Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1853-02-03

The wages of those employed, not only
in Birmingham, but in the other towns
named, are much big gher than those re-
ceiyed for labor on the farm. An indus
trius, skilful man, earn earn in the facto-
ries which visited, four, five or even six
shillings per day; yet in many cases, am
not sure that might not say in major
ity, there is much less apparent comfort
than on the part of the agricultural labor
er. The factory hand is dressed in more
modern garments, but they hang loosely,
carelessly, and often raggedly on him
He is not so well fed as the peasant, and
his dwelling bears no comparison in point
of neatness, with the pretty cottages that
dot the smiling country. You must ex-
cuse the absence of flowers around the
houses of the poor in a city; you may
perhaps excuse thepresence of filth, though
propriety struggles with charity in the ef-
fort. How is it, that with so much grea-
ter means of comfort, in almost every
particular, the inhabitant of the city is
inferior to the country man? Why Is it
that the narrow, close, uncleaned, unsew-
cred streets swarm with addressed, un-
shaven, unwashed men, coarse, brutal
women, and ragged, squalid children, des-
titute of learning, wonderfully precocious
in wickedness? The answer comes up
like a chorus, in which the o'ermastering
tone is, they are victims not of the facto-
ry, but of the gin-shop! 1t is not low
wages, hard work, and long days; only
in pert pent up, unscavengered streets
and unventilated houses, that make the
misery you see.
You may find, with little exertion, in
all these towns, quarters where the work
people live with tolerable degree of com
fort. You must first become lissle ac.
customed to the dingy appearance of 9
place, over which hovers at all times q
cloud of smoke, descending without prov.
ocation, and shrouding the city in ever
lasting mourning suit. You are soon con
vinced that with SO gloomy an exterior
there may be JOY and gladness within
Those who reside here, have no adyan
tage over their more miserable fellow-la
borers, save in greater self-control or les:
temptation. A single incident of visit
to the largest cutlery in Sheffield, proba
bly, in the world, contains the pith of the
explanation. l noticed that many of the
rooms were almost vacant, long rows o.
benches without workmen, forges un6red
tools lying idle. On asking my guide fol
an explanation, he said ooh, it is 'blue
Monday and we don't expect full com
plement of hands, Certainly more thar
one third of the places were vacant. HI
assured me that it was no unusual mum
Der, and that many were absent till the
middle of the week, when, having dis
posed of all they had earned the week be
fore, they were ready to replenish thei
purses. This is the tax that weighs upoI
the nation. 1t is not sufficient that from
the hands of labor must come the shilling
or eighteen pence on every pound tha
support the lords of the land in idlenes
and extravaganza, but they must pay aself
imposed tax of double or triple this a
mount, to support the lords of the gin-pal
ace. All! it is a melancholy fact tina
the drinking population of the United
Kingdom, spend annually, for liquor,
sum equal to the whole expenses of tn
Government-interest on the nationa
debt, army, navy, royalty, aristocracy
hierarchy and all. G. G.