New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-07-30
Paints Of the Poor.

correspOndent recently sent IA an eN""'' Nv"
the Er,aiag Gazette invoighing against me Per
verseness of the Laboring Glasses In refusing
,,,,,L s,r loss Than they thought fair rccompense
.vo, ,ho,,h they had no choice bnt famine iDsis,
I'M, N, light work and good treatment, even risnt
10 the audaci,y lin some cases oil demanding sea
o, the same table with the family In which they ar'
emnloyed We did not see fit to republish the ga
ze,,e's article. nor to make the comments on II sug
ce.,ed by our correspondent. Each Of them seem {
10 us TO embody some truth but very imperectiy
Laborers are quite right in insisting on the esiab
lisbcd rate Of rccompcnsc for their work where II y
ius; and reasonable. as II generally must be, cVcl
though they subject themselves to temporary su1cf
ing thereby. The doctor, lawyer, dentist &c 90
the same thing without shadow ofreproach. NAM
a Young lawyer would be glad to do lega! buslno %
at half price, rather Than pine in ideness' but ~
cannot do 80 without I'M caring his standing and ia
ture usefulness by undermining his own business
The reason is the same with regard 10 humber IA
borcr.. WHY not the rule also Neither can W
seriously blame the Poor for liking easy, peasal
work ~ well a. good wages It's the way OF tie
world and the Poor very much like the i'ich s'
far as they can be, in this as in most other things
As to sitting at isbe-a point sometimes raised say
the Gazette, BY hired scamsresses, &c.-ii argues
serious want Of scfrespect TO wish 10 cat or asso
ca,e in any way with those who would rather be eN
cused from such familiarity Any such demand as
here asserted would argue o conscious inieriorit
and vulgari,y of soul.
But we set out TO SPEAK OF the iaults OF The
Poor a. a class, or rather. Of large portion of ihn
~. i b.yirrDO IN hear nnncb of III
wrongs Of the Poor and the faults Of the Rich, M
we rejoice that such is the Let the truth b.
spoken plainly and without ioar-it will offend am
repel many, az mporan, truth always does but grea
good will ultimately come oi IT, IL Ia alleged, how
ever that Reiormcrs and philanlhropsis are too
TO overlook the of The Poor, and the fact TIA
their sorcs sutieriass may often he traced back
some dsr gsrd OF the dictates OF prudence. OF IL
tegriry OF duty. Let us do our part TO remove 'h'
reproach.
The mass of men and women are and must be, a
leas, until ,omc great change is wrought, COM ara
lively poor dependant on their own industry, ell
Cheney aud good management Tor livelihood. II !
of course their auiy, less than their interest ''
practice diligence aud economy. But how man.
of them do it, unless prickcd 10 by the sharp spu
Of necessity Take, for example, the Young NJ,
chanics of our City They earn from five 10 ici
dollars per week oach-a small portion of them sli
morc-and those who have po families 10 support
while in health and fully employed nigh, and shou'
each lay up from fifty TO two or three hundred de-
lars year But how many of them do thisl SO IA
as we eau can Judge, and we have been of and in
timaely connected with this class for years. no
one fourth OF them systematically and habilually la
up any thing. Fine clothes and gay evenings taxi
part excursions, balls All suppers make anohc
draft; cigars, drink and loose company often com
in for the balance aud the mechanic or clerk WIN
receives $500 year is apt to save no more ,ha
though he obtained but half as much. Many n on
who has received an average of $500 year Tor H.
last five years and has not laid ou $50 in the whol
time for any ihns apar; from his own appecs @
fancies is at this moment in debt to his landad
and without the means of paying her
The crying evil is the general notion that compc
tcpcc is 10 be acquired in some other way than b
simple honest Labor The young man looks wi,
disdan on the wages OF his daily toll. and say
Il can't lay up any thing I'LL get into business.
Alas, he ultimately finds that he cant get IL,
business" I'LL he has laid up something or. II 1
does, disappointment and BANKRUPTCY are his Pc
ton Many a man OF thirty, with family CROWN
up around him. bitterly eNclams How an |
maintain all these on my eight or ten dollars wee
and tina, no, certain If only had thousand do
lars of my own. could establish myself in a sho
or my wife could keep liIile store and make son'
thing even while am out OF employment" Ala,
the thousand dollars might have been saved b.
were moi, in his earlier years Ii he had but save
five hundred by the time h. was twenty five ih'
Ave hundred pradcntly invested woalt ha,
earned the other five hundred by this time. III
Young man who begins BY laying up one third
all he can fairly earn during the first year OF h
independence will be pretty certain not to suif,
from want, unless caused by helping others al an
future period.
These are old truths AMI homely. and the
nigh, be indefinitely extended and multiplied The
are truths which those most Interested are cons'an
ly forgetting Many who are homes, aud even rel
gicus do no, realize the mprovidence and culpabi
iry Of spending their whole income even when II
twice as much as they absolutely need Dress an
dissipa,ion-by which term we imply such anus
mcnts rs do no, eoaducc to physical health or men
talcu:ure-are allowed to absorb the surplusinoom
upon and when misfortune comes its effects n
permanently disastrous II no, fatal
The more fortunate of the Working Classes ma,
ono grca, and common Nr'ue-'hey are chari,abl,
Many poor man has given TO the needy and attic
ed the price Of house aud lot IN sums Of City cent
to ten dollars. Of which he never speaks aud IN
newspapers take account poor man. whe,hs
thrifty prodisa viii generally give money 10 III
suffering when he has It. Bu, zoo many OF our wei
paid Mechanics and Artisans are no, 50 benevoleu
la another and better ~ay-iha, OF removing the d,
ccssi,es for Charity. II ,hi. class would bes,ir se
i, nigh, readily establish in every village or neigh
borhood reading room. lyceum library. or a socic
" for mutual improvement and aid which woul,
win Thousands OF uniniormed and. careless you'll