View report page

27
youthful, ill-developed or undersized. Some were in the poor law
infirmary or workhouse. Some were in prison for stealing or illtreating
their wives. In the slums it is not uncommon to find
that the fathers contribute little or nothing towards the support
of their wives or families.
Illustrative Examples.
1. The mother was a cook, and ill with severe hæmorrhage.
There were 4 children and the baby. The father had never worked,
but was said to make a living "by backing horses." He stated
that he would like "to get the older children put into a home."
Both parents smelt of ale.
2. The baby was a few weeks old. The mother was married
one month before its birth. Her husband was a "handy man in
the building line," and worked two days a week. He was not
the father of the baby. He married the mother because he was
" sorry for her." The family occupied one very dirty small room,
containing one bed, one chair, one table, a basin for washing, and
nothing else.
3. The father was a cripple, and accompanied coal porters on
their rounds to help them load the sacks of coal on their backs. He
made 6d. to 1s. per day by tips from householders who bought
the coal. The mother was a charwoman, who, during her confinement,
had severe haemorrhage, and was now very ill. The only
bedding consisted of one sheet, one quilt, and two discarded coats.
She was given tickets for free dinners.
4. The father had been out of work 18 months, and now
assisted a woman who sold old clothes in a market street on
Friday and Saturday. He earned 8s. to 10s. a week. The
parents and their three children, 6 years, 4 years and 3 weeks old,
lived in one small, dark, dirty basement room. There was no
fire. The room contained only one bed and one table. The elder
child had ringworm, and could not go to school because it had no
boots.