From Kent Church Penitentiary Society1 [before 21 February 1866]2
⟨about a third of a page missing⟩ for Discharged Female ⟨4 or 5 words⟩ maintained by the donations ⟨2 or 3 words⟩ ⟨ ⟩d by annual subscriptions. These funds ⟨1 or 2 words⟩ ⟨ ⟩uate, a laundry was commenced three years ago, ⟨ ⟩s from which have since that time more than ⟨cov⟩ered one half of the total expenditure.—3
Since the first formation of “The Home” seventy one cases have been received from the Prisons of East and West Kent, of whom fifty-three have been satisfactorily dealt with.—4
Notwithstanding this success, it has been found that a small establishment is proportionately very expensive, and that the Home, while benefiting the class of female domestic servants only, did not enlist that general sympathy and support which could alone ensure its permanence.
It was therefore unanimously resolved at the last Annual General Meeting of the Subscribers, that the present Home should be closed, and that the Association should be ⟨about a third of a page missing⟩ the reception of s ⟨ ⟩⟨5 or 6 words⟩ may deem fit objects for its inter⟨ ⟩ ⟨2 or 3 words⟩
It has been calculated that ⟨3 or 4 words⟩ are annually discharged from the Gaols of ⟨2 or 3 words⟩ of whom a considerable percentage might be res⟨ ⟩ ⟨1 or 2 words⟩ means of admission to such Refuges, Homes, or penitentiaries, or by assisting them to emigrate:—
Owing to a deficiency caused by the fitting up of the laundry at the late Home, and by the expense of transferring its inmates to another Refuge, the Society is now burdened with a debt. We beg respectfully to ask you to co-operate with us by a donation in paying this off at once, so that the Society’s means of usefulness may not be crippled during the present year.—
We wish also earnestly to solicit an annual subscription toward this most important work, not only on the ground of philanthropy, but also on that of sound social economy.5
Footnotes
Bibliography
Jenkins, Roy. 1995. Gladstone. London: Macmillan.
Nokes, Harriet. 1895. Thirty-two years in a house of mercy. London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge.
Summary
Appeal for funds for paying of the Society’s debt, and for an annual subscription.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5481F
- From
- Kent Church Penitentiary Society
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- unstated
- Source of text
- DAR 142: 92
- Physical description
- inc
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5481F,” accessed on 22 November 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5481F.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 14