The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-09-15

buildings; aud on this street, too, once stood
the Tolbooth associated with some OF the great
est events in Scottish history; and the Cross OF
Edinburgh, where proclamatons of State used
to be made; and here still stand the church OF
St. Giles, lin which, two centuries ago, the
jealous Jenny Geddes rebuked the Bishop OF
Edinburgh for daring to say mass IN 1t, by
throwing stool at his head, and the quaint
old house of the lion hearted John Knox, the
lower part of which am sorry to say. is now
prostituted to the sale of whiskey, while just
above remain the queor-looking letters, carved
by his direction, LoUe God NTH all your heart,
and POUR neighbor as yourseJ!"
thought we had seen the worst: but just
before reaching Hollywood, turn carried us
into another street, called Cowgate, running
along the base of the ridge parallel with that
we had Just left 1t was still more thronged
and such was the aspect of the people and
their habitations, that one felt doubtful wheth-
or it was entirely safe to proceed. Horses and
hogs are better cared for, have more tolerable
lodgings than these people.
lnstead of redeeming Old Town from its
degradation, the better classes generally have
retired to what is called New Town. Here the
streets are wide, regular, well paved and clean,
the houses large and substantial, and there is
every indication Of plenty, comfort and taste
= myers, combining themselves to this part of
the town, are In the habit Of describing Edin-
burgh as a beautiful and well-ordered city /;
but am always looking out for the quarters
of the poor. | like to see where and how the
toiling people live. Wealth is about the same
everywhere Having seen the homes OF the
rich and respectable in one city, you have seen
them in all but Poverty has as many colors
as Josephs coat. | thought had seen every
variety of wretcbedDess in London, Paris, and
the cities of the Rhine; but Edinburgh has q
wretchedness of its own.
Is it not marvellous that in city which
boasts of the costliest benevolent institutions ;
where Science has been cultivated with the
most signal success; the fame Of whose poet
ry and philosophy and divinity has gone out
into all the earth where such men as Maeau-
lay, and Chalmers and Scott and Stewart
have lived in city full of intelligence, and
asNFand leisure, and orthodox zeal-no rene
dy, scarcely a palliative, should have been
found, for the misery and degradation of 30
many thousands of its citizens
Lake Wfndermere, dug. 13.-Since the fore
going was written, have been to Glasgow. /
intend no peculiar reproach to Edinburgh for
the condition of its poor. 1t. is no greater
sinner in this respect than other cities Of the
Old World. Glasgow, city whose growth is
about as remarkable as that of New York, is
just as bad as Edinburgh. Its commerce is
great its manufacturing industry wonderful, its
wealth immense. It's buildings for public pur-
poses for stores and residence are of solid stone
massive and beautiful In proportion to its
population, it contains more fine looking houses
than London. But oh! the dwellings and the
wretchedness gifts poor How fercely they con-
trast with the abodes and luxury OF the rich !!
And the worst of it is, that 80 wide is the gulf
that separates the two classes, and SO long has
it endured, that the poor seem to be sunk be-
low the point of selfrespcct, and the rich to
be exalted above the point of sympathy. Mil
lions are laid out upon the palaces of royalty,
on barracks and hospitals for soldiers, on Ca
thedrals and conyeniences for the Church, on
monuments and memorials of men llustrious
from their deeds or mere position. Then, there
are noble hospitals and asylums, universities
and charity schools, and castelated prisons
looking like grand and gloomy old castles
And in this way have Pride and Taste, 10y
atty and Patriotism, Religion, Philanthropy
and Justice, reared gorgeous specimens OF ar
chitecture, highly ornamental, and designed to
crafty the tastes or wants of the ruling class
es, or to relieve some of the more palpable and
obtrusive evils of the lowor--but, as q general
fact it is true, that the masses OF the poor in
their ordinary state are still unprovided for,
and almost uncared for They are unclean,
uneducated and addicted to british pleasures
That which particularly distinguishes the
poor of the Old World from those of our coun-
try, is their filth and want of self-respeet. In
Glasgow, the majority of the women of the
| II \ nkocI oJ o,,I ho~a /.
their children tumbling about the streets look
as if water never came near them their houses
reek with all sorts Of odors. Scarcely any seem
ambitious to appear well themselves or to dress
their children decently And yet it is q season
of great prosperity, | am told, among the ope-
ratives--they are getting plenty of work and
wages
Now, it may be that there is no radical rem
edy for this evil, except in a total change of the
relations of capital to labor but certainly, even
under the present system, great deal might
be done in the way of Moderation. What the
poor want specially in the cities Of the Old
World are, Temperance, education and comfort
able houses So long as the example Of the
higher classes and the policy of Governments
encourage drinking and give sanction to ale
houses, gin shops and whiskcy stores no long
as the intolerance Of an established church or
of priestcraft, aud the petty jealousies Of dis
senters, prevent the institution of common
schools for the secular education Of the chill
dren of the whole community 30 long as CAPT.
talists or owners Of houses are permitted to
build or keep standing tenements for the poor,
without any provision for their comfort or real
wants so long must they remain as they are
The Importance Of clean, wholesome habita-
tons for the people cannot be too much insist
ed upon. Lodge a family in house not fit for
pig-pen, and how can you expect its tenants
to respect themselves With what charm of
home can they invest It? What is there to
domesticate the wife, TO hasten the footsteps of
the weary husband homewards, or TO keep the
children from wallowing in the gutter? His
earnings would be enough to make them com.
| Portable in decent house, but they are not
enough 10 command such houses as the rich
| live in, and decent dwellings for the poor are
not to be found Capital would make but FIVE
per cent. on such dwellings; whereas it makes
| ten per cent on the petty Investment it has
made in the Internal novels 1t compels them
now TO live in.
The scheme Of model lodging houses or
homes, as they should be called, for the poor, il
full Of promise visited the largest of these
| in London. II is neat, substantial structure,
| five stories high, surrounded with large yard,
which is carefully kept clean and dry. IL IL
divided into several sections, with spiral stone
| stairways leading TO them, and these are sub
divided in each story into suits of two or three
rooms "A pantry, scullery hydrant water
| closet, dust shaft, drain, &c, being connected
with each suit; in one room of which is n
| complete range which, consuming but little
| fuel and taking up merely the space of an or
! binary fireplace, answers for warming cook
! ing and all purposes for which fire is needed
Ventilation Is eAectnally secured, and 40 com
pete is the provision for disposing Of all waste
matter, without trouble or offence, that, as there
need be no carrying Of anything but supplies,
the highest rooms, much to the surprise Of per.
son. who had prejndged the case, are always