The work shall then be commenced, and deposits

received, both for clothing and savings’ bank. The lady who presides

shall then read, or relate something suitable to the object of the

meeting, and if desirable and time permit, conversation shall ensue.

3. Although remarks to the purpose will be highly valued from any member

of this Society, it will be necessary, to save confusion, that all such

remarks should be addressed to the President of the meeting, and that not

more than one shall speak at a time.

4. That we all endeavour to cultivate a spirit of kindness and sympathy

with one another, in our common difficulties; and when cases of peculiar

sorrow and distress arise, they should be mentioned at the commencement

of the meeting, in order to be made the subject of special and earnest

prayer.

5. That at these meetings no mention shall be made of our neighbours’

faults and failings, but that we all, faithfully and earnestly, seek to

obtain the greatest possible amount of assistance to aid us in our very

important and often difficult duties.

6. That the Secretary will make a point of being at home an hour before

the commencement of each meeting, to see any member of this Society who

would like to speak with her privately.

7. That the articles of clothing provided, and sold at a reduced price,

shall be obtained only by those who have regularly enrolled themselves as

members of this Society.

8. That no article of clothing shall be taken away until finished, and

paid for, unless by permission of the lady who presides.

9. That each member provide herself with thimble, needles, and cotton.

10. That the work be continued until the time arrives for the concluding

prayer by the Clergyman or the City Missionary.

CHEAP COOKERY.

RECEIPT.

CHEAP SOUP AND VERY NOURISHING.

Two ounces of dripping 1d.

Half a pound of solid meat, at 4d. per lb. (cut into dice 2d.

one inch square)

Quarter of a pound of onions, sliced thin; quarter of a 1d.

pound of turnip, cut into small dice; two ounces of leeks

(green tops will do), and three ounces of celery, chopped

small

Half a pound of rice, or pearl barley 1d.

Three ounces of salt, and a quarter of an ounce of brown ½d.

sugar

Fuel to make it ½d.

Six quarts of water. —

6d.

HOW TO MAKE IT.

Take an iron saucepan (a tin one will not do); put into it, over the

fire, your meat cut small, with two ounces of dripping, and a quarter of

an ounce of brown sugar, shred in your onions, and stir with a wooden or

iron spoon till fried lightly brown; have ready washed and sliced your

turnips, celery, and leeks, add them to the rest over the fire, and stir

about for ten minutes. Now add one quart of cold water, and the

half-pound of barley or rice, and mix all well together. Then add five

quarts of hot water, made ready in the kettle, season with your salt,

stir occasionally till boiling, and then let simmer on the hob for three

hours; at the end of which time the rice or barley will be tender.

This soup will keep two or three days if poured into a flat pan, but it

is best made every other day. You must stir till nearly cold, when you

take it off the fire, which will prevent its fermenting. A little bread

or biscuit eaten with it makes a supporting meal, much better than a cup

of tea, and would go far to prevent the craving for gin.

Great care should be taken that the saucepan be perfectly clean, the

dripping and meat sweet, and the vegetables fresh.

* * * * *

THE END.

* * * * *

* * * * *

BALLANTYNE AND COMPANY, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.

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FOOTNOTES.

{8} See “The Book and its Mission,” vol. iii., p. 254.

{110} This letter is given in the Chapter “Letters.”

Ragged homes and how to mend them · 第 12 / 12 章