Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 24,1891. Give Me a Penny Sir.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 24 March 1891, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 1891. Give Me a Penny Sir.

London has its dark as well as its 'night side. At all seasons the poor, ihe afflicted, the deserted, are always f ,here, but the miseries endured by hese unfortunates vary in intensity according to the weather. We have had a sad poetic pioture given in the old song, the cry of the weary, Out in this cold world, out in the street, Asking a penny of each one I meet, Fatherless, motherless, sadly I roam, A child of misfortune, I am driven from home. The picture, these few words recall, of the scene of London at night, is full of horror, as when in a thick yellow fog, a biting east wind, and the streets in a slush caused by snow partially melted, a scraggy, undergrown hollow-eyed child, with scarce material enough around it to hide its nakedness, thrusts a tiny arm before your face, in the hand of which it holds a match-box, and yells the piercing cry j Please give me a penny sir. In the hours after midnight when the almost unceasing hustle of the streets '

lulls for a space, dare we follow the little mendicant to the make hift for a " home " it will have to make for?* Will, it be some stone seat, on which the snow still lies, on the embankment or on one of the bridges ? Will it be under one of the open land arches of the bridges ? or, may be, it will be some doorstep in a quiet by-way 1 The repoitsistate . thafr the death rate has veryjfla^4 n ? rei *? et *' who can wonder at it, afTeTremenibering that for forty days the kn in London was never seen for fog, that the winter has lasted for nigh six months, and that no such severe weather has been known for fifty years. Shall we have no compassion for the poor and miserable 1 For many years a grand Christian man has devoted his life to stem, in some way, this tide of grief and woe, has established institutions based on the broadest of charitable lines, so that ohildren who are cripples, who are deaf and dumb, who are blind, or who are covered (as is often the case) with loathsome skin affections, are, if Destitute, immediately admitted •at any hour of the day or night," irrespective of age, sex, creed, or nationality. During thia period 17,000 children have Deen rescued and saved. At present the Homes contain 8,800 children, for the most part rescued from the Slums, the Common Lodging Houses, and the miserable life of Darkest England. This is the work of Dr Barnardo, and he transforms these waifs into useful mechanics and labourers and servants, and seeks suitable positions for them at Home and abroad, and watches over them, until they arrive at manhood. To do this work assistance has been sought, and, until lately, found. With the increased number now in the Homes, close upon 4000, and with the dften occurring calls upon the charity owing to the unprecedented season, the committee advertise the fact to the world that THEIR TREASURY IS EMPTY. We know that there are numbers in New Zealand who give their mite towards this good work, appreciating the more fortunate position they hold with regard to this world's goods. Yet with the bountiful season we have just passed through, something more must be spared, for we cannot allow 4000 children to be left homeless for want of assistance. l Ye believe that many would give if they knew how to send it to England, so Wb have decided to open a subscription list, and will acknowlege, free of cost, all sums received on behalf of Dr Banarrdo, and will forward the same in suitable amounts. We can state that these 4000 children require 41 establishments to house them, and that £160 a day is needed to pay simply for their food. We so fully appreciate the efforts made by Dr Barnardo to assist the Destitute, and we feel that so many agree with us, that we have nc hesitation in doing our share in sc good a cause.