The million-peopled city
Garwood, John
1853
Facilities for, and Importance of, Benefitting these Men.
These are scattered throughout London. Great numbers live near the Hospital. As stated on a previous page, a city missionary, whose district is in that immediate locality, con- siders that one-half of the residents in the district are out- pensioners. As these wear no peculiar dress, like the in- pensioners, they are not so distinguishable, and many of them follow trades in addition to their small pension. They generally live in very low parts of London, for the sake of cheapness, and they change about their residences even more than the working classes in general. They receive religious instruction, when it happens that they live where this is given from house to house, but they live very often in localities to which it has not extended. As they wait about long in receiving their pay, they may then be met with very advantageously with this design, and a faithful friend may often drop a word which will prevent the money, when received, being taken direct to the public-house, instead of being more profitably employed. It is truly painful to behold the number of loose women and idle men, waiting outside the pay-office, to make a prey of one after another of the | |
158 | men, as they come out, and to entrap them into places where much of the money is at once spent in drunkenness and debauchery. |