View report page

8
the root of these evils—of teaching the poor
how to value the comforts of a decent, cleanly
home—of educating them in a proper spirit of
independence, and of making them know how
great is their power of helping themselves. When
this is done, the labours of sanitary science will be
comparatively easy; for then the filthy habits, the
wretched squalor, and the still worse moral vileness
will quickly disappear. It does not fall within my
province to discuss the means of education, whereby
this may be accomplished, but I cannot help saying
that there seems to me to be an easy mode of doing
it. Raise up but a few houses that are well adapted
for the necessities of the poor, and you will soon
find that they are a strong incentive to the forming
of better habits, and to the seeking for better homes.
The spirit of improvement which has led to the
destruction of the poor man's haunts, has had but
little regard for the poor man's wants; and after
all, the majesty of a great city, may be but the
glittering diadem upon the front of death.
If it be a satisfaction to know that there are
other places in a yet worse condition than this is,
I can tell you, that the mortality of the whole City
is much less than that of the average of large towns.
Here the mortality is at the rate of 22.3 per 1,000
of the living, and in the generality of such places it
is as high as 25.6. Even in all England, it is at