THE Peano) 
MONTHLY 

oo oS 
For DECEMBER, 1797. 
About the Middle of Fanuary, 1798, will be publifbed the SUPPLEMENTARY NUMBER 
MAGAZINE. 


yO. Ly 
to the Fourth Voluwe of the Monthly Magazine, containing a great Nuwber of valuable 
original Papers, befides the Tule-pages, Indexes, Prefaces, Sco, Our r guar Sub= 
Jeribers are requefled ta order it in due Time of thar refpedtive Baookfellers. 

Zo the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
ALLOW me, through the channel of 
your widely extended and very ufe- 
ful magazine, to exprefs the fatisfaction 
which myfelf and many others have re- 
ceived from the letters of Mr. Wood, Mr. 
Houfman, and J. Kon the fubjeé&t of Be- 
refit Clubs. A hint thrown out by the 
writer laft mentioned, in the* Number for 
Odtober, 1797, page 260, is the occafion 
of this letter. Speaking of the utility of 
fuch affociations, (and I am perfuaded 
that when under due regulation, it is not 
eafy fo fay too much of their utility) he 
goes on to fay, ‘that benefit clubs might 
be eftablifhed for women as well as men, 
is, I thipk, clear, and would, I have no 
doubr, be ufeful,” &c. On reading this 
paffage it ftruck me, that the fame bene- 
volence which fuggefted the idea, would, 
doubtlefs, be gratified to be. informed, 
that the experiment has adtually been 
made in feveral parts of the kingdom; 
and, moreover, it appeared, that by piv- 
ing a fhort hiftory of two inttitutions of 
the kind, which the writer has had fome 
fhare in forming, together with the ideas 
which led to them, and the fuccefs that 
has hitherto attended, {ome other ufeful 
confequences might poilfibly enfue. 
Reiiding fome yeats ago in the weft- 
riding of this county, in the neighbour. 
hood of a Jarve colliery, where the men 
€mployed in it were generally enabled, 
while in heaith, to fupport their fami- 
hes with fome' degree of comfort, but 
who feldom or never made any provifions 
for the exigencies to which their wives 
and families were continually reduced, 
by the accidents to which the life of a 
collier is peculiarly liable; it occurred to 
a friend of mine, (Mrs. Eamonfon, of 
Berwick) that if the wives and daughters 
of thefe colliers could be induced to join 
in a benefit club, they wauld at leaft have 
the certainty of fome relief, in cafes of 
their own individual indifpofition, and 
that, perhaps, a plan of this fort, when 
the idea was farther matured, might lead 
“Montury Mac. XXV. 

ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. 
to fone other expedient which would 
fill more ‘completely meet the exigencies 
of the cafe; and we were the more en- 
coureged to make the attempt, by being 
informed, that a female benefic club had 
‘been eftablithed at Litchfield, underthe 
patronage of fome ladies there, and had 
been productive of very good éffects. 
I will not trouble you, fir, with a detail of 
the obftacles that at firft oppofed them~ 
felves, or of the various fieps by which 
the plan was put in execution ; [uffice it 
to fay, that a fet of rules being drawn upy 
the firft meeting was appointed for the 
admiffion of members at Berwick, in 
Elend, (a village near Aberford, im . 
Yorkfhire) in November, 1778. We 
were obliged, owing to fome local cir- 
cumftances, to limit the number cf mem- 
bers to feventy*; to which, however, 
were to be added whatever number 
would enrol themfelves, of a clafs, who, 
for. diftinétion fake, were to be denomi- 
nated Honoairy Members ; thefe, like the. 
reft, were to pay their quota, and, more- 
over, engaged to act as ftewardeflks, and 
to manage the affairs of the focie'y, 
without taking any thing from the fund. 
Tt was fixed that the ftewardefies fhould 
attend at Berwick four times a year, to 
receive the members’ fubfcr ptions, éc, 
and that once a year an annual dinncr 

* Some of the obftacles alluded to arofe 
from the difficulty of explaining the plan tothe 
propofed objects of it, many of whofe habita- 
tions were {cattered in diftant villages, or upon 
a widely extended common; and moreover, 
from the prejudice excited againft the in{itution, 
by forme perfons whofe motives it would be diffi- 
cult to afcertain, but whofe influence at the time 
fo far operated, that, on the firft day of meeting, 
only twenty-nine. candidates offered themfelves, 
The good effe&ts, however, which were foon 
found to refult, have fo entirely overcome this 
prejudice, that, for (ome time paft, the number 
of feventy has always been complete, and there 
are never wanting feveral candidates, ready for 
admiffion whenever a vacancy happens : lince 
the commencement of the inititution twelve 
have died, and fix have been excluded for bad 
conduct. 
3 1 fhould 
FOL P= Pre er re Se 
