The Down and Out King - 27

EMILY

At length the soup copper repairs did need,

The cooper smith came, and there he seed

A dollop of bones lay grizzling there,

In the leg of the breeches the boy did vear.

To gain his fill the boy did stoop,

And, dreadful to tell, he vos boil’d in the soup.

And we all of us say it, and say it with sneers,

That he vos pushed in by the Overseers!

I do so want to make our workhouse into one of a high standard. I was told that perhaps the best place in the country is the one run in Stratford by Mr. and Mrs. Picket. So I wrote them a letter asking how they ran their institution. This is what Mr. Picket replied.

“I look after enormous stocks of goods and keep the buildings and everything else in a proper state of repair and cleanliness, but my first concern, of course, is for the well-being of the inmates. Me or
my wife decides whether a destitute person who is not armed with the written order of the guardian’s clerk or the relieving officer shall be admitted. If the person is brought into the house I sees that he is cleansed, medically examined and dressed in institution clothes, his own being taken away and kept for him. I wondered if this robbed the newcomer of self respect, but found that in most cases the newcomers` apparel cries out for disinfectant treatment.

“One result of the medical inspection is that each inmate is ordered an individual diet, particulars of which are entered in the records. Formerly it was the custom to weight the bread allowed per head per meal. Now everybody at the Stratford institution has as much as he or she can eat. Which system would you think the most economical? I expect you guessed wrongly. By not limiting the supply, the officers save thousands of pounds of bread each year, as well as a lot of
work. (I find that hard to believe, but worth trying, I think.)

“Money lenders` and bookmakers` circulars inviting applications for loans or bets from a shilling upwards, find their way to men and women boarders at "No. 50," (We don’t like the idea of calling it a Workhouse). In most cases the recipients are old customers. And this bit of normal life seems to cheer a great many of them.

"'I suppose you have to deal with some queer characters?' I am asked. 'We get all kinds here,' I reply. The other day a fellow with delirium tremens kept seeing a fish that didn’t exist. He startled people by suddenly shouting `Look out! You’ll slip on it. I’ve dropped it again.`

“I don’t know how you deal with punishments at your institution, but here, I’m empowered to put a man on bread and water, but I never do without consulting the doctor. Really, I don’t think I have
punished half-a-dozen people, or taken more than two before the guardians, during all my years in poor law service. I don’t believe in too much power being allotted to one man. I had a look for my punishment book the other day. It was covered with dust, so rarely is it used! Misdeeds are chronicled therein that would call down any other master’s wrath in full measure, yet against most of these records is the entry, 'punishment - none.'

“A woman annexed an old age pension 'cheque' from another’s booklet and tried to pass it on as a postal order. On the Matron’s refusal to be victimised she used very strong language. 'punishment - none.'

"'To go to bed after tea each day for a week,' was the harshest chastisement that I found. That’s what I usually give when I am forced to take action.

“You asked if I hold a court for complaints, but at Stratford the inmates have access to me all day long, and I am always ready to investigate any grumble. I am proud of the fact that none of them has ever reported me to the board, whereas in some towns complaints about the master are a weekly occurrence.

“I often entertain members of distant Poor law authorities. Nearly every union master in the country has inspected this institution. I often show round people of all colours and nationalities.

“I recall the day when I first started and workhouse masters had no vote and when a guardian had to ask the master’s permission to enter the house and the medical officer’s to dispense tobacco. I am no believer in the "good old days," and am glad there is more latitude now. You have no idea how important it is that the matron of an establishment like this should possess sympathy and the gift of
organisation, and so I must pay a tribute to the wonderful way in which my wife has helped me during our stay here.

“Thousands of men come under my care, representing the flotsam and jetsam of humanity. I think my job is to offer them friendship, sympathy and kindness. Regarding the tramps, I do my utmost to find temporary employment for those who are genuinely seeking work.”

Goodness what a lot he has done over the years. He said he had been in his post since 1870, but to accomplish so much shows that he believed in what he was doing and kept at it. John and I must do the same.