ABSTRACT
BRIGHTON.-On Thursday afternoon the 5th inst., a well attended meeting was held at Steine House under the auspices of the Brighton Society, to hear addresses from Mrs. Haycraft and Miss Ellice Hopkins as t.o the best means of procuring women candidates for the office of poor law guardians. The chair was taken ·by Frederick Merrifield, Esq., who observed that they had that afternoon to discuss three questions, first, the advisability of returning women as poor law guardians, secondly, the providing fit and proper women as candidates for that office, and thirdly, the best means of securing their election. Upon the first question he thought they were all agreed; it was no longer a theory to be propounded as they had had for the last twelve months a practical example of ·the benefit and usefulness of a lady guardian in their excellent representative, Mrs. Haycraft, whose business like qualities had converted more than one of her co-officials. He then called upon Mrs. Haycraft to address the meeting. Mrs. Haycraft said she wished to impress upon the audience the great importance of returning women as Poor Law Guardians. She proved from statistics that a very large proportion of the inmates of the Brighton Workhouse were women and children, and asked how it was possible, that men, however sensible and kind.;. hearted, could understand and provide for their wants as well as one of their own sex. She proceeded to allude to the difficulties of her position as being the only woman on the Brighton Board and begged that at least one other lady might be found to offer herself as a candidate at the next election of guardians. She assured her hearers that the work, though requiring intelligence, common sense, and a sympathetic heart, was by no means as difficult as usually supposed, and she pointed out how greatly her usefulness, especially as a member of the Lunacy Committee, was hampered by the want of a colleague of her own sex. The duty of the Lunacy Committee was to visit once a quarter the pauper lunatics in the Hayward's Heath Asylum. Many of these were women, and it was much better that !~ey sh.ould be seen only by those of their own sex, but It was impossible for her to make a request of the kind
