The Forlorn Hope: A Tale of Old ChelseaHall, S. C., Mrs.
General
The Forlorn Hope: A Tale of Old Chelsea
Hall, S. C., Mrs.
Chelsea (London, England) -- Fiction
Ten years have, indeed, wrought many and marvellous changes, A cry has
been raised throughout the Empire, NOT BY THE POOR BUT FOR THE POOR; not
by the oppressed, but for them! It was a righteous cry, and holy are the
sympathies it has awakened; sympathies which convey our superfluous
riches to that storehouse where neither moth nor rust can corrupt;
convincing us that, while a closed heart is never happy, a hand open as
day to melting charity, secures a mightier reward than the wealth of
Crœsus can purchase!
There is, then, one newly-awakened sympathy to be yet added to the LIST,
of which, in preceding remarks, I have given only an abridgement. Ten
years ago—nay, THREE years ago—the poor woman or man, who had been
stricken with CONSUMPTION was left to perish. For her or for him there
was literally “no hope.” Every other ailment was cared for—_might_ be
“taken in time.” But this terrible disease was, like the leprosy of old,
or the plague in modern times—a signal for the sufferer to be deserted,
abandoned in despair. Blessed be the God of mercy, such is not the case
now; a “new sympathy,” has been awakened, and, by the aid of a merciful
Providence, it has spread widely! An establishment, hitherto conducted
on a small scale, but hereafter to be in a degree commensurate with the
WANT, exists in this Metropolis, where the patient will not apply for
help in vain. It is sufficiently notorious that nearly all the great
projects which have given pre-eminence to this country, and have made
it—as it has been, is, and, by God’s help, ever will be—the envy and
admiration of surrounding states, have been the births of private
enterprise. It is so in science, in literature, in the arts, and, above
all, in charity. Some one man, more thoughtful, more energetic, and more
indefatigable than the great mass of his fellow men, stirs the hearts of
others, sets himself and them to the great work of improvement, or
mercy—and the thing is done. If we recur to the several leading public
charities, we shall find that all, or nearly all, of them, have thus
originated; the names of their founders have been handed down to
posterity, and individuals, comparatively insignificant and obscure, are
classed as benefactors to mankind, entitled to, and receiving, the
gratitude of a whole people.
Thus the name of a poor player, whose monument is at Dulwich, has been
made famous for ages; that of a humble sea-captain is identified with the
preservation of the lives of tens of thousands of foundlings; while that
of a simple miniature painter is for ever linked with the history of
practical “Benevolence.” The list might include nearly the whole of the
charities of London, which, from similar small sources, have become
mighty waters—spreading, healing, fertilizing, and blessing!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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