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239
CHAPTER 17
CONFRONTATION
However, Hall did not restrict his art icle to a discussion of
the \'leather and its effect on influenza;
on the contrary , his study of the
vital statistics of July afforded him an ecellent orportunity to assess
pub licly any changes which were already app arent in pub lic institutions
since they came under Colonial management on January 1, 1860. In so doing ,
he revealed that his own interests were no longer confined
to the Orphan
children , but were widened to include all persons who came under the care
'
of pub lic charitable institutions . The results of his enquiry were
encouraging .
The pub lic boards have improved the management of all the
institutions transferred to the Colonial authorities from
the Imperial; but their labours are by no means yet complete,
and require more hearty and sincere support from the Executive
Government than they have so far received.
In the Orphan School, out of an average daily strength of
468 children, not a single death took place in July.
"Visitors • Book11 at the end of August:
Hall wrote in the
I am both surprised and delighted on visiting the Institution
this day, to find that notwithstanding the general prevalence
of the epidemic influenza throughout the whole community,
since the cdmmencement of the month , that the children never
were in better health. There does not appear this day to be
a single case of serious acute disease under treatment and no
deaths have occurred since my last visit.
Actually, during 8 months of Colonial contro l, though the average number
of children was greater than for the 6 previous years , only 1 death
occurred.
In the same period of time, on the average of the preceding
18 years , there would have been 11 deaths . The children were improved
both in appearance and in behaviour;
indeed, the officers agreed that
discipline was maintained more easily now than it was "when the lash,
starvation and the solitary cell were in constant use11•
Nevertheless,
Hall warned that further improvements were urgently necessary, especially
in sanitation.
impressive result:
At other charitable institutions there was a similar
at the Male Invalid Asylum , for instance, the inmates