Supping in Bad Company.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 245, 10 March 1888, Page 7

Supping in Bad Company.

(By ax Amateur.)

" Admit the beaver to the Supper for the Criminal Classes on Tuesday, December 6, 1887, at the Mission Chapel, Little Wildstreet, Piury Lane." So ran, or rather read, the neatly-printed gilt-edged card sent me by the secretary of the St.. Giles's Chiistian Mission, a few days since. I must confess that at the fir&t blush I did not quite know how to receive the proffered invitation. Did it mean that 1 was regaided as a member of the criminal classes i Was it sent as a reminder that among them I should find the company most suited to my particular requirements, or was my presence requested as a contrast ? I was quite unable to solve the riddle, so, being a firm believer in the time-honoured truism, experitvlia dovet, I decided to accept, and last night I accordingly sec out at tho appointed hour in search of the Mission Hull, Drury Lane. Everybody knows the St. Giles's Christian Mission. It possesses the most admirable organisation as a discharged prisoneis' aid society. By its agents prisoners discharged •within the London radius are met as they leave the prison gate. They are fed, they are tended, provided with a temporary lodging, and found employment — given another chance, in fact. The work is, withal, done so systematically, so quietly, and, above all, so well, that it would be hard to improve upon the system employed. Nor did I last night make my way towards Little Wild-street, Drury Lane, in total ignorance of tho .society in question. I had a good deal of experience of its working some four years ago, when I spent something like a fortnight with Mr Wheatley. its active secretary, for tho purpose of getting an insight into the working of the existing prison system. But, still, to ask a man to a supper for the ciiminal classes is tut a poor way of renewing an old acquaintanceship, and therefore it was with some misgivings that, after traversing the wilds of St. Giles's, I entered the aforesaid mission ohapel, to find the place fairly well lilied, despite that the hour was but half-past six. The building, a good-sized one with two galleries, was occupied by about 300 hungry-looking men, in every imaginable condition of seedinofcs. There were a few of these whose outer man displayed a wellmeant attempt at spotless respectability : a few other* whose coats were carefully buttoned over their most dubious vests ; while others had been to considerable pains to conceal the colour and quality of their shirt fronts. A good number were decidedly ragged ; a iew others in tatters. Their head gear exhibited as great a variety as their clothing. Some had their hair glistening with pomade ; others, les3 iastidious, had indulged in a shampoo pure and simple, and left their locks to arrange themselves ; and yet another section had, to judge from their appearance, done nothing whatever to their heads for gome weeks, if nob months. What could all these odd-looking beings be doing m Little Wild-street, Drury Lane ? They differed as much in their ages as in their dress. They were of all sizes, shapes, and formations, varying from the intelligent-looking lad of ■sixteen to the hoary-headed old sinner of four-score. These were the products of those invitation cards of which I had received one. They were discharged prisoners, mauy of them having regained their freedom so recently as yesterday. Every man in the room has done his term, whether the humble 14 days or the more exalted five years. The company assembled in this one room have among them committed ~well nigh every crime included in the Newgate Calendar short of murder, for I believe that no one was present last night who had taken human life. But while lam inspecting and cogitating, the word is given that ** Supper is served," And the company go upstairs, where a substantial repast is spread in readiness. Long tables, covered with clean cloths, run down tho rooms., laden with huge plates of beef, bread and pickle 3. cheese and vegetables, all excellent and in seemingly inexhaustible quantities, But wait a moment. The tables are rapidly filled, and three hundred capacious mouths are busily at work, causing the provender to disappear from view. The effect produced is rapid aud striking. The well-laden plates are speedily emptied, the tables are lightened, and the effect on the visitors is very marked. Even the most glum-tooking countenance brightens .up, and the most stolid becomes cheerful. The way, in which these "criminals" get outside their supper is something to .see, . and when seen to remember, and the manner in which they help themselves to pickles with their ringers, and mustard with their knives, is worthy of a better cause. Here is, an opportnnity to study character indeed. To learn something of the individual leanings and peculiarities of some of these curious beings would be exceedingly interesting. And why should this not be done ? I decide to try, and so I seek out Mr Wheatley and ask his assistance. He at once assents, and hands me over to an assistant who knows the majority of the guests, but the officer is busy. It is a great occasion for the St. Giles's Christian Mission, and my appointed guide is difficult to fix. Four times we are on the point of starting on our round of the supper babies, and as many times does , my friend in need disappear on some ( other,;erraatf . I wait . a quarter of an-hour. <- 1 chase him round the building, and stalk him s among the ctfdwd, but of no avail, and so I at last reluctantly give it up in despair, arid dispense" with, my promised^ggrsonauy^conducted tour. But even the appetite" of a discharged criminal has i^s limit,, and by a ltyjble. alter ' seven knives, jforks;, and.Jngdrs moveless quickly. The-'ihoal is done,' artdthenie'n descend to the body' of the ftall*6rice"''m&re, .ptakin^up^he/seats they previously occuied.g But a number of others have en- j

tered on the sccno. More respectable criminals are these ; qnito well-dressed and decidedly well-behaved. But, stay ; there must be some mistake. There, talking to a gontleman with a fair beard, is Colonel Howard Vincent, M.P. ; and, now I look again, the gentleman with the beard is Lord Kinnaird. Over in the corner is Mr Marsh man, the magistrate, while chatting together by the sido of Mr John Kirk, of the Ragged School Union, are Captain Hclby and Captain Milman. And then it occurs to mo that these gentleman have come as spectators rather than as partakers, and that the well and evildoers are to be confronted literally face to face for mutual instruction and improvement. An annual meeting is, in short, to be held. Prayers are said, a hymn is sung, and a good deal of speechifying ensues. Colonel Vincent, as chairman, leads the way, and hi? example is followed by a number of others, but the speeches are not particularly interesting, and the majority seem more bent on airing tho particular views of tho speakers than in cither teaching the audience or bencfitting the society. I have already avowed myself a {inn admirer of tho work done by tho St. Giles's Christian Mission. I have given it its due in affirming that it is far and away the best prisoners' aid society we have, and that it does invaluable service to the community at large ; but I confess that I cannot sco what good can be dono by exhibiting a number of duly-labelled discharged criminals, and by confronting them with a number of orators with carle blanche to preach at them to their heart's content. Colonel Vincent's adage that the three causes of crime are whisky, woman, and wagers (there wero a large number of ladies piesent), true as it undoubtedly is, is hardly calculated to intensely interest discharged gaol - birds. Lord Kinnaird devoted the greater portion of a very long and very rambling speech to the question of the desirability of more technical schools, and his example was not much improved in tho matter, at least, by the Key. Price Hughes, who followed him. I confess that upon the whole I was not edified either by the wisdom let fall by those on the platform, or by the exhibition of po much fallen humanity, even by an advertisement for so excellent a society as the St. (Giles's Christian Mission. One feature there was in the evening's proceedings which was to me exceedingly interesting ; I mean the superintendent's report of work done, and this cannot be too widely spread. It is most highly satisfactory to learn that so unobtrusive and so admirable a charity has effected so much good. It appears that 14,270 discharged prisoners were met at the prison gates during the pa«t 12 months. Of these 748 were provided with temporary lodging at the homes, 105 men were sent to the colonies, 223 were sent home to friends, and 5,874 were provided with money, tools, stock, <fee, and had employment found them. Besides the ordinary prisoners, 597 convicts were dealt with during the year, and the greater portion of these men also found work. From these very brief facts, culled from the full report read at last night's meeting, it will be seen that the mission has much to be proud of. At the same time, 1 must take decided exception to the claim put forward that the marked and continuous decrease in our prison population is due to St. Giles's Christian Mission, or, indeed, to any other society. The spread of education, the improved criminal code, and the relegation of more cases than before to the lunatic asylums and workhouses, are rather the causes of this satistory state of things. I cannot say that I was either edified or impressed by last night's supper to the criminal classes ; but perhaps I am too critical.