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64 SOCIAL CONDITION OF THE POOR.
doubt, how good and wholesome a thing it has
been, for so many thousands to have had the means
of cleansing their bodies and their clothing, who, in
the absence of such facilities, must often have carried
about their persons a long and offensive accumulation
of dirt and sweat.
Next, very briefly, 0let me allude to what has
been done in respect of the habitations of the poor;
first, by the Society for the Improvement of the
Condition of the Labouring Classes, under the patronage
of Their Majesties the Queen, and the
Queen Dowager, with the Prince Albert for its
President, and Lord Ashley for its Chairman;
secondly, by the Metropolitan Association for Improving
the Dwellings of the Industrious Classes,
under the chairmanship of Sir Ralph Howard,
and with a committee which, like that of the
former society, includes many of the best and
wisest, as well as the highest persons of the
country. Under the influence of these societies
the following experiments have been made:—
In the Old Pancras-road a very large building
has been erected, to accommodate 110 families
separately and distinctly, in sets of two and three
rooms each. Each set of rooms has its own boiler,
range, oven, and coalbox; has a separate scullery,
in which are sink, cistern, and dust-shaft; has its
own watercloset, its own ample supply of water,
and many other conveniences. The rents vary