The Sun.
London, England, 1870-04-12 00:00:00

THE WORKING MAN ABROAD.

Lord Clarendon has obtained from her Majesty's re-
presentatives abroad valuable reports on the position of
the artisan and industrial classes in foreign countries, the
first series of which we have just received from the
Foreign Office. One of the most interesting accounts is
that from Mr. Ford respecting the state of the working
man in America. Mr. Ford says:—" There are few
countries in which • the working man is held
in such repute as in the United States of America.
The labouring classes may be said to embrace the entire
American nation. Every man works for a living, follows
a profession, or is engaged either in mercantile or indus-
trial pursuits. The prosecution of the humblest calling
acts as no bar to promotion in the social scale. The lowly
citizen of to-day may aspire to presidential honours to-
morrow. The steady influx of immigrants within the last
twenty years has produced a marked effect on Americans
in their choice of occupations, and has • created a
decided disinclination on their part to share in the
rough toil of purely muscular labour in which the
newly arrived foreigner is ready to engage. The
American system of common school education has
elevated the moral standard of the native working man,
and has disposed him to prefer those occupations in which
the exercise of the brain is in greater demand
than that of the elbow. His chief object of ambition
is to attain the position of a master workman, or, in the
parlance of the country, to become a ' boss,' or to obtain
a situation of clerk in an office, or of assistant in a shop,
and rather than engage in work which he may deem
derogatory to his moral culture, he will follow the
setting sun and settle on the public lands of the country
which the National Government offers at almost
nominal prices, to any man who will cultivate them.'
Some interesting information, too, is given in the report
on the French artisan. Mr. Malet says :—" A very
small proportion of the workmen of Paris are native
Parisians. They come from all quarters of the country,
and for the most part return to it. The greater
portion of them come up as young men from the
provinces, full of life, impressionable, of an age
when the socialistic doctrine most readily takes
root. They become ready listeners to the men of
talent who find it possible to gain an easy livelihood by
preaching revolution and change in impassioned language.
r.f he want of mechanics' institutes and working men's
clubs, where the artisan could go and spend a quiet even-
ing in reading or talk, leaves thousands of idlers too glad
to listen to anything so long at it passes the time. It is
the natural soil for the socialist to cultivate. He has
'own ; and reaped at the elections."

AGRICULTURE AND THE CORN TRADE.
An uninterrupted period of dry settled weather, ex-
tending over about five weeks, appear likely to be suc-
ceeded by an entire change and a plentiful supply of
rain. So far the progress of events has been satisfac-
tory taken as a whole. Winter wheats have obtained a
firm hold of the ground, and spring sowing, facilitated
by the absence of inclement weather, has been steadily'
pushed forward. Potato planting, also, has made con-
siderable progress. Some complaints have reached us of
the damage sustained by the young wheat plant through
the want of moisture, necessitating, it is stated, in some
instances, a partial re-ploughing. We believe, however,
that these complaints are by no means general, and that
the aspect of agriculture is mostly considered to be
favourable. Some steady showers would undoubted',
be of service to enable the grain recently sown to germi-
nate freely, and, judging from appearances, it is very
evident that the desired rain will not long be withheld..
No movement of significance has taken place in the
wheat trade. The receipts of wheat have been by no
means extensive, but the quality generally has been
good. There has been an absence of activity in the
demand, and, although no fall has been noticed, forced
sales would certainly have resulted in a lower range of
values. At the present moment prospects cannot be
regarded as otherwise than adverse to the holders of pro-
duce. As we have shown above, allowing that it is as yet
much too early to hazard any opinion of the crop, there is
certainly an absence of any circumstances likely to be
viewed with apprehension, or endangering the ultimate
yield.—The Magnet.
Although the cold influence of March was still felt
at the opening. of the week, this gave place under a change
of wind to brilliant sunshine, and a much higher
temperature. The nights, however, have been
mostly cold, and vegetation, for the want of warm rain,
still looks very backward. It has, however, been all that
could be desired for the completion of sowing the
Lent corn, and a large breadth has now been got in,
together with much potato planting, so that the
seasonable showers already promise complete alteration
in the face of the country, No practical man seems
to apprehend any harm from the lateness complained
of, either to the corn or fruit, but in France the dry
weather has affected the price of oats. Still one
day's heavy rain ' would set all maters staaight,
and as we have not yet got half through April,
who can doubt that this will come ? The change
already experienced has taken off the upward bearing of
the wheat trade, and most markets have reported more
dulness, or some even a decline of is. But there is no-
thing to justify any sweeping reduction of the
_low rate 4
now ruling. —Mark Lane Express.