The million-peopled city
Garwood, John
1853
Religious and moral Character of the Pensioners, and Provision made for their Instruction.
An additional extract from the will complete the information which it is desirable to give of the arrangements of the Hospital, and of the practices of the pensioners:- | |
" The pensioners have 2 chaplains, and there is a chapel in the Hospital, which accommodates 1,400 persons, and which is always quite filled with them on Sundays, as they are under obligation to attend there, or at their own place of worship, except ill. Other persons are not admitted to the service at this chapel. There are about 200 Roman Catholics among the pensioners, for whose benefit there is a priest, to whom the Hospital pays a certain amount per annum, and who attends to those of his own persuasion in the different wards. Besides the 1,400 pensioners who attend their own chapel, there are about 350 who attend elsewhere. The rest are prevented attending by old age, infirmity, or sickness. Bibles are placed in the wards, but there is too much reason to fear that they are not much read. The pensioners have also an excellent library. It contains, at the present time, 1,584 volumes of a standard character, and consists of biography, naval history, &c., &c., some of the better class of novels and tales, and many excellent works on divinity. Our missionary especially happened to observe Scott's Commentary. The books are not allowed to be taken out, but the pensioners come into the library to read them-18 were present when our | |
95 | missionary visited it. Periodical literature, and three daily newspapers are taken in for their use. Prayers are said in the Hospital chapel every morning during the week, except Monday and Saturday. From 40 to 50 pensioners attend, and on Sacrament Sundays, about 60 of the pensioners receive the holy communion. Eighty-three pensioners (so far as we could learn) are communicants at Dissenting chapels in the town. In one of the churches, seats have also been appropriated to the pensioners. Immoralities are punished with some strictness of discipline, when discovered, by the College authorities. |
"In spite, however, of all these efforts for their good, the pensioners are generally discontented and unhappy, probably for want of employment, and through the great change in their circumstances; and a large proportion of them are depraved in their characters, associations, and habits. To the extent of their means, they lead lives of drunkenness and profligacy. Only twelve of the pensioners belong to the . While our missionaries were in, a pensioner, aged 95, was confined for drunkenness. They beheld many sad scenes of drunkenness in the streets. As an example, in passing a public-house, they saw a grey-headed pensioner come out in a state of intoxication, and without provocation begin to strike a woman about her head with his stick. Such cases are sadly frequent." | |