The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1851-12-10
Q he Register.


New York Correspondence.
Winter poverty in New York-Its Causes
The Unemployed Closscs--Aspirants for
Literary lIonors- llclplcs.ness of College.
bred Mcn-Wholcsom Advice TO Country
Friends, &c. &c.
NEW YonK, Nov 2S, 1851.
EpIrOn OF THE REGISTER:
Every year. about this season, the
benevolent people Of our city, and many
who are not benevolent, arc called upon
TO grapple with an evil, a gigantic and
growing evil, Of which YOU in the coun-
try know very little. II, by Gllaling up
on this subject, can furnish you and
your readers with some raw materinls
fnr piors grsiitudc, for the substantial
blessings OF your lot, and send YOU 10
bed with heartier thank God. =" than
usual, ! shall not haye written in vain.
The evil to which refer is Povrnry,
consequent upon want Of work ,-Pov>
ERTY, haggard, anxious. hopeless-Ciiy
Poverty, in the winter.
First, let me state the fact. The av-
erage number Of persons in this City
who, in the winter, have no employ.
ment, may be computed at fifty thou>
sand This vast amount of our wretch
ed iellow-creatures is made up Of sew
eral descriptions Of persons. Above
all. in number and in need are the ems
igrants, who, having jus, contrived to
raise the amount Of the passage money,
land upon the wharves, at the rate Of one
thousand day, destitute, hungry, aud
eager for employment. Those that ar
rive IN the Spring, or Summer, have not
much difficulty in obtaining employs
ment. lfthey cannot fad work here,
they can, with comparative ease, reach
those sections OF the country where la.
Dor is in demand. But at this season.
public works are suspended, private
building slackens, canals are closed
the rivers frozen up. and here they mu.,
remain tll the opening spring gives them
work, or cheap access to the far
( Wesi.' The same contraction Of bus
iness throws out Of employment thou>
sands of our own people. Steam boat
and sl"op hands, brick LAY crs, ship-chr-
penters, and other mechanics, par,icu>
larly people connected in any way with
travelling, find themselves, about this
time OF the year, cut of from their Gus,
'omary means of living, aud 90 To swell
the ranks Of the needy,
A few days ago, fer example, the
Noyelty Works discharged AT one strok c
fon hundred hands. Think Of it
probably twelve hundred human beings
transferred, without moments warm
ing, from the number Of the comfort.
able and well provided for, To that OF the
suffering, or at least, the anxious, and
the sore-perplcxed What ,idings for a
father to bring home, on Saturday night,
TO his family, at this season ufthe wear,
" am DISCHARGED; here is the last
weeks wages shall have to bring to
= You. tlll-Gnd knows when !"
Another large class of the unem>
ployed is composed Of persons, espec-
ally young men. who leave good homes
and sure employment in the country, tc
try their fortune in the city. This is
the class, perhaps, Of all others, most
ptlable; not because they suffer more
physical pain than the oihers-lhey do
not generally suffer as much--but be,
: cause, accustomed to the sure abund-
ance Of country life, leaving home
under sort of infatualion as to the
great things they are sure to achieve
here, and possessing, too, keen appe-
e tite for the expensive pleasures Of the
b city,-the stern reality takes them by
surprIse,painiuIly disappoiuts and crush
4 es them. ] am acquainted with one OF
this class, who spent seven months in
this city. aud in parts adjacent, seeking
, employment, before he fouLd it. ne
+ then obtained some work in folding
newspapers, at three dollars a week. lie
is college bred, and really fine able
b fellow but, like thousands Of others.
he could easily learn to do fifty things
, but had actually icarncd to do nothing
Z And people in this driving metropolis
y cannot stop to teach Young men what
i they ought to have learned before ap
plying for employ mcnr
{ A large number Of these country as
p pirants for City honnrs and Cin in
comes, are young gentlemen Of literary
turn. Most especially do they long To
. join the corps editOridL A distinguish.
, ed Hterdteur informed me, the 9th er
day, that in his opinion, there are always
in New York, one thousand persons
seeking literary employment of some
i kind Said he receive at least two
, thousand pieces of poetry, annually, Of
, Tered either for sale. or for my opinion
1 upon their merits, or for gratuitous pub