Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1853-01-18
by y. y. HENRY.


What is to be the condition of the la
boring classes Of this country, is fast be-
coming q question Of serious and Practi'
cal import. Hitherto. from the sparse
ness Of our population. and our wide
spreading domain, the resources Of the
laborer have been SO abundant, as to
secure to him a comparatively just dis
tribution Of his earnings. But from
variety of causes familiar to every one,
the avenues Of labor are gradually clos
ing, and we may now look forward, to
the not far distant day, when, unless
there should be radical change in our
social characte ter, the sad condition Of
this class Of society in the old world,
will become the inheritance Of the lie.
borer with US.
This day may, it is true, dawn far in
the future. And yet it is an enquiry Of
all absorbing interest, whether the same
causes are not silently at work in this
favored land, which have produced such
disastrous results in others; and should
that be the case, whether we may not
discover some potent spell, that will
counteract those influences here, or at
least neutralize their effects.
At the present time the wages Of labor
in this country, not averaging more
than 65 cents per day for man. and %
cents for woman. are barely adequate to
support in robust health the laborer and
his family; and when sickness or acci.
dent overtakes them, they are thrown
penniless. upon the cold charities Of a
hoartless world, which not unfrequently
leaves them % die Of want, Of sheer
starvation. In the country and smaller
towns. such scenes are rarely If ever wit
messed; but in cities, where employment
is rigidly limited. and the demand for it
nnbounded. they are Of daily occur.
renee. and scarcely excite in the heart
Of the bcholder, feeling Of sympathy,
so callous does man become to the mis-.
cry and wretchedness of his fcllowman
Hundreds and even thousands, especial.
ly females, find it almost impossible.
with the most unremitting toll, from s
O'Clock in the morning until IL o'clock
at night, to earn the means Of obtaining
bread, and Of course, such persons can
have but little enjoyment.
Under such circumstances, 10 it at all
astonishing that the laborer should be
disheartenel? Should curse that life
which was given to him for high and no.
bic purposes, and should welcome death
as his only deliverer from miseries al
most insupportable. He may search
long and earnestly for means Of IS.
cape, but he can find none. Nay, hut
he is condemned to toll, toll, toll, with
no intermittance, week in and week out,
in heat and in cold. in sunshine and in
storms. Life becomes to him as burn.
ing Sahara, around on every side, vast
seas Of sand stretch far away in the dis.
tance, until they mingle with the blue
ether Of heaven; no bright oasis grests
the eye. or makes glad the heart; he
sinks down in despair,-and dies. He
beholds the beautiful green earth, with
its lovely fragrant flowers. and its roll.
ing meadows. and its dark forests Of oak
and of pine, which "God has made free
to all. like the air and sunshine" vio-
lently wrested from him by the favored
Of birth and Of fortune, ",o whom the
earth and its fruits belong" notwith.
standing God has denounced a fearful
curse on them ifthey dare to do it. "Wos
" unto those that grind the faces Of the
" poor. Woe unto those who add house
" TO house. and field to field. till they
=" stand alone in the land, and there is
(" no room left for tho poor man." No
spot upon the earth can he cal! his own;
no. not even his last dwelling place;
when, after life of csaseless toll, and
misery. he finds rest. Abject
poverty brood over him, his soul is
crushed, bis heart is withered. This is
no colored picture. but sad reality; not
lrawn for the purpose Of alarming the
imorous. nor exciting morbid sympa.
~ in ths bsesst Of any one, but to show
b trus situation Of the laborer, and
shatsysr may inevitably be his sad con-
lisien. unless there should be such
'kSne in sur social cbaraetsb, a. shall T