AMONG THE MYRTLE TREES

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1764, 11 February 1888, Page 2

AMONG THE MYRTLE TREES

The representative of a Lrn ion j urnal hat reoantly vfsit»d tone of tin " n.umt " o* Liverpool, and, under the above head* ing, givea a gr*{ hio pio O'e of tbe scenes which he there witne* cd. In commentI g on ih« misaion, which Nev Ohas Qaviett and hie o illeagnua are engaged Id am ng the lowa-t olaaftes of tha city, thf* writer «*<!»•:— But theprohl«m ia vast and complicated beyond d««*orip ion, especially Id suoh a looxllty na X h*ve feebly aketohbd. No one can ina^eat thp»© •• slums " without fueling *Uo that th? mat-rial d ffioaliea m tbe w<y of a genertt upHfilog of the peope ar« gmvi m »he ax r«mt. What can be ezp o^ed m the way of morality co m r a« these de ixu'y crow 'ed, dark, tor aoua lane* and o mrtt remain ? Slow y bat sur«<y th*y are beinit luvaded by the oity impr v> menta Hut, If only provision coald be made for a oattable hoiuhig of tha p.or, whee quarters might be abohehed wl h untold advan'ajje to heath and m rtil ty In Salford the late Alderman o<*vieH wrought •o energ tlo»ly ttra he nboli<l»d tbe dreadful collar-d welling. A atmi'ar re form la oepded i • Liverpool The new roada and the coinoiden' erection of workman's buildinga have effiiotei wouderfol tr nsformtti'ns m curtain qnartera of h'tdon. In Lirerpool, notwithstanding all that has bt en done, there m a wide fie d m whlob thereoonßtruc^or uilg'it profitably work. Bat tbe root -question is that if the (nbllo-house. Mr liarrott told me a fringe ctory. He aald that a little while ag h^ invited a while gang of logmen — the wildest, moat dariug and reckless fellows In Liverpool — to tea. Their behaviour at Grat was tbat of untamed ■ »v»goH. Their great ambition teemed to be to imaon tbe tables by the tremeodom blows of their sledge-hammer 6ats. He talked to them m hla phin, straightforward, kindly way, and thry grew quite confidential. Eventually, astonishing re eul'B came cot of the affair. There is a h"une Id which threepenny beda and kttanen or common r..cm, v der pr ip«f control, are provided by tha M esu.n for this v-ry claaa, and on the utonnn fl »,ir ihureiaa rough but co<j? life m>BM<<n r oca. I went n'l over the hoa»a hnfore go r>g home th«t Saturday uight: It is h p>» of commni-BtJiiae ml*aiou-work of •.be <r«ry behest ord r. Bnt thl« i» the ttory ; Aa soon as Mr Gurett had won the hf>arta of the meu — ».id ft<w, erea or the moit devil may -oar », can resiat him hesiiid to th^m, ''Now; don't you men kobw that the course you ate following can only have one of two enda 1 Either it mast land you m the workh nic »r bring >ou to the gallows." " Yes," said they, "that's true anongh.' "Tien why do follow It J" '• It's all the publio hoaae." '• What ! Do yon mean to say that, but for the public-houacs, yon wouldu't be tre men you are V " No, It's all their fault,' "Then why do job ro n«ar them V' 11 Nay." itarl 'hey, " why dorit you people who fMtt votes $hiit them up 1" •• x\ow, ' said Mr Garrett, •' d» you mind giving a vote yonraelves to-night Hands op thone who want tht poblio hon<es shut op !" Instantly every hand In the mom was shot straight op. Mr G<rrAt, lam convinced, would onhenltatiogly declare that if the sloms oould ha f^trly polled there would be au almost axanimont v 'c igainst the hnuaea whtoh are the oarse of Liverpool and the direct oan«e of nine* tenths of its pmipHriam and inme,