The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-11-08 00:00:00

LORD SHAFTESBURY AT THZ
" WORKMAN'S CITY."

On Monday afternoon the formal opening of the
"Workman'. City" at Wandsworth took place, when
about 600 workman with their wives and families had
tea together, and preparatory to which, Lord Shaft..-
one of the founders of the "Workman'. City,"
with several other gentlemen who have taken a deep
interest in its succees, walked through the different
streets and inspected several of the houses. On their
return to the Lecture-hall, where they received a very
hearty welcome, Mr. Dickinson advanced to the front
of the platform which had been erected, and read an
addles. to the Earl of Shaftesbury from the workmen
employed on the estate, in which the following wadi
the most notable passage, though many parte were
loudly cheered :

- -
We cannot forget your efforts on behalf of the women
earl children employed in brick heldi sod lairliog operations,
whom emsocipatton win due almost, I/ not entirely, to your
to,dnawl persbtent advocacy. Your connection with the
short time movement, which ham proved onset% incalculable
band to the factory operaUvei of the manufacturing die.
Sects, 01 your labours in reference to the Truck Ad, the
fencing of machinery, the ragged school movements, and last.
though not loud, the noble efforts your lordship ham made
for INiwoTliis the habitations of working people to coluseo.
don with • society over which your lordship hes no long and
in usefully presided; all of which meadow; Ilve In the
had. or Tallow Of working men, both la thin country &nil
the °P10d..."

Nine photographs of the &Hemet streets in the park
were here presented to his lordship.
Led Shaftesbury, who remained standing through-
out the reading of the .sddreee, on receiving it from
Mr. Dickinson said he could not do so withont feelings
of the very deepest emotion. Could be possibly be in-
sensible to an expression of kindness, and he might ai-
med use the word gratitude, from warm-hearted men—
from free subjects of the British empire—and from men
who had conferred an honour on the country to which
they belonged, and who, by the blessing of God, would
confer • greater honour still upon themselves and their
posterity. There was one expression in the address
that he would alter. He was a little jealous, because
so far he wished it to be known as an honour to him-
self and hie children that it wee 40 and not 30 years he
had been labouring for the working aurae. Perhaps
they wished to pay him • compliment by making him
appear *younger man than he was (bear, hear) ; but
be would tell them that he began this work when
quite a young man, and he trusted he would con-
done it till he was "gathered to his fathers." (Hear,
hear.) Now, he must congratulate the meeting and him-
self upon what had been that day exhibited. He felt !
an inexpressible plumate in having been allowed to I
be present on that occasion and to share with them
the joy that must pervade all their hearts when
they met together to consider what had been done,
And to take courage to go forward and believe that ,
what had been shown them would be an example to
all the working people of this great metropolis. (Heal,
hear.) He was filled with astonishment when he saw
what had been achieved within very little more than
twelve months from the day on which he laid the first
stone of this great undertaking. Unbounded ore it
was du to the directors of the society for their talent,
seal, energy% and perseverance; and he must throw
in a word of approbation and praise for the admirable
manner in which the architect of the buildings had
done his work. (Hear, hear.) He had had many diffi-
culties to contend with, not the lariat of which were the
difficulties of the sermon. Three hundred and fifty
buildings were now inhabited by joyous mid comfortable
families. This was • great undertaking, and one that
made him very seriously reflect, because it began to in.
clients—it was thestroogest proof be had ever yet seen of
the truth of the proverb—" Where there's a will there's a
way." He had himself long had the will to achieve
tech • result, but be must confess he did not see the
way; but the noble. enterprising British workman
hadseen a good deal further than himself, and the
principles which he (Lord Shot tesbury) had enunciated
40 years ago the British workman had come forward
and reduced to practice. Soloman had said there was
nothing new under the sun, and no doubt he was per-
fectly right; but still there were things which were
new to Its. A great many people in the present day
thought that everything they knew for the first time
wee new; but this was one of the moat
_pernicious
errors that ever prevailed. In respect of Europe, of
civilised mankind, soil even of our brethren on the ,
other side of the Adriatic, this undertaking was
new in conception, in building, and in bringing into
operation. It wu new that there should be a work.
man'. city—founded, reared, regulated, and paid for by
working people. He knew perfectly well that there !
were a variety if arguments against such a scheme;
but this was not the time to dreams them. They had '
now to deal with a great sad raccomplithed fact, and
It was for the workmen especially to show how they !
oonld falsify the opposition of those who doubted of !
such enterprises by proving that all the difficulties
that beset them could be overcome. No doubt it had
been an experiment, but it was one of tie greatest
Importance, and be was satisfied that we should never I
do anything In this world if we were always afraid of ,!
failing. Lusk boldly forward; let the cause be good,
their object right, their principles sound, and their ac-
tion in conformity evil h them, and, by God Almighty's !
help, they would succeed. The experiment they were
trying was being tried at a very propitious time.
To say nothing of the institution of penny raßwaye, of
which they all knew the great value—and they would
feel it of greater value hereafter—it was taking place
at a time when there was almost an universal &dards- j
don (there were some extraordinary ex•epti ins, he
plantar) not only of the necessity, but of the absolute
Indispensability of providing healthy, happy, secnred
dwellers for the working people; when there was an
universal admission that sanitary appliance were at
the very root of the happiness, the health, and the I
misty of the whole population, from the higheet to
the very lowest. More especially were they con-
cerned in seeing that these were provid-d for the
working clews, rmil for this rtacon—the working ,
dames individually could not take eq rat aid et- !
fident care of themselves. They had not the capital
at their command, and therefore it could only be
done by amodations like these, and by the aid and co-
operation of those to whom God had given property
and leisure. He was delighted and happy to see this
Intercourse of a 1 duces, and that without any sense
of debt or obligation on either side, but by the recogni-
tion of the great principle that we all stand in need of
each other and could not do without each other. We
ware never so happy as when we acknowledged that
principle and honourably and truly acted upon it. He
would repeat that it was more especially necessary in
respect of the working men, because he was the
bads of the thrift and prosperity of this great
empire. It was essential to happiness, honour,
security and proms' that the working man should
be in frill oosseesion of, and, being in lull possession,
should have full power to exercise all his great physical
and muscular energies. It was necessary because
he should be able to do a fair day's work for • fair
day's wages (hear, hear); that his work might be sound
and good—not "'camped," as the phrase went, but
answerable for the wages paid for it, and in consistency
with the character of the British workman. He would
my again that it was necessary that the working man
should have the full development and exercisesof all
his mental energies on the work in which he was en-
raged ; in these days especially it was of essential
Importance, if we desired and hoped to keep our pre-
eminence among the nations in all our industrial
projects. He must also, and this was the greatest
of all requirements, have full power of developing ant
maintaining his great moral qualities. Could there
be asecv.re nation with an immoral people? Could
there be &nation In danger with a moral people ? No.
He maintained that morality was the basis cf all
security, of all permanent prosperity, and it was for that
reason he desired that the working men should have
the frill exercise of his moral powers in the advance
merit of the honour and securing the permanency of
the great empire to which be belonged. Happy,
heelthy, cleanly homes were the bailie of all morality
and prosperity, god the security of mental and phy-
sical strength. -If they doubted this, let them peram-
Wane London, and also read the reports that were
auditentl7 published of the miserable state in which
some of the districts were. There were many canes
whareaywneg married man, full of health and strength,
came up from the country to work and was obliged
to take some wretched residence near his employment,
but from it. unhealthy condition lost his life
lend left his vire and family a burden upon the rater',
Them were hundreds of each instancee, but it
W 55 unnecessary to narrate them, asi be was speaking
to men who knew it well. This workman's city, he
Puked, would be the beginning of a series of einailiar
MIL where all exigencies were provided for by drain-
age, water supply, and gas. But what was as necessary
Ii anything else was the privacy and decency which
*lauornpuried separate homer. There remained yet one
other requirement, and that rested with themselves;
this was temperance, and them was no building on
the estate for the aale of alcoholic drinks. He imeci
not enlarge on the evils of intemperance, the miseries
It brought, financial, intellectual, social, mental;
but he would Impress ripen all the necessity of
economy_ and thrift, particularly in the early years
of life. When a man got a family growing up round him
kaJwse, perhaps, prevented from saving; but if
Young men begin to rave as soon as they got employ.
runt they would find it easy. Savings banks would
be establithed on the estate, and clubs for all kinds of
providence. His lordship then showed how the children
Of 60 ragged schools had, in the course of twelve
months saved as much as 0,000, which, when distress
came upon their puente they were able to draw upon
In relief of their in-mirages. Having stated that •
great deal had been done for the working classes of
this country, he exhorted his hearers to endeavour
to improve the condition of those who were in a lower
pailion than themselves—namely, the labourers. If e
thought that if the condition of the working classes
Was improved some of the difficulties between capital
and labour would be solved. Many combinations and
strikes had arisen among working people from a sense
of weakness; but if a man had got his own house,
from which nolxsly could eject him, he would be able
to stand forward and maintain his rights But each
Ads ehotild listen to the other, as no aide was ex-
clusively right or exclusively wrong.
The remainder of the evening was diversified with
niesical performances and speeches from Dr. Baxter
Lanais), M.A., Mr. A. Walton, and other gentlemen