Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1845-01-17
Misery.

what the other is about" This is an old
saying, but it is as true as it is old. Little
10 The nine-tenths Of the people of this
happy land know the extent to which thew
are blest by Heaven. Little do they know
how infinitely superior the circumstances
and situation of the most INDECENT amongst
them are to those Of the great masses, the
classes in other countries. The
Bishop of Lodi, who had been reduced
by successive strokes Of misfortune. to the
most INDECENT and distressing circumstau.
ces. but who, under all his trials and tribu.
latlons. was observed always to be cheer.
tul and happy, was asked, on one occasion
by friend, how it was possible that he
could appear SO cheerful and cop,en,ed
under so many sad reverses of fortune-
The reply of the Bishop was. by ma.
king good use of my eyes; by looking
around me, and seeing how many there
are, whose sad fate is even worse than my
own, think ought to be cheerful. and
thankful too, TO kind and Overriding
Providence" If many Of our countrymep
would do as the Bishop Lodi did if they
would maze good use of their eyes, we
think our ears would not be so cons,ar,ly
greeted with complaints of hard times
the difficulty of getting along in the world,
&c. In illustration of what we have been
saying. we will present our readers with
some extracts from English papers, desert.
hing the misery-the almost utter destiu.
ton of the laboring classes in England,
that land of boasied pride and wealth.
The picture drawn, is so odious and re.
voting to the sensbilities OF the human
heart, and is so entirely without even the
approach to parallel in our own favored
land, that we doubt not but that 1t will re.
quire, on the part of most of our readers,s
stretch of their faith to believe its correct
ness. Ii is true, nevertheless. The fol.
lowing are extracts from English papers;
we regret that our limits viii nol permE Us
tn extend them:
The most narrowing descriptions were CIV
en- by some Of the visitors of the scenes they
had witnessed. The case of Distress says
Dr.. Smiles, (editor of the Reeds Times,) of
extreme distress that had come under his no.
tice that morning. had narrowed up MS very
son!. {Hear, hear.) There was ona ease
which he would particularly mention. He
had noted down the name. and he was sure II
any doubts existed. individuals might satisfy
themselves as to the correctness of the state
ments. At the end of Brooke street, there
was a small cellar dwelling, nine feet by
twelve, into which they were introduced BY
the enumeration.
The dwelling was so considerably beneath
the street, shat only half of the window was
above it. 1t was damp, disagreeable, III
lighted, Il-ared den. [Hear, hear In that
apartment, they found three families, consist
ing Of sixteen individuals, nine who slept IN
1t every night. Sensation.] There were
fonr adults and twelve children. Six indlvd'
uals constituting one family, slept upon 1T
ter of straw. huddIed together, not like human
beings, not even like animals, for their sltua'
ton was nothing to be compared to the comtofI
of our dogs and horses in our stables. Heal.
hear Other four or five slept on bed "
shavings, and the remaining five slept on a.
mother miserable bed in the apartment. When
they entered, the poor mother was weeping
her infant was on her knee in the last stage
of fatal disease, dying without any n'eOlca
assistance. [Sensation.] The family were
entirely destitute. no means of subsistence
no weekly earnings, no parish rellet. f1f''
hear. That was one instance we Ra'
Leeds may stand for sample of nearly every
town IN the manufacturing districts. Wine,
is rapidly advancing on population wrhO"
employment and without property, what 'Os'
had having been parted with In order to Suyy
! ply their most pressing wants. 1t was sta'e0
too, by DR.. Smiles, that "the small groce'
were falling and becoming bankrupts in Ia's'
numbers. Many were not able TO pay tnsn
debts. This, again, acted on middle cI's,
men in higher condition of life; and he coul.
state, what most Of them perhaps knew 'O1'
a large number of the first class OF tradesmeD
have recently become bankrupts." $50,
The following is an extract from le, .ss
giving an account of the distress among ~
working classes, prevailing al StockPor': .r
! "All the other trades are equally suhellIS
Such is the extreme starvation point 10 WIZ"
they are reduced, that their wives are
seen begging from door to door, or galHs.saSS
the disgusting offals that are to be met ""
in the streets. Meat and water are 'uI hot
which few can boast of, and as for fire. "u nv
houses are without spark. Last wee1 nj.
wards of two hundred fresh men thTne' s,r
for wages, and there is every reason 70 p,GIy
that, ere long. that number will be frlgn"is 4.
increased. The constant cry of the men, mi,
Are we to die of starvation, or see ou' ,rb,Is
dren fall before our faces from hunger. ',Ta
plenty abounds in the land 2 The S'' ""Lpd,
of the female beggars all descriPtlonL.""Dur sr,
shiverng with cold, and faint from " nIodps
they are parading the streets, and l'pp,s tof
with tears and supplications, assls'ann
fhemS elves and their famiShinG children