Ten years in a Portsmouth slum

Description

"Bacchus; or, wine to-day and to-morrow" by P. Morton Shand is a cultural history and commentary on wine written in the early 20th century. It likely surveys how wine is grown, made, traded, and enjoyed, balancing past traditions with modern science and commerce. Readers can expect a blend of informed critique, travel-inflected observation, and practical appreciation aimed at thoughtful drinkers and curious general readers. The opening of the provided excerpt instead follows an Anglican mission priest working for ten years in a Portsmouth slum, beginning with a preface about hurried writing and urgent fundraising, a note from a speaking tour in America, and testimonials from church and school authorities. It then sketches the district’s poverty and chaotic street life, the thin reach of official church structures, and the contrast with grass-roots lay efforts. Early chapters describe buying an old chapel to create a gymnasium and clubs, enlisting women workers and lay allies, confronting lawlessness with simple rules and personal care, and using practical means—like acrobatics, social visits, and supervised dances—to channel energy and dignify courtship. The narrative also highlights mothers’ meetings, the cultivation of girls’ refinement, a children’s Eucharist at the heart of Sunday, and the hard-won establishment of day schools sustained by organized prayer, praising devoted teachers and arguing for clear sacramental instruction alongside solid secular education. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Subjects

• Winchester College Mission (Portsmouth, England)
• Poor -- England -- Portsmouth
• HV