MARY CARPENTER. 75 



relieving instantly the poverty with which they came 

 into contact ; bestowing freely indiscriminate gifts of 

 money and clothing upon those who stood sorely in 

 need of both. Inexperienced workers among the 

 poor almost always make this mistake. They give 

 to all who tell a pitiful talc, and the more squalid the 

 surroundings the more liberal is the relief bestowed. 

 The consequence is that the poor and idle give up 

 altogether trying to mend matters, and concern them- 

 selves with appearing as needy as possible. The poor 

 and industrious meanwhile, who struggle to make the 

 best of things, are left unaided. What is wanted is 

 that industry and thrift should be encouraged, idle- 

 ness and extravagance discountenanced, that so inde- 

 pendence and self-respect may grow and increase. 

 Mary Carpenter and her fellow- workers understood 

 this well. 



Bristol was at this time one of the worst cities in 

 the kingdom for the poverty and distress of its lowest 

 classes. Its narrow courts reeked with filth, and 

 scenes inexpressibly painful were to be witnessed 

 there. It was not easy for ladies, who lived in well- 

 ordered homes, who had refined tastes and loved 

 intellectual pursuits, to plunge into the midst of these 

 horrors, to breathe the foul air, and come into contact 

 with low ideas and vicious life. But Mary Carpenter, 

 having once put her hand to the plough, never turned 

 back. She loved books, poetry, and science as much 

 as any one could do, but she cheerfully left them all 



