The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1872-01-02 00:00:00

Condition, eireunistaaco, io not the thing;
Wu it tits USW In subJort or in king.

What is the actual tail( of the agricultural labourer ?
take up a little pamphlet entitled " Letters on the
Large Farm System," &c, by George C. :Wien,
re•protted by permission from an 'American daily
paper (.Vs-werk Deily Advertiser), and I read extracts
from this book, not as endorsing them, but in order
that they may be refuted, if untrue or exaggerated, by
the experienced friends I see around me. -In the first
page Mr. Mill sap, "in the county of Dorset, where
the farms are very large, and the labourer's pay is
;say /mu, women receive sixpence a day in ordinary
time, and eighteenpence when there is extra work,'
.kc. On pages 14 and is I read the following :
TM amount od mos paid, and She rallØooo, mini, and
*mai condition or the zoom shriculthrM laboatot I. s.
whitely disgraceful to • country which boalne at her civil-
Mallon. Our "Istorday flonewers" and“ kid-gloved" writers,
pomrsilv. tenors Ole state GI thine altogether. Hers me
the bine :—TM Dane' lakinarmi weakly pay Le eight
obmi-
lingo ter week. In sulidiLles to Mi. hobo.' home, an rig, and
eider, and Is some nem other small perquieltes vrtklot,
courin demon esUrely ea Me dispoittioe of nis master or
employer. In mine mem they get ground for planting
potatoes, and" allowed" to keep A pig, but In most came the .
fannen prohibit their labourers from keeping noee of •
their own. The "house" kiln may cam.• mere mud honk
not worthy ad the name, it they are leaky enough to gee
one at all. The Ming" Is the furze or gone whish 'pen In:
Men tracts on Um WM, and Words bitter shelter to the game
ri the 'squire Mae it doss warmth to the hearth ;of Ms=
Isibourer. " older is mid, thin, ensiary, moue stue
dem Min far monharm than mood, and It Is Wien "eared'
In harvest Urns la order to smite the poor wrincnes, so
toot an extra amount of work inmy be got out of them
Parliamentery cosainiadons hare told us of the Immorality
caused by the over-crowded etate of the labourers' cottages.
No one cm nide for many weeks in an Briglieb
without boximing aware of this et•to 4 Mine, itial no .
wonder. When we consider Mat the ordinary dwelling or the i
labourer consist. of bat two roomy one for sating, ...kin I
I and Mr all other purposes, and Me other for siaspuie. I 1!
know, ussaell. diner 4 mem, where We lather, mother, and I
six or eight obildreo, grown op or otherwise, occupy Me ere
&spice apartment and even bed. Daring the inns. all
knedlea together like • litter of pigs for the mini ef warmth.
The only wonder Is that the poor 011111RAISU at. mot much
worm In morals than they prove to be at the present Won
What a mtlre this nate of thing. is upon the esee4:4l7.,
glementory ikluo•Uoa Bill and tbs endless wn andbickering* over it. Tim higher darns lighting • t who
Mall control the religious opinion. of Use chfittron of the
meant, and at the man time they will net allow the parents
proper means to live commonly decent With Um promont low
price at wages, compulsory eisinstioa in the rural dintriele is
• impodaibLlity. The large termer. wont employ single men
or curried couples without children, They like • ram with •
large and rising family. They Maim on ths boys going to nod,
at about to year. of sge, and the alrh at about lourtoen, a..
Mlee, bow could • man inelateln las family Without the aid of
hie wite and children. When the labourer Mures with his
Wally Irvin aa.i. 4614 tall to man ...LW Mac wblli
generally emulate of sin IMAMS. pot 4 vegeMblee, aground
;wham with • mall eery, of pork or harm, where ere his
bao mindarter It. is only OM to ths redo
.date.. coefageler lik• roaring are al the neighbenotee beer-
hos% when he em spend evening over • plot ad
hem and • pipe of ' and • dams, may ,on
Batividay night..
(2.) Condition means forafity, rasa, social grade.
What sort of quality can a man maintain on gs. per
week? Pill yourself in his place. How could you
get on with only the bewildering income of eight
billings! hiechi says "The economy of the lain:mir-
ing classes must be truly wonderful." One half the
world don't know how the other half live. And this
eight shilling a week problem is one that I fondly
trust none of us may ever be called oil practically to
solve. Talk of luxury; talk of even common beer
To paraphrase Punch slightly.
Eight shallop • weak with wife sad kids to feed,
Don% leave • fellow witch for beer, Indeed,
Anti yet, so far as dignity is concerned, is it not in
reality great. Instituted, like marriage, ifl thc tune
of man's innocency. It is the most ancient, for it was
our original condition.

Wars Adam deired and Ere qua.
Wh.v.sthea the mailman ?
.%nd yet there are those who, from their pride of
place, look down upon the Labourer, as if he were a
mere 'turf" or " Asstd." Even their employers do
not chew that interest in their welfare that one might
reasonably expect. There is too much of intolerable
pride stalking haughtily over the land ; too much of
the unlovely spirit of " caste;" too great disseverance
of class from class. What says the practical ea.
perience of Mr. Scott Russell, on this subject? After
viewing this country in comparison with others, he
says, " I have come to the conviction that the social
relations between the different classes of society in
England are too intolerable to last long; they must
either be speedily and timely cured, or they will
suddenly cure themselves."
. .

3rd, 'Condition means state of the mind, temper,
teniperament, complexion. The complexion of snarly
of Ow labourers is florid, clear, and bright, and rosy
as their masters' apples. Like David, they are "ruddy
and of a fair countenance." The temperaasna of oar
Dometshire labourer is truly polite. I have noticed
genuine refinement of feeling in several of them. They
arc "Nature's gentlemen and nature's gentlewomen."
" raiviPen" said a Bishop, "is nine-tenths of Chritti•
anitib' and considering their [frog lot, them temper

are admirable. Seldom do you hear angry expres-
sions. All this is the more remarkable as they take
few pleasures. There are not many things tend more
to sweeten the temper than amusements; but these
our labourers have not. Even the children do not
play with the same vigour as those in other counties. •
Happily we do not hear of degrading sports and
amusements amongst our people, like the bull dog
fighting inStaffonithire, and the Sunday dog racing of
Lsn,athire. But cheap excursions, cricket, football,
and such like, are things almost unknown to our rural
population. Something might be done to encourage
harmless pastimes and diversions, remembering the
trite observation " All work and no play, makes
Jack a dull boy—aye, and a lull worker too. And
then with regard to the women, it has been remarked
that shopping is to ladies what shouting is to gentle-
men ; but our pour Dorset women have very little
money for this. Lord Sydney Godolphin Osborne
lately spoke against the vice of over dressing, coining
the word dremiont to fully express his meaning. But
with this meagre pay few of our labourers wives or
daughters if ever so much inclined, can afford to be
dresshard.:. And in this matter it would be well if
those above them set a better example, and dressed
with more shamefacedness and sobriety, and gave the
money thus saved in charity; remembering what the
genial Goldsmith says, "The nakedness of the poor
might be clad from the trimmings of the vain."
And this brings me to the ath meaning. Condition
includes moral quality, virtue or vice. How are
our people as to morals? Professor Buckman answers,
the morals of the people are weak and unstaple, like
the Dortetshire fences I Many of the young people
marry themselves before the clergymen marries them.
Where glove making is carried on, the fetn.tles are
more generous of their charms than even in other
parts of the county. Glove rhimin to love, and illicit
intercourse is drawn on. "Love" children are
plentiful in the country, and the first child I was ever
• called upon to christen after I entered on my duties
at Wynford Eagle was called by this name. The
mother, not being then a married woman, instead of
being ashamed of giving birth to an illegitimate chill,
actually insisted on branding it with this name • and
" Love" the child was called at the font, and "Love"
it will remain to its dying day: a "Love" child, it is
called "Love." I spoke about there not being many
dresshards amongst our agricultural women; nor are
there many of habitual drunkards amongst our men.
There are several hamlets and villages in our county
where there are no drink-shops or public-houses.
Around Maiden Newton, I know of seven parishes
where there is no house for the sale of intoxicating
drink.; and, aA a result, drunkenness is almost • un-
known. I hold two such parishes unsullied by the
liquor traffic ; and I am happy to say that I do not
know of a working man in either of them who is a
drunkard. We pray "deliver it; from temptation,"
and where there is no dram-shop one great temptation
is removed. The tired labourer is not then assailed
at his weakest moment, when he returns fagged (ruin
his work, by the bland president of beer barrels and
spirit flasks. There is, I am afraid, a good deal of
filthy talking ; and some of the women are very foul-
mouthed in their language. I have heard of a noble-
man who was kept awake during several hours of the
night by the loud and indecent talking going on under
his window' 34 he lay on a bed in a village inn, about
eight milesfrom this county town. The fountain of
the human heart must be very impure from whence
flows the libidinous talk of field labourers of both
seXCS. There is not much more attention paid to the
ninth than to the seventh commandment ; and one
neighbour thinks very little of robbing another of the
lfcasiare or good name, more precious than silver or
gold. A. our greatest of poet, says—

000 d name In leaner woman, deo, ray Lord,
ts the tramealme Jewel of their souk
have myself taken people to task for thus filchng
away the reputation of their neighbours, by bearing
taint: witness against them ; but only to meet the
sternest opposition. In one cane, where I did this on
the clearest evidence, the offending guilty party have
lie,:oine 55, en.asperated at not being perinittol to
persevere in thin nidartutis course of blander, that t
avenge themselves, they excommunicate theuinelven so
far as their parish church is concenietl, for they never
enter it. Then again the third commandment in fre-
quently violated, and the hot oath proceeds from
blasphemous lips. In France, in former days, the
lips of the blasphemer were branded with a red hut
iron brand. If every one gut their deserts in this
way, there would be many hut mouths in the county.
And perhaps souse amongst the employers, as well an
the employed. But I must not dwell lonzer upon
thin dark theme of immorality.
5. I therefore proceed to a fifth meaning of the
word under consideration. Condition means Milan
of a contract, or covenant—ntipulation. Dryden
says—

Make our eenditioas with you captive kin.
A., the sacred writer, St. Luke, say,, " lie sendeth
and desireth eonditivni of peace. What are the
condition, a to the hiring, &c., of the agricultural
labourer On the 14th February (Ash Wednesday in
1872), the Candlemas fair is held for hiring labourers.
Who is there that approves of this system? lb the
masters! Do the men? Is it nut rightly called mop
fair, (ruin its inopish gloomy nature? Does it not
make dismal those that attend it? We hive heanl of
slave markets ; is there nothing of the nature here ?
Slaves are trotted out, pot through their paces like
horses under the auctioneer's hammer. Listen to the
picture given by my neighbour, Mr. E. Whittle, when
speaking of the payment of agricultural labourers in
Dorset before this respected club on December 30th,
1865, Ile said," Now be came to the system of
hiring at Candlemas fair. On the lath February, on
coming into Dorchester, they found a lot of men in
the streets waiting to be hired, some of them standing
up against Messrs. Williams's bank. Ile knew a gen-
tleman who hired a very able carter, as he thought,
who was standing there; but when he got home he
found the man was a cripple—(laughter). After that
he believed his friend always turned his men out before
he had them home." Now I ask is not this turning
out (another name for putting him through his paces.
to see if he is sound in wind and limb), something
very like what Mrs. Beecher Stowe tells us about the
American slave market of former days. I ask again
is an open fair a good place in which to make an
agreement? Does not this annual hiring generate
most unsettled restless feeling between employers and
employed ? Is not the bargain very like "a pig in a
poke' on both sides? The master can know nothing
of the man. Again, to quote Mr. Whittle' of Toiler
haulm, "They could not tell the worth of a man
hired at a fair, any more than the man in the moon ;
he might turn out good or bad. If a farmer had a
bad man, he wished to get rid of him, and might give
him a character which was deceptive—not that it
stated what was untrue, but because it did not contain
the whole truth—(hear, hear). Bet that was the fault
of the system. The present plan necessitated a change
once a year. On the lath February a labourer came
and asked, 'How about another year, master r which
no other servant did." And to show that it is a "pig
in a poke" bargain on the side of the agricultural
labourer, I quote Mr. G W. Homer, of Athelhampton,
speaking before our club on March 15th, 1862 : "A
servant also who makes an agreement (at a mope or
drone fair, as Mr. H. calls them, from the drones that
frequent them), at such a place has to reside with his
family in a house which he may never have seen, and
which may prove to be an uncomfortable and most
unsuitable one." All this teaches its that master and
man rnnitl spend their time better on Sr. Valentine's
day more profortably than by attending dismal drone
fair, which most agree ought to be abolished, or, if it
be retained at all, ought be transferred from St.
Valentine's•day to hfic Imst-day, when the goose is
rampant

Payment. In ancient history we read of work so
highly esteemed that the labourers were paid daily in
gold. And agriculture is of such vital importance to
the community, that its labourers should be adequately
and punctually remunerated, When I had labourers
myself in Ireland, I always paid them on Friday
nights,and some of them for task work, making drains,
drew as much as tos. per week during the short days
of the winter months. I think, with many others,
that all perquisites should be abolished, and that the
1...."••••••• shml it he• mid mossn,,very Frianv
night. "Capital and labour," said Mr. J. Howard,
" are the two piers of the arch on which society rests."
Each should do their duty. The capitalists should
pay adequately and punctually. And the labourer
should " bo,lde to"—he "all there," and put his
heart into his work, giving "a fair day's work for
, a fair day's wages. For there are many complaint,
that the Labourer does not do as much work now as
in former days, This reproach it should be theirs
to remedy. "f hen with regard to the farmer. The
adage says that "when the fisherman is not engaged
in his calling, he should be mending his nets"; and
therefore the Farmer's M.P., Mr. Clare Sewell Read,
says, in his admirable lecture on our subject to-night,
" There is one thing I want to impress on my brother
farmers, and that is the necessity of making a better
use of wet slays. Ido thik we should all try and get
a great deal more indoor work done in wet weather—
(hear, hear). Preparing manure, crushing corn, grind-
ing cake and many other things, ought to be dune on
rainy days," Further on in his lecture the
Farmer M.P. says, what mfght be inscribed in golden
letters over every farmers ana.ntlepiece—" The farmer
has many opportuithiei of doing good, at no great
cost to hinted!. 1 many cases, 1 fear, all the skim
milk is given to the pigs. Why should ir not be given
te the labourer, who requires it? Then again there
are the comforts of the farm kitchen, that might he
dispensed," I now come to what I consider ought to
be Inscribed in letters of gold in a conspicuous place
before every farmer's eyes—" I think every farmer
ought to be able to feel every night that he has done
somethuig towards making those around him happier
and better; and if he cannot do that, why then I think
he has not placed his part satisfactorily. Piece or
task work is highly commanded, for work is done
more expeditiously, at lin& cost, and it affords more
encouragement to the skilled labourer, The better
the work the better the pay, When farm servants
were called together the other day, and were asked
freely to state what they desired, the sum of their
demands was—liberty for cow, and pay at the rate of
15s, per week, And here let me remark that hiring
should be by the year, otherwise the labourers may
greatly inconvenience the farmer by leaving at the
busiest season, during harvest time for instance,
Emigration is strongly recommended, And it was
lately authoritatively stated, that there was room for
+ono men like Wiltshire labourers in Canada. So
for the weed ie

...Q.. 4.- A...

I have only room to glance at my other two words
—agricultural labourer.
Agricultural, from afer a field, and rodior a culiva-
tor. Thc Ithr,t primitive, the ino,t extensive, awl

- -
the healthiest emp.loyment. Sorifi.r- eirci !
Laborer. If we take the Latin derivation we
infer he should be propped up ; labourer from lobo to
faint, to fail. Labourers put, or ought to put, their
bones and sinews into their work. For the 4th Corn.
mandinent is directed as much to working hard all the
week, as to resting on Sunday. "Six days shalt thou
latromr, and do all thy work."
Laltrrorrer; some derive it from the Greek, and if
we take their derivation, we should supply them with
plenty of good wholesome food. La laddr (very much
Bow's ribs" fwd. Therefore a labourer is one who
Likes and requires a good quantity 4 fool He
do..s much work, he wants much food. We hear of
feeding a horse in proportion to his work, The same
principle ought to obtain with the labourer. He has
to work hard, I must therefore "hack up his pecker."
Er rrihrld rrikil fit ; from nothing, nothing comes.
"An empty sack cannot stand upright." The man
with Pendulous gills, like a Turkey cock in the Christ-
znas Carol, said, " If I go,! must be fed ;" and if wc
want our labourers to go ahead at their work, and to
have lots of go in them, they too must be fed.
We have spoken of the condition of the Ipbourer ;
we have taken the word painting of some of those
who use the darkest colours. ‘Ve now come to
enquire how his condition may be improved.
I proceed, theref6rc, to offer some suggestions, in
the hope that they may be Largely improved upon,
and increased, by the members of our club. What
arc the helps and aids that may be afforded to the
labourer and his family?
Ist. Club., Motto, "Help the poor to help them.
selves." Clothing Clubs, with good handsome pre.
mium addel. In our club, at 'Puller Fratrum and
Wynfonl Eagle, we all 7., to the sum subscribed.
And in order to induce each depositor to strive to
work up to a pound, I have this year added gs to the
20' Paid in by 20 depU,itOrS. Boot club. here
I practice a graduated IX/le on the principle of the
railways. Ist class, as. addel; and, 35.; 301, 25.
Blanket loans from November to June. Local
charities: I sins much delighted the other evening to
be able to give each labourer a crown piece from a
parochial charity. I was going te speak of provident
clubs, such as Foresters, Oddfellosys, our own county
club, P. 0., ace.' but the infelicitous New Poor Law,
out-door relief,, and such like, seem to now& of all
these.

Post Office Saving Bank. Labourers ought to take
advantage of thew. In my own sinaU pariabc, popu-
lation IA both 214, we.have over 4.3 depositors.

Mothers meetings. Where wombat may come to do
needlework, and garments at a reduced rate.
The new movement of parochial councils too, may
be nude to benefit the labourer, by discussing there
things connected with his temporal welfare, Our
Divine Master, whilst making the soul his great
mission, did nut neglect the body.
Then again the great principle of co-operation,
which works so well in towns, should be largely
extended to the coadtry. And every small village soil
even hamlet should have its distributive store, where
good genuine articles might be purchased at a cheap
rate fur ready In JACK. The sacred oracles say "owe
no man anythiu&" but this is a command more
honoured, I fear, in the breach than ia ,the perform.
ance. Debi prevaiLi to an alarming extent. Tome
the plaintive wont'. I saw posted up in a shop, in
many places they have got tired of all this, "Poor
trust I. dead. Bad pay has killed him." The debts
A the people keep co-operative storm from being
mtablishial amongst them, But by ctruperative
stores, So per cent, would be gained in quality, true
weight, &c, lk ir ours to encourage thrift in the
management of expenses, and providence on the part
of the labourer.

Lord Ned.so—ii at his audit dinner in Ilampshire
suggisted with the general concurrence of all the
tenant fainters that is per week should be added to the
wages of all labourers who belonged to a Registered
Provident Society.
It L vell t establirdi a system of prises for the best
and ino.t pruductivecuttagers. garden, for the cleanest
cult2gC. brat ruolainal vegetables, best bread and best
honey, etc., A. .

----
/',1:•44. —Under this head we may mention skim
milk at a uunimal cost if I say a per quart, or
better sttU, what Lird Nelson recommends to his
farmers, viz., to 'tar, a system of small cow lands to
be let to labourers of good character who have saved
Lto or Lao. The privilege of keeping a pig, to
supply meat fur the cottage table, and manure for the
co!tage garden. (C.) The privilege of keeping poultry
to.supply the family with eggs. An egg is generally
valued at about one penny, taking it at this, where can
you get A greater amount of nourishment for money!
A little pamphlet has been published this year by
Thomas Bsisworth, of 44 High Holborn, London,
and if we could only realise in actual practise what is
set down on the tide page, it would be an immense
boon! Thus is what appears on the title page.
"To the farmers and conagers of Great Britain.
How the French make fowls pay a profit of soo per
vent. per annuin, producing fat young fowls at 3d.
per It,. Eggs winier and summer at id. per dozen.
By Kinard B. Edwards." But time would fail the
to do more than to mention, (whith is highly
esteemed), Bee-keeping, A4earrisig, and 'such like.
The farmers too might buy backs of pork, cheeses,
a:c., by the hundred weight, and thus get them chea-
per, and dispense at cost price)o his labourers. In
harvut time beer is to be recommended for labourers,
rather than tan. There is more stay in the former.
Liquid largess of some kind has to be dispensed when
extra work is required. lhe old saw says:
"A wet groat goes further than a dry shilling.
Labourers dwellings Nimbi be comtructed with
regard to health and decency. Owners might be required
repaired to take out • homes that each cottage might anon-
es rainy. lie ajvova!et the use of Mould'e clement.
Be commended Hospital,. and Dispensarloe He elrieel men
not to Medal( my good Mend mho agriculturiste—tanners acid
lanouren—cmly ltry coy ,plan of • good, warm, comfortable,
costlem beard, for twelve,. onto, alter that tune I warrant
they will be proof against all In insertions to open up dslly or
week' mono of pores, throughlwhich the cold air permeates
producing tooth ache, and venom other lib to which bead
growers aro wadom hears. Woos Phoniest... has given ma men
males this doe leonine protectke, why should we mer 110
work by Jomiying oureMres sill? Grail, advice for MI men
—"Grow your beards, grow your beards r The cenuedrum
says, " • men la Wane, than • iste." Why? when? do you
glee it up? Whim bee a-shaving !
Then are many other aide and helps that lea, only giaooB
st—Teste tiechuloal 112Anielion : &hie( net making, called
"breeding." strew totalling ; taking is washing, um or austrih
thin meat, mushtmeoin gathering, wool gatbon:g, =nitre
!.tibaltaffistrla• burr,hr°":4 VrweeTltt.l"A A4n
It'hn'ani 1117ai
Smith—. le ail labour there in profit." There is much fool
in the tlllng. of the poor.
The PassiDur invited discussion as the owe of
eliciting the real facts of the same. He had not meek
fault to Gad with Yr. Bennett's paper, sad he had gives
mute weld hints. _

;o sod In offering a few retaarks on the
sousing and able teeters of the Bev. T. Bennett, he
save hiss the greatest credit for his kind feeling tower&
the poor, and for the endeavours he (Hr. Gongs) Maar
the rev. gentleman woefully mode to ameliorate their
madition. At the same time ha meat say there were
maay things mentioned to which he took very great
exemption. The rev. gentleman had salaried °milder-
ably on the eonrition of the egrieultural labourer, and
gaoled from the work of an Laterite' writer—(lr.
Bennett : He lives at Haiku Newloa)—demeriptiefte
•bleb were very mach overdrawa—(hear, best). The
statements made Is that pamphlet may hay* bees true
in a few isolated eases, bat they oesialely did not glee
a fair representation of the goalie's of the wheats&
labourer in this sootily at the present time. Dorset
bed a great deal of opprobrium out aqua it to this
matter. The labourer in Dorset so far as he MY
segmented, was in a very meal superior cowhides to
that quoted, sad his state would compare favour-
ably with that of &ay other labourer teeny other soiling
Ii this greatsoontry—(hear, hear). Pat the .
tural labourer in itomperison with the laboarsw in
towns, and how very math preferable wee the fa/dillies
of the former I He worked la lb* opts sir, had the
pure atmosphere, was provided with a beets sad
garden, and could supply himself with the eeeesserlee
of life at a ebeaper rots than the town leboarer, and
got more wholesome food and beverage,. As to
peplum, were the fanners to be bleated bemuse
the standard of wages did not 001110 up to what every
philanthropiet landed it should? labourers met sad
said they should be happy it they got 15a. week:
weenie would like to have their arms at a Muted New
rent, but weald they lett it T—(iaagliter). He thought
an immense amount of twaddle tied been writteaaboat
the state of the auriaulterel labourer. Mr. Benatet
had alluded to per...pasties —payments in Wed. Many
poisons advoeated money payments alone, but sash a
a system oozed not be carried out, and It would be
injurious to the labourers themselves. The labourer
got • good sample of corn—he knew there were abeam,
that these had been eases where an inferior quality of
corn bad beenisappUed, beta good system wets not to be
roademned beteaso there were 0101101013111 06111111 of
abuse Allowing that the labourer got • fair sample
of morn, he had it at a feed pries (ss. per bushel). and
baked his bread at home, how very much better was
it than the loaves he weld get (rein the baker—haw
much more itemise it oontalasd, and how mush more
wholesome it wee. Thee at to providing ale or eider
—who would supply it beet and cheapest, the farmer,
who bought it wholesele by the barrel, or the labourer
who went to the brewer or putehrhoure keeper and
purchased a smell quantity? He sail it VW 10finilielf
better instead of giving money to supply money's value
to good wholesome beverages, sad believed it IVY very
often the custom for them to supply to their labourers
the some as they &auk themeless,. With regard to
dress, he did not know what soustituted a "dresehard,"
but he knew that the agricultural labourers and their
wives were stipple( very rivet upon the alma
&bees them in this matter. It was very tree that
one part of the sornmenity did not know how the other
lived, bat they saw that Labourers aid their families
had money to sp!nd in dress, and they would have
their
l°°. No doubt • greet deal depended ea
tbsinter management at home whember there see meayiy to
spend or not. Everybody knew that to hones there
might be found everything eomfortable and elem, while
le the neat, with the MOIO or more money, there
would be everything slatternly and miserable, It de-
pended on the people themselves. The suggesties that
the labourer should be allowed to keep • *ow was
thoroughly impraetieeble. Landholders were east.
lineally found fault with because elute leads were net
cultivated, said the endemics of oommoes was gradaally
going forward. Formerly, no doubt, commons were
open as a run for the cows of Mum who lurid
parehase them. Bet, suppers alabaster sewed 810 or
£'2o, and that landlords partitiosied off, as a 557 would
if they took the fancy, so matey serge (of the
cows, be believed that a tow would eametantly keep Its '
owner in debt. It would sot give milk all littier,
and what was to be clone then? Be U
labourers would parches* milk et • eared& It
would be all very well; but, rug fermate assay keep
enough for their tumult. As to Mg.
Boost 4 misled the. tbsp pliffelmatrt= sit


into temptation," but whet would be • greater **maple.
lion to a laboarer than keeping poultry, for berion.
'Molly sew hespe of sore laying about and pook eta,
boots, Wu he. affordo,l teellitier for carrying It any.
No doubt la some Well poultry wooll be kept honestly.
ci
Ii
t to
aTp
.pb..rOiypitt erv4py : ugi
that
tlhipe:ro: tiaulait
uh
joshibu trhe o.t,
own
who it,
aobetu.ng. d:h)be d:rnyisondt
ii itob
tsewhy: r 1..w0
eir p
ahril
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icn
raid the clergy meld de • great deal of good in their
wishes. Is Ida (Yr. Geags'e) parish, there wean sea•
sder•ble not to b give at Christmas ie Ind
charities; and, if distribaled in • proper way, no
doebt it did much good. If the 01er.;.., in &hair
ritcpeoti•o woeld iutereet • , 1.•
' I. lived 11r. Ho atoll 'III, ill forming ,b, • , I rho
seh-r 111/1111 mentlaimi, ti is c
id the 141,cm:turd labourer would be mash iuipreved.
Ii eueissimi he wished to thank the rev. gentlonien
I for the trouole he bad taken and the good intentions
, he bct shown In owning before them that among—
, (hear. Leer).
Mr. Dating said be felt mesh obliged to the Hie. T.
Benuatt for salexuatiog himself with them, and moth,'
forward in the way he bad done on that oosesioo,
although Ito did not agree with all the rev. gentleman
hail mid, but rath o. took similar van to them
expressed by Mr. Genie. But with 011111 put of Sir.
Bennett's paper he fully eeneurel, via, Met :Oulu
to the Hiring Fair. Ho happened some time ego to
' be at Newcastle the day situ the mop feir, at wadi
ihomande oonatregated from all parte of tie mantry.
so meoh sa that special trains were roe to *eke them
to the Inr. They found ems and women sod young of
both ante there, for servant girls were hired at the fate
by the your, and they spent the might In Neweastle.
He wee told by the Etupseintudeut of Pollee that fair
wee the greet ot case of the county, and that Mire
were more characters lost tint night Moo in ury other
part of the Fur. Therefore he (Mr. Dimes) thought
men good men should aliarourage reds • system. In
other parte of the (minty, where there are no *soh
fairs, the emploren get equally well served, The
question of labour la always a difilleelt cue. Political
eanomiste my it is • manna of supply sad dammed,
but he WI sure that the farmers of this suety did
better for their labourer, than their/Iml* denuded;
for keepleg lit, same slumber employed summer asd
winter, they must often do it at • lose; yet they sew
wine and (mulles molted thee whip geoid sot *Met
without mach oonelderabies, end be was mire the ben
possible feeling was deep experieseed. He had been
mimed • good deal is eoestry life as aa employer of
agrieelturd labour, sad for mashy years pest be
had been moupiol is tows lite, and he said
that the egrieultural labourer wow lodate*, bitter
elf than the tows labourer. He would Tutor* to say
that in this borough, in the parish d Fordlogiu, there
were more people Oct of employ than in lin or six
parishes is the ',entry. People INN to him sight
after night saying they boil gee so work, meld get
nothing to do, and were starving. Hs tasked employers
what they gravels the i 5..., lime, and the answer
was- the wages paid to • merelaboorer —set tea artizu
—employed by Udders sad *Mem Is lie • day, bat he
bee no home, so garden, se ours moan at harvest, me
fuel; be ilves in • miseeshie teenage, or in lolgiags,
mil•b"eaicruhdreriwkinwistrqbaeumidoollgurtryitierosatigiesehamtibiplielyin tosubeirter:nolif;..6". With
advantage of the system to withhold part of what wee
usually given, and hence sill others gel • bad name, sad
be was in f of mosey psynieste al . He
fe,t auto from Lim own observation and tittVigarierition
Lc had got from clear people, that Me agriesitsrel
labourer we. moot& better elf, mid far better denied,
then 50 or 40 year. ago—(bear, hoar). He wished the
lab JJ were better hosed timother yet were, but
greet inproverneete were is program la that regret.
As to drum, when Waitron' wine and deaghbors walked
Oct it bed often to be asked " Who are they? are they
' ladies / ' arid on bait, look two or terse times to tell
whether they wore Mies or servants. In his romem-
brmoo to a went hi their white solook-trooks to ohnrob,
, Out n .w th y epotiered In brosieloth. Progress was
' being ma lo iu al .espeete, though be wished it were
more rep.d. But there we. soother view of the sato
jute Were the labourers not paid as well as farmer.
ooald afford to pay Mom? For some years put he
thought the agriculturist* lied paid mere than they
aould afford ; and givieg more wages sad allowing the
k. tieing of • cow, was, be coaddered, impoaahle.
Thee erolgratiou was adramied as • remedy, but
although that revel benefit the side•bodied labourer. it
mould •fford no relief to the ;mond and most h•IP6O.
The population bad doubled Inn the Meaning of the
watery, bat all dames were more masterly employed,
end hal better food and hums, than at he beginning.
Mx. C. WOOD BOWLS said the thought the rev.
gentleman bat a great deal of plea in sewing forward
with the stater:mete be had before • body of fannen
but he did hot think Mr. Beenets believed all he reed
from Mr. Midi's book, he had mixed too much with
the rural population, but that he brought ,It forward
that a sallectory repstalles of it /debt be gives
(hur, hear). Lot them speak the truth sheet the
matter, and sot let it ko forth Ma the public that the
eldesanste made as to the anditios of the agrieelta•
tel leboiner were such se they might to be. The rev,
gentleman had alluded to jestles—"Lot jostles be done
to the poor." Ile (Mr. Heraer) mid She wey they
gall do jutioe--ludowners and osespien, and oddly
feroters—eas to see the poor In their respeetive
diets had work : be thought lunar to the poor
men was to lad him work at • edisfaelory wage,
There were in this amatry hundreds sad thommods of
sone that r. quint' iropeovemoat, sad woad yield
par cent. on It,. moue, leid out, yet it was sot dome .
be did no, know why: perhaps Mr. Mill would say
it vu hoc,e of the Isw of primogeniture-1.0 it(r.
Horner) did not think it was, but It might be. He felt,
however, that lamas should be devised for effeetisg
me\ improvement, as the eeraightealsg and deepeeing
of river eourese, whisk now stud abut the lead asl
nog the locality with weber, du Be thought lb.
attention of lesdowsere was net as yell seMelestiy
drawn to the sables*. BM there wee • great impedi-
ment to such works in Me furl that se sus as as im.
azment we. made, it was ammesed to very heavy
burden', while the mu who put the mosey
which he would otherwise se have bailout is the funds.,
wm fr. from that toed toadies. The liability of im•
movements in land to he =seed leandly to the anoset
of 34. or 4s. In the S, from whine fes4s4 property was
exempt. stopped improvement and leenued the work
of the laluering obostu. With referent* to the owe
paid is this catintr, Mr. Baud put the mosey per
sent at 13e. • week. He did not think there were
many moo In Donal workiegforibaL He paid eomin.
ally 106 a week, but the greater part of his labourers
far monied ltd amount, and soots got perciaidtes
whisk made tho actual wages mean more. For
Menne, he Ind two rattans side by side, the smaller
one he let for Se 61. • week to • mu who did not
work for him; tho other, width had • mush larger
garden, he let to one of his labourers ter is. • week,
though It WM worth 31. 01.—eo there was 2s 61. •
week which we, not takes anoest of. The some
men got feel, and peados had, and grew
enough vegetable/ to keep his family ail the mat
through, exempt In such • bed mason as the last, when
there was • direful failure in the ponies crop, that
would probably bedsit by the labourers le the spring;
and be thought the bad crop of the formers would have
It. effects aqout the sante Was He had hod as °poor.
tunity of melee and talkies with pruned fermiers in
Baez. Wilts, and other omen's, atad he found that if
the Dorset wages were nominally below these of other
asonties when they took dose work into euelderation
they Were higher. He reekeeed them as good as the
wages in Remo ant Kent, and higher than thou of
Wills and any of the western ousties. He thought
Mr. Bennett had done well to draw sinention to the
hiring fair. The 'Mom was madoutnedly wrong, and.
as snob, should be abolished if possible; sad he thought
the suggestion of signing aa sgre.mect not • to hire
would have • good effect. sad hinted that mother way
of represents the fair would be to withhold from those
who wore not going to leave Mau holiday to attend the
fair, as they only helped be swell an WU throng. He
thought the beet way to oblate Islienrers was to advise-
Mae, as then they had • lune amber of applieute,
and oonld oleic front theta. The rev, gentleman laid
considerable strum on the Item of eltarity. He (Yr.
Horner) was not very food of eharity, if by inarity
aunt indiserimitiete almegiviag ; indeed, if it Insect
giving aim ratherdienintiodely.lne presarrai eroding
plenty of work all good wages to Wiles skim milk at •
farthing • quart," or "what was left from the kitelten."
The humble dernaods of the agrieultoral labourer were
Ili a week and liberty to keep • new. Wham it PAIN
to that he should give up farmilutg—(lembserb He
should have 30 um running about on his farm that did
not brawn to hint, and somstlmos calked more I He:
wood/rot bow they would be kept In winter—(" By
you.") The labourers meet Inn ponied to make hay,
and time to dolt in. Whew sows used to be kept ea
eommons, the men had not week in the whiter, so geed
to oat gores and pound it for the animals' bet now they
were employed winter and sumeme, end, had they been
paid for their fornior winter with be was ewe the .ow
ooell Lnlug •rt,titlo if mow nay prel6l. TOe is,,
now was that they did not make erieugh of the land, sad
giving plots for keeping • sow weaddtre • very renegade
policy. He couddered the true way to help the
labourer in the natter of land wee to allow * or awe
1 of garden ground, so as to pearl& plenty of umpation
for his spare time, and give opportunity for the growth
of vegetable/ for the boneit of his family. Bet no
practical man would ever advocate each labourer keep.
Mg a sow. The ecooperative noire Institut he believed
' to be good, especially in villages, but the item of debt
And in the tiny, for many improvident men were very
much ie debt, and therefore obliged to deal in the same
way fie did not think hie own labosren were very
much in that itooditlon : he knew they were now man
more provident than they aged to he • few years me,
end mostly took their mossy to Fs/ for whet they
wanted. But drunkenness wee • sed evil which mined
many of their eountry people. He thought Übe SIM for
that was ill • jll4llllOlllll Liaising Billand he
hoped same Governmeak Liberal or Ocii.usevative,
would have the pluck to bring melt • 1111111111•14110eWard
notwithstanding the °pushiest of ilia brewers. It has
been remarked that in dosing with land you mienot
look simply and solely to ponads, shillings, and pewee
—prods mum not be the us isonekleguidon. Oetingse, it
is well known, will not pay more that • very small
per-oentage, nevertheless. it Is the duty of the Land-
owners, whoever they may he, to provide saltiest
cottages for the people labouriag es It, sad he tbushl
the suggestloo of the rev. geselegass that Gonave
should be hemmed to hold so non people was well
deserving oossideration. If a rib& velaide WY wily
allowed to contelo • sends member, why should sot
• *Usage be treotidla theme way? 7.5 such •
provision would be thrush* dint Sows pepulaidos far
greater than thou in the eoutry : sad that where
one boy wee nuked in the soostry, 50 people would
be tercel out is towns. le the matter of eateges in
MIA county great Improvement wee being muds; he
thought no one could take • lug drive in this sash.
bourbood without seeing_ it. At Puddlebown In Me
nat few yeses mesh had begs dame. m not,
however, =pen to go last ell at ases,ll=ust
so Meg es
they kept progressing, he thought eatiefulary.
Dr; ALOUD*/ endorsed the remarks if Mr. Huge
and others, and said Mere has hews • pest dial of
maudlin sentimentality about khemptothanil laboiarar.
As patriots he Mould they shesJd bomMier min Bak
In the social shale, sad sot the egriewlimml labourer
only. Siam hie neellsolism the seaditiss of the farm
labourer had greatly implowed, sad If the w
expenses el fame esatimed be Mamma in theystl22
dolma the Mout femme VOW he Lapeer ems. The
laudbardsemild not gets mem of lain Nhaa 3 per mat,
thwego„ they amald net Gaud to mien tOO% oat Ito

T'lne-P-aser es= said he had been in busing*. between 44 aad
id years, end tens expenses were now isearly double whet
they were It yearo ego, from employing more labouran sad
=g tow It a week more than what they dhe id wee.
, with tut-work Is prDpoctto.. The **mom had hem
mach Improved, aad or arms al gardea were added which
they had not formerly.
TIN ROM T. /Mum to reply, said he quoted from Mr.
book that the ateteneeete might be Muted. When he
furen.d In treated Me labourers arid allowing those to keep a
cow was moat adrautageous. getuek.frocto weret, be nem to
Toiler church on guecta3.. Gluceil. had ltp: perm with
other bmworwool flu wao tied hi. Msti. 4,_""-
egeraus• caone-met 6110•7•1 approval, sea seu to neve
had an opportaaLty of ventilating Si. Idea. Wm.
• cordial vote of thants was panned to es. Bev. T. Benoit&
With Memel to the proposed declaration of abetentlon
Ire m hitieg at the lair, It was altered to read es follows:
" We, the undenigned, hereby pledge ourselves to me all
our eedeavoare to premed the hlrissi of term labourern or
other sensate at Dovelseeter Median's Pair."
in this for,. several of Uwe. present signed it, and the
proceeding. maid.