... End At Court

In the difí ent municipal courts oi the city of' rScwtoii about ten thousand people appear every year, and are fined or otherwise punished for drunkenness and oftenses growing out of it. There was lately at the Boston House of Correotion one woman who had been thus senteuo.ed for the sixtieth time. It is (iiffioult ïiot to look at such taisery iü Lhê lunap. People are apt to speali ot' all these people as it' they were just like each other, and as if their case was hopelees. But the truth is the eircumstances of each case differ from those ot' each other case, and i each person appears before the courf for a eertain first time. It is at this first appearance that there seems to be a chance to befrienü thia poor weak creature, wlio for the first time finds herself' in the presence of (.be líiw - or finds himself there. And severa! ladies and geutlemen in the Sijutheni wards ot' Boston have made uu effbrt in the Lisi, suinmer, lo be sure that in each isuoh iir-t ofTen?e the poor creature on trial should have a "Friend in Court," who should do his Ik-sO to make the arrest and tnortificaiiori of it a turning point in life. The presence of such a person iu court is hailed witu great satisi'action by thejudge. The judge of thesouthern municipal district is a wise, ful and beoevolent mau. He a stands the difBcult problera he has to deal wit!), and is the trae friend of the prismer, whilo he Í8 the tipright maííistratBaetiugfbr society. Ho baí assisted, in tha most heariy way, the efforts made to place these firafc of] era on their feet. The results of the effort in three months past have certainly beeu satisfaclory. In the month of July alone, Mr. Blood, who may be called the "prisoner's friend," took on probation in the Roxbury courtsixty-five of' the persons arrested for drunkenness In twenty-three of these cases it was neceary to pay tb cosu and a small fine. The reader stoj tiiat he had two new cases a day to care for. Havinji relieved the diunkard frona the officor of justice, Mr. Keei! is able to offer counsel as a tried friend. ïo sum up a few ot the resulta of bis ministry in July : He was able to send away from city femptation, to work in the country, bixteen persons. He took two boys, who were fouiid drunk, and persuades! friendo t_ give bonds for their better behavior. Il, is ourhope tbat we may, at least, break up the busincfö of eelling liquor to boys, by follovving up Bucti cases to the fouutain, and prusecutiüg the offenders. How mneh good does allthisdo? It is impossib'y to say. But so far as we know themothere, wivs, husbasds and fat hen of thosc cared for are, in general, grateful for the efforts made, and the crimináis íheraselvea try to help. Of fifty-eight placed on probation iii June qnly three, at our la; report, had brokeu their promist;. The piedle they take is a pledge with a penalty, whiob is constantlv pressing oi; thtir memory ; and the visitor who goes into their wretched houses, preaching the gospel of temperance bas an authority which he could scarcely have earried bad he not appeared as a íriend in need. This "frieud at court" is upported in ibis duty by the contri mtions of several churchea of rlifFereut communions. He reporta to their charity boards his needa for clothing, homes, books, etc, and, iu case of need, can refer special cases to their visitors. A practical method ia thus thrown open for churoh work in temperauce and Wiiman'a work iu temperauce, which may be extended indefinitely.