The Man with the Book; or, The Bible Among the People.Weylland, John Matthias
History
The Man with the Book; or, The Bible Among the People.
Weylland, John Matthias
City missions; London City Mission
About a month after this event a sudden outbreak of scarlet and typhoid
fever brought distress into fourteen families, but resulted in much good
to the inhabitants. The parish doctor had ordered the removal of a woman
to the infirmary, and two old workhouse men came with a covered
stretcher for that purpose. The lodgers had noticed spots upon the
patient, and raised a report of black fever. They were in a state of
panic, and no person but the widow would approach the room. She found
the Missionary, who was visiting in other houses, and told him that she
had prepared the poor woman for her removal; but that the old men were
not strong enough to carry her, and none of the neighbours would assist
them. Upon this he followed her to the room, and taking the poor
fever-stricken creature in his arms, carried her down and laid her
gently on the stretcher. The people stood afar off; but, as their
visitor left by the side of the stretcher, he caught a murmur of
thankfulness. Upon his return from the workhouse he was received with a
demonstration of gratitude; and seizing the opportunity, he said, "Tell
the men that I want to speak to them, and that they will do me a
kindness by being here this evening at seven o'clock. I want them to
help me turn the fever out: not a man must be absent."
[Illustration: "The visitor sprang on to a costermonger's barrow, and
waving his hand, exclaimed--"]
When at the appointed time the Missionary turned the corner, he was
surprised to see the place crowded. It was evident that the men had
rallied in their strength, and they began to cheer. The visitor sprang
on to a costermonger's barrow, and waving his hand, exclaimed, "Many of
our neighbours are ill, and we must for their sakes, poor things, be
quiet. I thank you for mustering so strong; it shows that you have a
good feeling toward me, and as I have a good feeling toward you, why, we
are friends. Now, as a true friend, I am going to speak to you plainly,
as we can't turn out the fever unless we work together. I expected this
fever to come (murmurs); and this is why. You have not enough air and
water down here, and you don't make the best use of what you have. If a
man drinks poison he is killed by it, and if he breathes poisoned air he
is killed in a slower way by getting weak, or having illnesses like the
fever. Many of you sleep six or ten in a room, and always keep the
windows shut. This poisons the air. And now about the water. To-morrow
morning every butt must be cleansed; and let each person, when the flow
is on, throw a pailfull down their yard and another into the Court. Mind
two pailfulls for each person. And then you must wash yourselves more
frequently. There are sensible women here who wash their children every
day; there are others that do not. Now let the sensible women do a kind
thing: let them give the dirty children a good scrubbing on the sly.
(Laughter, and cries of 'We will.') And mind, all the rooms and stairs
must be scrubbed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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