Abstract of the proceedings of the public meeting held at Exeter Hall, Dec. 11, 1844.

  • Health of Towns Association (London, England)
Date:
1844
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Abstract of the proceedings of the public meeting held at Exeter Hall, Dec. 11, 1844. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    what might he accomplished ought not to he excited, he trusted they would separate this day with a firm deter¬ mination to do all that in them lay to prevent the seasons again revolving still to find so dreadful a contrast ex¬ isting between an increasing national prosperity and a deepening misery of the masses. That such a state of things should continue was neither safe to them as citizens nor creditable to them as Christians. As Christians they were taught that their duties were two-fold. Those which they owed to their Creator rested between him, them¬ selves, and their consciences; hut as regarded the other great Christian duty, where the object was worthy, and where the sympathy was true and sincere, it was by such meetings as these, and by encouraging others to go and do likewise, that they should best discharge their duty to their neighbour. Sir Robert Harry Inglis, M.P., said, that if the forms of a public meeting permitted it, he would willingly have left the -whole matter to rest upon the full and conclusive state¬ ment which they had just heard from the Noble Lord in the Chair; but, as it was necessary to found a resolution upon that statement, he was glad to have the honour of propos¬ ing it, and thus of expressing his cordial concurrence in the objects of the meeting, and of showing that it was no party purpose which they were assembled to promote. No one could look at the reports recently published without being struck with the urgent claims of the subjects in question to public attention, subjects of which, twenty years ago, the greatest statesmen in Europe were as pro¬ foundly ignorant as children at school. The country were indebted for their first knowledge of the real condition of the poorer classes—in reference to these subjects—to some persons whom he now saw in that room (Sir R. looked to Dr. Southwood Smith and to Mr. Slaney) and whose un¬ wearied labours for the instruction of the legislature and the public on these subjects were unrewarded by emolu¬ ment or fame, though the value of their services was be¬ ginning to be appreciated, and they would be more highly estimated by posterity than in their own day. The neces¬ sity of such an association as it was now proposed to form, for the purpose of diffusing knowledge on these subjects, might be shown by many striking examples of the prevailing ignorance and consequent prejudice; but he would mention one which displays both, and which does not happen to be included in the Commissioners'’ Report. In a certain great city, in which, twenty years