§ GENERAL FEILDENasked the Vice President of the Committee of Council, If there is any truth in a statement which lately appeared in a London newspaper to the effect that a young girl, named Elizabeth Forshaw, had committed suicide by drowning herself at Adlington, near Chorley, on account of over-work or harsh treatment at school?
§ MR. MUNDELLAThe statement in The St. James's Gazette to which the hon. and gallant Gentleman calls my attention was one of a highly sensational character. It stated, among other things, that the child Elizabeth Emma Forshaw drowned herself "owing to a surfeit of the blessings of education;" that "the jury returned a verdict that the deceased committed suicide owing to over-pressure;" and it commented in indignant and highly coloured language on the supposed causes of the child's death. I sent the case to Her Majesty's Inspector for the district, who at once instituted a careful inquiry. He reports that the jury returned a verdict of "Suicide when in a state of unsound mind," and expressed an opinion "that the child had been overworked." It appears that she was the daughter of a small dairyman at Adlington, near Chorley; that she worked in a cotton mill, and, being just under 13 years of age, attended the national school of the parish half time. She was in a low standard, had no home lessons, and neither she nor her parents made any complaint of her school work. But her companions state that she had complained of the harsh treatment received from the woman who employed her at the factory, and that she had threatened to drown herself "rather than go on 480 working for that woman." In addition to her school work and factory work, it is alleged that she had a great deal of farmwork to do, carrying out milk, attending to the dairy, &c, and evidently was very hard worked and hard driven by those under whom she served. She was on her way to the mill, when she left her companions to drown herself. It is only just to the managers and teachers of Adlington National School to say that it is an excellent and well-conducted school, and that no blame whatever attaches to them in this sad case. I must add that this, apart from the harsh treatment referred to, is another illustration of the fact that more labour is exacted from English children of tender years than from almost any other children in Europe.
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERasked, whether the child lived with her parents?
§ MR. MUNDELLAYes, Sir; and not only was the woman under whom she worked harsh to her, but her father was also harsh, and scolded her very severely, which preyed upon her mind. The child must have been very harshly treated to have made her commit suicide.
MR. J. LOWTHERasked, if the right hon. Gentleman would lay on the Table a copy of the finding of the jury?
§ MR. MUNDELLAsaid, he had given the whole statement of the finding, and would be happy to show the newspaper report and the Inspector's Report to the right hon. Gentleman.
§ MR. MUNDELLAthought it was hardly worth while troubling the House with that; but, if moved for, he would present it.
§ MR. W. E. FORSTERsaid, he hoped the Report of the Inspector would be produced at the same time.
§ MR. MUNDELLAsaid, he had no objection; but had desired to spare the parents pain.