"DRAWING THE LINE."

Evening Post, Volume XXII, Issue 61, 10 September 1881, Page 2

"D RAWING THE LINE."

We hope that a remark made by Mr. J. G. Holdswortb, Chairman of the Benevolent Institute, at the last meeting of that body does not fairly represent the feeling of the members generally. The Rev. Father Kerrigan, it appears, brought under the notice of the committee the case of a woman about to be discharged from gaol, who had no friends to assist her, but he was unable to afford any particu ars of her past career. The chairman is thereupon reported to have said that " if Bbc were an 'unfortunate' he wonld not be inclined to grant relief, being of opinion that cases of this kind were not properly entitled to assistance." It would, of course, be highly improper if the funds of the Institute were bestowed on persons who were engaged, at the time such relief was granted, in gaining a livelihood in an immoral manner. At the same time, we can hardly conceive a case, in which the Committee could be better employed, than in holding out a helping hand to the fallen, who are really desirous of amending their live3,andbecoming decent members of society. Such, however, is evidently not the opinion of Mr. Holdsworth. The unhappy woman, to whom re-

ference was made, might bo without friend 3 and destitute, as it was stated Bhe was ; Bin might be some miserable creature, betrayed perhaps by a "respectable" member of Eooiety, and anxious now to tarn over a new leaf, and blot put, if possible, the record of shame ; but Virtue and Benevolence in tha per Eon of Mr. Hold3worth, cay that for thia particular form of transgression there is no forgiveness here, or at any rate that the erriag one must not expect, at the bands of t'ae Society, any assistance in her efforts to reform. We know nothing of the particular case referred to, but are dealing with the general principle laid down by the Chairman of the Benevolent Institute. A thief, that gentleman seems to imply, may be assisted on leaving gaol, but an " unfortunate " — save the mark— if she wishes to keep from starving, must retnrn to her old courses, and lead a life of degradation and shame which will probably bring her again and again to the gaol, and perhaps result, finally, in her dying within its walls. This may be ' charity" a3 embodied in Acts of Parliament and proceedings of Benevolent Institutes, but it is not the charity of Christianity.