Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1849-1856, 1851-04-24
NEWPORT, r. THURSDAY NOR MING, April.

100 There 10 4" great and exceeding
bitter cry" continually ascending, "give
us labor or we perish" That the want
Of it is owing often TO the sufferers them
selves, is "A par, of their misfortune
Their ignorance, unthriftiness. extrava-
gance, even laZness itself, are frequent
!, ly TO be considered more ms penalties
than as crimes, so uniavorable are the
circumstances that have surrounded and
oppressed great masses Of the people
from their birth.
Society seems 10 be an institution
for the protection rather than the pro-
duction Of property. Relief from that
\ quarter of course is hopeless, except to
rescue from absolute starvation, and not
even always SO much as that. Personal
cxertion is TO be relied on mainly for
personal and family supp ri. Whatev-
er tends TO augment the variety OF en-
pIoymen's stimulates this industry,
gives It's scope and actiUiiy. and dimin.
ishes the impoverisl ed and impoverish-
ing army Of the idle.
Tho want of domestic, we mean fam
lily industry, 10 remarkable. Time Was,
and not very long while ago neither,
when every member OF family Of suf-
ficient age had fixed employment be-
yond the mere preparation Of provisions
lor the able and cleansing Of the linen
oi its inmates. The amount of work
performed in those days by commune
| ~, III proportion 10 its number. was out
ofall proportion to what is done now.
1t is no apology for the idleness Of the
age that modern machinery has de-
| prived our families of those industrial
processes which used TO make them
hives Of seIi-supportlng bees, that never
had TO borrow, and always had sur
plus. They made, they mendcd They
spent the forenoon in combing their flax,
which their descendants now consume
in cOmbing their hair. They spun, not
street, but woollen yarn, and wove it in.
10 family clothes, not bead purses, that
have nothing in them. Then we used
to pick out the seeds of cotton-wool be-
fore Whitney invented the gin; and
stick our own cards, not for playing
whist with but carding cotton, which
Whitiemore's ingenuity has long since
superseded.
Some Of the occupations Of former
times are doubtless obsolete; but enough
remain with others since introduced, TO
keep the fingers from idleness, or what
is worse, useless aud most unmus cal
drumming on the pidnoiorte. Luxury
has driven away quite as many modes
OF industry as machinery. 1t is some.
times sald that all the manufactures
come much cheaper now tnan families
can make them. That does not touch
the diff ulty at all. Is it cheaper Tor
family ~ buy their shirts already made
because somebody can make six in
week, and their daughters can make hut
one apiece p? Or pay four shiIIings Tor
IA pair Of stockings when they can knit
them for nothing at all ? The hands
that are hanging idle, with the aroIogy
that they cannot do 80 much work as Il
machine i'll a given time, are without
number, aud the consequences are very
serious on pub ic prosperity aud ind!-
vidual character.
When times are dull and labor goes
a begging for employment, there are
persons who suppose that society or
Government, which s lis organ, ought 10
What aud where are those resources 2
Government accumulates not. II is the
agent o, society merely. 1t takes what
is necessary iJr It's own support and
leaves the rest. LdiridH0is own the
! prsperty ol the wor d. aud tp them must
labor make application for en- ,doym
But it IS the duty OF Government to en-
able It's constituents to do Ibis by judic-
ous laws. Like the father OF a family,
it should discourage The purchase ofev-
cry kind of work " hich It's members can
accomplish for themselves l, is n qucs.
iion 1T iilencss or labor and not wheth-
CT his family can do the work as cheap
!, rs any body else. II it does 1t at al,
and thereby keeps tacm out OF idlcness,
il is IA clear'galn to the amount OF work
performed. Government ought to en-
courage the industry Of the country IN
every possible way. but It cannot be-
come accountable ior its wagcs.-Nep
ark Daily Adrotiser.
IjrIt is stated in the, Boston Travrl-
! Ter that President Sparks OF Harvard