nder would agree to be
mulcted in one-third of his fortune rather than run the hazard!

Every day through this wealthy country there are men and women busy
marring the little images of God, that are by-and-by to be part of its
public-shadowing young spirits, repressing their energy, sapping
their vigor or failing to make it up, corrupting their nature by foul
associations, moral and physical. Some are doing it by special license
of the devil, others by Act of Parliament, others by negligence or
niggardliness. Could you teach or force these people--many unconsciously
engaged in the vile work--to run together, as men alarmed by sudden
danger, and throw around a helpless generation influences and a care
more akin to your own home ideal, would you not transfigure the next
epoch--would not your labor and sacrifice be a GOD-WORK, reaching out
weighty, fruit-laden branches far into the grateful future? 'Tis by
feeling and enjoining everywhere the need of such a movement as this
that you, O all-powerful woman! can carry your will into the play of
a great economic and social reform. Society that recognizes not a
root-truth like that is sowing the wind--God knows what it will reap.

So the Guardians, keeping carefully within the law, neglected nothing
that could sap little Ginx's vitality, deaden his happiest instincts,
derange moral action, cause hope to die within his infant breast almost
as soon as it were born. Good God!

The items the Board were really entitled to charge the rate-payers as
supplied to our hero were--

Dirt,

Fleas,

Foul air,

Chances of catching skin diseases, fevers, &c.,

Vile company,

Neglect,

Occasional cruelty, and

A small supply of bad food and clothing.

Every pauper was to them an obnoxious charge by any and every means to
be reduced to a minimum or nil. Ginx's Baby was reduced to a minimum.
His constitution enabled him to protest against reduction to nil. But,
just after the bills of costs had been taxed, mulcting the rate-payers
of St. Bartimeus in a sum of more than L 1,600, the Guardians were made
aware of the name and origin of their charge. One of the persons who
had deserted him was arrested for theft, and among other articles in
her possession were some of the Baby's clothes. She confessed the whole
story, and declared that the child left in Nether Place was no other
than the Protestant Baby, son of Ginx, about whom so much stir had been
made two years before. The Guardia