78 



The Review of Reviews. 



A WORKING WOMAN'S LIBRARY. 



In the Book Monthly for June Miss Priscilla Moulder, 

 describing her collection of books, tells of the diffi- 

 culties of a working woman in getting together a 

 library of her own. 



In " David Grieve " Mrs. Humphry Ward makes a 

 character say that a working woman has as much 

 use for learning as a cow has for clogs; but Miss Moulder, 

 who quotes the passage, is evidently not of that 

 opinion. Owing to straitened circumstances, she has 

 only been able to buy very few books, and at the time 

 of which she is speaking the great era of cheap reprints 

 would hardly have been inaugurated. For nearly 

 twenty years she found it necessary to forgo even a 

 week's holiday, but to-day she thinks the sacrifice was 

 worth all it cost. Her first book-possession was 

 Macaulay's " Essays and Lays of Ancient Rome." 

 This was followed by Landor's " Imaginary Conversa- 

 tions,'' De Quincey's " Confessions of an English 

 Opium Eater," and the Essays of Leigh Hunt. Green's 

 " Short History of England " took a long time to 

 acquire. When shilling editions of famous novels 

 appeared she was able to treat herself to " John 

 Halifax, Gentleman," " Jane Eyre," " David Copper- 

 field," " Uncle Tom's Cabin," and " The Heir of 

 Redclyffe." Being fond of Beatrice Harraden's stories, 

 she has procured several of them in sixpenny editions. 

 As prizes she acquired two volumes of Ruskin's works, 

 Matthew Arnold's " Culture and Anarchy," and Dean 

 Farrar's " Life of Christ." 



For her feast of the best in poetry Miss Moulder says 

 she was indebted to Mr. Stead's Penny Poets. It took 

 her some months to get the money to buy a Shake- 

 speare and a dictionary. She has also about half a 

 dozen books on social and industrial problems and 

 five historical romances — "Ivanhoe," "The Fair Maid 

 of Perth," " Kenilworth," " Westward Ho ! " and 

 " Hereward the Wake." Of books, as of most other 

 things of life, she remarks in conclusion: "A man's 

 wealth consisteth not in the abundance of things which 

 he possesseth," but in the use he makes of it. She is 

 morally certain that not even a millionaire reads his 

 books with more pleasure, or values them more than 

 she does her modest collection. To her her books 

 have been and are her comforts morn and night. 



A HOME FOR HOMELESS WOMEN. 



Mrs. Archihai.u Mackiruy, in Chambers's Juiiriial 

 for July, describes, under the heading " Mothers of 

 Men," the Mackirdy House in Titchlitkl Street, Oxford 

 Street, London. Eight years ago the writer began the 

 actual battle for establishing lodging-houses which 

 should be cheap and clean and pure in atmosphere, and 

 reserved for women and girls onl\-. She docs not speak 

 too highly of the municipal lodging-house for women 

 in Glasgow. She hears it is used by women of low 

 character. The Mackirdy House was opened in the 

 end of igii, and has been a haven of refuge to lonely 

 and destitute women. She mentions a girl not fifteen 



years of age found by one of the midnight workers 

 aimlessly wandering about the London streets alone, 

 without home or resources. She is now doing well in 

 domestic service. Another woman, a poor tailoress, 

 came in without any money. She has now been placed 

 where she earns £150 a year. The house holds fifty 

 beds and is now full. 



A WOMEN'S GAOL. 



Three visitors to England's convict prison for 

 women at Aylesbury contribute their notes to the 

 Englishwoman for June. They report that the cells are 

 lofty and spotlessly neat. The books allowed are two 

 religious works, and one volume from the library. In 

 some appears a tiny square of looking-glass, a highly- 

 prized reward for a certain period of good behaviour, 

 which can be forfeited again by bad conduct. A strip of 

 bedside carpet is an amenity which may be earned. 

 Other rewards are, after a probationary nine months, 

 the privilege of walking and talking, three women 

 together, and earning money. If well behaved, they 

 may receive letters at the rate of one in the first six 

 months. Newspapers are not allowed. 



GARDENING A FAVOURITE OCCUPATION. 



The appearance of the prisoners presents a general 

 air of apathy. The first three months the convict 

 undergoes solitary confinement ; afterwards the women 

 work together in the work-room, though for six months 

 more they are not supposed to speak to their fellows. 

 Baths are given once a week. Work is done for five 

 and a half hours a day, in two shifts — sewing, making 

 string in the ropewalk for the General Post Office, 

 cooking, kitchen-cleaning, gardening. This last is a 

 favourite occupation. The prisoners grow most of the 

 vegetables for prison use. " A \-alued privilege is work- 

 ing in the Governor's front garden, which is open to 

 the road, where children passing by are allowed to 

 speak to the prisoners, though no one else may do so." 



CATS ALLOWED IN CELLS. 



Cats are sometimes allowed in the cells, and become 

 great pets. Occasional conceits and entertainments are 

 given to the prisoners, though apparently not often. 

 In the Anglican chapel there is a good choir of women. 

 The women take the greatest pride in their Roman 

 Catholic chapel. In the infirmary the chief disease is 

 old age. 



WHY NOT A GAOL-FARM ? 



The spirit of reform is at work, and the note of 

 humanity has been struck. Vet the monotonv and 

 lack of mental food to lift the thoughts of the women 

 is said to seem to be overlooked. A farm colony with 

 dairy, poultry, and bee-keeping schools would- bring 

 them into touch with living creatures. The Borstal 

 Institution at .Aylesbury, for girls between sixteen antl 

 twenty-one, con\-icted of small offences, is much 

 brighter and more human. The visitors object that the 

 training is directed almost entirely to domestic service, 

 and not to trades. Borstal girls with a farm training 

 would make valuable colonists, 



