Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1850-05-01
An English Labo,er's Cottage.
LONDON, March %, 1880.

isle"-having bu, last week come from II
lovely highland of Scotland, where ha'
been enjoying the magnificen, scenery.
have spea, s1tne time in the rural district
Of England, and admired the sarden-!ik
farms. The weather has been most chaI
ming for fortnight past, and l have en-
Ijoyed myself much III wandering over hi
and dale, and leas'ing my eyes upon tn
glorious landscapes. Nothing pleased M
SO much as the picturesque appearance {
The Eas!ish cottage, with their lha!che
roofs.
How beautifully the poet sings
| knew by the smoke that so gracefully cuf'ed
| Around the green elns, That u collage near
And said there's peace 10 be found this wo,d
| The heart that IS humble might hope for it tefe
! We will look '.kere,r ard see--we vii
enter the cottage with that gentlemen " ho
is recommending outside. We find on in
Producing ourselves, he is one Of the com
missioners appointed 10 examine and rc,
port ppon "the conditions OF the working
classes Of The agricultural districts Of tne
county Of Berks. Oxford" have been
giving yon the exterior romance, such as
would mee. the eye OF casual observer ;
the commissioner will give you the interior
reality in his repor, to the committee. Hear
him. {" The cottage" says the commits
sioner. "is so rude and uncouth tha, i, has
less the appearance Of having been built
than Of having been suddenly thrown up
out Of the ground. The length is not above
fifteen feet, It's width being ten and Twelve
The wall which has sum. at different points
and seems bedewed with q cold sweat, IS
composed Of species Of imperfect sand-
stone, which IS G.s, cfumbiing 10 decay. Ii
is So low, that your very face IS almost on
a level with tha heavy thatcheG roof that
covers il, AMI which seems TO te pressin!
IL into the earth. The thaich is lhlcki.
incrusied with bright, green vegetation,
which, together with the appearance OF the
trees, and The mason work around, well
attest the prevailing humidity Of The atmos.
phere. In front it presents 10 the eye a
door, with one window below, and another,
a smaller one, in the tha,ch aboye. The
door is awry, from the sinking OF the wai;
the glass in the window above is unbroken,
but the lower one is,here and there, stuffed
with rags, which keep cut both the air and
The sunshine. As you look at the crazy
fabric, you marvel how it stands. |, IS So
visited and distorted, that it seems Us if il
lad never been strong aud compact. and
Is if, from the very first, il had been cree.
ed, not as human abode, bu, as hum
DE monument to dlapida,ion. Bu. let US
enter. You approach the doorway thro'
he mud, over scme loose stores, which
'ock under your feet; you have TO stoop
or admission, and cautiously look around
re you fairly trust yourself within. There
ire but two rooms in the house, one below
nd the other above. On leaving the bright
ght without. the room which you enter is
o dark that, for time, il is with difficulty
ou discern objects which it contains. Be-
ore you is large, cherries fire-place-lI
5 not every poor man that may be said 10
ave hearth--wiih few smouiderIng
mbers Of small wood fire, over which
I'LL hangs po, recently used for some
urinary purpose; at one corner stands
mall rlckety table, whilst scattered about
here are three old chairs, one without q
ack, and stool or two, which, with We.
y limited and imperac. washing appara-
is, and u shelf or two, for plates, tea.cups,
&C., constitute the whole furniture Of the
What could he more cherries
r comlortless And yet you fancy that
ou could put up with everything bit the
,ose. eor,hy smell. which you endeavor
! vain to escape by breathing short and
uckly.
AS you enter, a woman rises and sa
i,es YOU tmldly. She is no, SO old as she
,oks, for she is careworn and sickly. She {
as an infan, in her arms and three other (
hildren, two girls and boy, are rolling
long the damp uneven brick floor a, her
,et. They have nothing on their feel, be.
,g clad only down to the knees in similar
arments of rag and patchwork. They are
lthy and on remarking it. we are told,
'hiningiy. by the mother that she can
OF keep them clean. By-and. by, another
hid enters, girl. with few pieces OF
ry wood. which she ha. picked up in the
for fuel. Nor is this the
'hoe family yet. There are two boys,
rho nre out with their father at work-:he
1ree being expected in every moment 10
inner. They enter shortly afterwards.
The ia,her is surprised. and ior liule,e
1ently somewhat disconnected at the in,ru-
as TO whether it may bode
lin good or evil. We soon put him a,