But the foothold that he felt he was gaining made him more determined than ever. He said to himself, “Rather than fall back again, I would go off to the woods of Indiana and swing that sobering hammer for another winter!” He projected a splendid building for a people’s hall, and put down £4000 for his subscription to it. In a while he saw this handsome house, with ample and airy rooms for lectures, for popular public gatherings of the people, for a library, and news and coffee-rooms, erected in a near suburb, and lighted and warmed in winter in so comfortable a manner that it became the great resort of the working men. He himself gave the first opening lecture on the advantages of education and combination for mutual improvement amongst the artisan classes; and others of his townsmen followed his example, and kept up a weekly or fortnightly course of lectures on suitable subjects. In all these plans he was joined cordially by Mr. Dell and the son of William Fairfax, who was now coming forward in all the popular works which had been advocated by his father, who was now beginning to feel the desire of well-advanced years for rest. Dr. Leroy was an ever-active coadjutor in the promotion of sanitary plans, schools, and lectures. He invited the working men, in order to lead them occasionally into the open air, to bring him plants, stones, or other objects of nature, on which he gave them scientific lectures descriptive of their places in Natural History, and their uses. These became very popular. Meantime Mrs. Thorsby, Mrs. Heritage, Mrs. Leroy, and many other ladies, were now, since Mrs. Leroy’s marriage, become a very strong party, and were greatly employed in looking after the poor, seeing that they sent their children to the schools, that they kept their houses clean and sweet, and that they were provided with all proper clothing for the winter months. They established homes for young women who were out of place, and seeking new engagements, which were also offices of inquiry for servants, which they found of great use, in not only expediting the procurement of good domestics, but in preventing much demoralisation during the intervals of services in young women. Nor did they overlook the old. They found that there was always a certain number of old, superannuated servants, who, unable to save sufficient for their latter days, had no resource but the workhouse, to which they looked with so much repugnance, that they often continued to linger in wretched lodgings, and suffer incredible misery and starvation rather than be compelled to go into one of these last sad scenes of “waiting for death.” For these a suitable home was opened, where a little maintained them; and where they were, as far as they were able, employed in such sewing as was needed for the Dorcas Society, &c.