HOSPITAL SUNDAYS.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 6058, 18 September 1894, Page 4

HOSPITAL SUNDAYS.

~ .. »i 1 — Dr Farrar, preaching in London on behalf of the Hospital Sunday Fund, said three glaring facts of the ineoniistenoy of society btd been brought before thj»m in the previous

week. On the i>ue hand was the pathetio appeal of 122 st/nggiing hospital and 65 ditponsaries, oontaicing more than 6000 b"ds. forming one of the uobleet moru nei.te of 1 cmtri'.y in (be world, and which la»t year sheltered 104 000 in pa'i3ntj,tend(d 3 900.030 out pUients, s< d 844,000 oa««B of aooitleafc and emergency. Yet nearly every one of these hospital* was Btrugglicg with deb', or endeavouring to raise fuudt by the spurious and epaenaort.o means of dinner*, ra'ce*, ana bsuars' Christians of avery shade of opinion were appealed to on Hospital bunday, and what was the magnificent result last ye»r P - £39.150, the smallest Bi.m sinoe 1885. Buperb Dunificenoe ! t plendid prodigality of welldoine; for the wealthiest eity in all the world ! But theo, of course, none of them oould afford it ; and evarytbiog showed ho» very poor they were. Tfce.D rbv day," (for instance, shoved it -with a'l thcii! thousands of pounds which changed hand" in the brainless excitement of betting and gambling. And the art iales at Christie's , showed how very poor they were, when £3500 was gladly and emulously giveu on one afternoon for mandarin vntes, ormola olooks, and marqueterie oommodee ! T$ Bishop of London in his sermon stated thnt ' 200 years ago the hospitals in London could take id one sick person out of every 138 residents, ' whereas the proportion is now one out of 660. Disease,' the Bishop added, ' has lesnened, average life is longer, but men's heart) are oolder, and we are put to shame bj our owu forefathers.'