The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1852-08-24

tie or no schooling; thus checking cdu-
cation in the bud, to be followed, per-
haps by total neglect during appren-
ticeship. BY this course they are igno-
rant Of themselves, physically and
mentally, and Of society; therefore
ignorant of the laws which govern our
actions as members of the social sys-
tenn. Being thus reared in mental
darkness of their responsibilities as
social and moral beings and Of the
natural objects that surround them, it
is not to be wondered at that such men
spend their leisure hours in idlcncss,
or among the noisy revcls Of tap
room. Although the working classes
are much neglected in education, we
humbly think that if those of them
thus neglected were to apply their
spare hours to rational purposes, they
could yet learn enough to derive a
pleasure from that which is now to
them burden; they would then see
labor, instead of being curse, the
greatest blessing conferred on man by
a benign Creator, for labor is the pro-
motcr Of health, strength and happiness
of man. They could learn, also, that
the world is adapted for the enjoyment
of man and not for his woe.
| HOW DO THEY DISPOSE OF THEIR TIME
AND MONEY.
Taking for granted that the working
men labor ten hours out of the TWEEN
ty-four, and two more for meals and
nine for sleeping and dressing. they
will have three hours daily ON their
hands, and on Saturday perhaps four or
FIVE hours, which altogether make
about twenty-four hours a week inde-
pendent Of meal hours. If we add to
these hours the Sundays that arc so
frequently misspcnt, the whole amount
to deal of valuable time, which in
many cases is thrown away without
anything in return save bad habits and
bad health. The working classes hav.
ing on Saturday more time and more
money than on other evenings, it is on
that account generally devoted to some
kind of recreation, the nature of which
very often is decided more by chance
than from any pre,arrange IN rs, cor,
scquently that evening is spent BY
those persons in pleasures Of very
questionable tendency. But with a
great number it is the commencement
of dcbanch that generally continues
until Monday noon or Tuesday morn,
ing, which by degrees will grow into
a regular habit; and if habit in this
is once formed, it is of little moment
whether its victims being working full
or short time-his pocket aad purse
Will be III the same state, empty or
he will be busy at the work OF making
them so.
Upon these habits n large number OF
our fellow wordmcn spend the greater
part of the leisure time Not only is
their valuable time thus mispcnt, but
an immense sum of money is likewise
misapplicd and taken from its lceiti-
mate channel of trade to that of buying
Intoxicating drinks, tobacco, &c. For
the first of these articles upwards OF
fifty millions Of pounds sterling is an
mlally spent in this Kingdom, which is
at the rate of .fl0 q year for every
family, rich and poor, in the country.
For the second, which is very largely
consumed by the working classes,
there is upwards OF five millions stcr,
ling spent annually. Closely connect.
cd with the above habits is another
large sum-that paid at the pawnshops
in the shape of interest on articles
j pledged, to procure the means of in.
dulging in those habits, or to lay in
the nccessalies of life, as the wages
that should have b en- applied for that
purpose were squandered in dissipa.
ton.
In 1870, there were in Liverpool nc
less than 1870 Of these csta bIishmcnts
and supposins that each Of them made
a clear profit OF 600 year, that OF
the whole will amount to Ell, 700
which sum is independent of their ex,
penscs, which, Of course, must come
out of the pockets of those who tre-
qucnt such establishments, who arc
chiefly working men. 1t is the above
and other bad habits that drain the
pockets of our workmcn ofcvcry spare
penny, and they create and confirm
the bad practice of consuming daily
the whole of what is daily earned In
short, the man who indulges in habits
of this kind has neither the means nor
the will to pay due attention TO the
physical or the moral wants Of himself
or his family, His clothing will be
deficient in quantity and quality to
protect the system in this varying eli,
mate. Simple nourishing food is by
him superseded by that which affords
the greatest stimulant to his vitiated
palate and langushing frame,
THE PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF INTOXICATING
STIMULATES.
Doubtless the effects of Intoxicating
drinks are the most direiul on men
and on society, i'll consequence of their
being more freely indulgcd in by all
classes, and in the majority of cases
are the cause of other bad habits, such