LETTER XIV. FIRST SABBATH IN LONDON-FORENOON. Re Find the Text-Invitation to a Professional Visit-London Female ot LONDON, AUGUST 4, 1851. IF the reader would know the Preface to this Letter, let him, or her, before going any farther, take the New Testament, turn to the Gospel by St. John, Chapter viii, and read from the 3d to the 11th verses inclusive. No one ought to go where our little party went upon our first Sabbath in London, or read this description of it, till he or she has read that text, as the appropriate" MORNING LESSON FOR THE DAY." Yesterday was the holy Sabbath of the Lord. Br. Preston and ourself were at our lodgings in the respectable house of Mr. and Mrs. Melladew, on Swinton Street. It is a wide, clean, sweet street, with ranges of tall private residences on both sides of the avenue, and directly opposite our parlor window, which is in the second story, is the boarding-house of Br. C. Spear and daughter. Breakfast being disposed of-it is never served even in the longest mid-summer days before nine o'clock - Br. Spear comes across the street in his professional morning toga given him in Boston, and rings the bell at our front door. The servant girl obeys the summons, and, ushering Br. Spear up stairs to our parlour, so graciously courtesies us for a shilling as the reward of her service, that we cannot refuse to comply with the universal London custom of liberality to servants. Brother Spear has called to say, that, being in London as a Prisoner's Friend, he has been invited to repair this forenoon to the London Female Penitentiary-not far from our lodgings-for the purpose of conducting the religious services there; and he desires us to attend with and assist him in the novel duties of the place. Of course we both wish to see the miseries of the Metropolis, and the Christian charities that minister to their removal or mitigation; and so we prepare to accompany him and his daughter to the Penitentiary. In our sense of the word it is not a "penitentiary" — that is, it is not a prison; it is rather an Asylum where the Mary Magdalenes of the city are gathered for the purposes of reformation. By Queen Victoria is THE PATRON of the Institution. her influence there are several such Refuges for the fallen of her own sex in various parts of London, and she has female committees constantly employed all over the city to search out all hopeful cases of cure and induce them, if possible, to commit themselves to the healthful discipline of these humane asylums, where they will be kindly cared for and put in the way of reformation, and of restoration to virtuous and respectable society. It it well to have a female Sovereign, occasionally, in England, especially if she is disposed, as Victoria is, to exert the power of her throne in behalf of the moral virtue of that sex on which, after all, more than upon any other human causes, depends the moral health of the community and the hopes of posterity. The Queen seems resolved to do all the good she can in her day and generation, and thus make her reign felt more in its beneficence than in its power. The London Female Penitentiary, or Magdalene Asylum, is a large brick edifice, as beautiful in form and style as the Maine State House, situated on a clean, quiet street in the upper part of the city, quite away from the marts of business and the haunts of vice. The edifice is three stories in height, well warmed, watered and ventilated, and occupies a position in a beautiful square of some three or four acres, with ornamented yards of shrubbery and flower-beds in front, and fine gardens, gravel-walks, and play grounds in the rear. The square is entirely enclosed by a high, tight brick fence, admission through which is had through a gate on the line of the street. Here is a bell, which we rung. A servant from within unlocked the gate and we entered the front yard, examining the flowers and fruits as we passed up the wide pathway to the Asylum building. The head matron, Mrs. Cooper, a good hearty old English lady, received us in the parlor. On one side of the room was a white marble human figure-designed to represent the Mary Magdalene out of whom the seven evil spirits had been cast by our Saviour. Other appropriate Scripture designs in statuary and paintings decorated the parlor. Shortly a servant entered with decanters of brandy and wine, which were set upon the table, and we were invited by the matron to refresh ourselves. This, indeed, is the English fashion of hospitality, as it was ours twenty years ago; but it struck us Americans disagreeably; and the good lady seemed surprised when each and all of our Yankee party declined her proffered hospitality. We entered into conversation with the matron and some other ladies who had charge of the wards. There are eight of them; but there is no man belonging to the establishment. It is entirely under the care of the Queen's Committee. We gathered from these lady officers a history of the Institution, with its operations and designs, which we will speak of by and by. At the ringing of a bell, we were conducted up stairs to a wing of the building in which was the Chapel, or room for public religious services. It was cruciform, having a pulpit at the head, and arranged with seats, but in the simplest and plainest style. The floors were not painted, but kept scoured, and sprinkled with the whitest sand. The seats were clean, unpainted benches, with rests in front on which books could be laid. It is designed to give employment to the inmates; and we suppose the Chapel, and probably the other rooms, are thus left so as to make work for the females whose duty it is to keep every thing perfectly neat and clean. The Chapel was like a Quaker-meeting house. Brother Spear took the desk, and Brother Preston and myself sat one on each side. Before us was our congregation and such a congregation as we never saw before! -a congregation of prostitutes, amounting in number to nearly one hundred. Their ages varied, apparently, from fifteen to thirty-five years old, and all had such a haggard look as characters like them can alone betray. They were dressed in uniform. Each was clad with a checked calico dress and white apron, covered by a chocolate colored merino cloak, and on the head was a Quaker cap with plaited lace in front. Bibles and hymn-books were in their hands, or on the board before them, and they all appeared mute and orderly; but their countenances indicated a hopeless look, as if all self-respect or ambition was lost. In her virtue, nothing is more beautiful than a female; in her degradation, nothing is so far from beautynothing is so ugly to look upon. The services soon commenced. The singing was conducted by the females themselves; all that sang, singing in unison. When the Scriptures were read, they all looked over the lesson. In prayer, which was extempore, they bent their heads forward upon the table. Br. Spear occupied an hour in his discourse; he preached well; but though his congregation were quiet and orderly, I could hardly see one that seemed to pay attention, or to care for what he was saying. In no case did I witness any emotion, except amongst a few when he alluded to the days of their childhood innocency, and spoke of the counsels and cares of their mothers then, indeed, I noticed the tear gather in a few eyes. But I fear the good seed of the kingdom fell on hopeless ground. - - so fallen; As I sat and surveyed this strange congregation, I could but feel emotions of grief and pity and wonder, such as I certainly never experienced before, to see human nature and that in the delicate sex - to witness the struggles of light with darkness, only to sink back into deeper darkness still; to look out upon human faces, pale, emaciate, wan, broken by disease, bearing expressions of faintest hope and darkest infamy and pollution-oh!what a sight! how cheerless how loathsome! Can God's mercy reach them? Yes, it can; for that is Omnipotent. Our only hope is in that. |