The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1853-12-29

sleeping-room In places 1t seemed
falling in. To ventilation it was an
utter stranger, The parish houses are
still worse. One of these, on the bor-
ders Of Devonshire and Cornwall, and not
far from Launceston, consisted of two
houses, containing between them four
rooms. In each of them lived family
day and night, the space being about
twelve feet square. In one were man
and his wife and eight children the
father, mother, and two children lay in
one bed, the remaining six were huddled
head and foot (tlrec at the top and
three at the foot) in the other bed.
The eldest girl was between fifteen and
sixteen, the eldest boy between fourteen
and fifteen"
Is it not horrible to think Of men and
women being brought up in this foul
and british manner in civilized and
Christian" country.
But bad as is the condition of the
agricultural portion of the English peas
antry, it is not equal to that of the mining
population. In some Of the coal mines,
the veins are so small that an ordinary
sized man is obliged to work them in a
STOPPING posture, and in others they are
compelled to stretch themselves at
length along the uneven floor, with
the head supported on a crutch or
board. In these low, dark, heated
holes, they work perfectly naked, for
twelve or fourteen hours daily. And
not only do men work in this condition,
but females and children are harnessed
to carts for dragging coal, and compelled
to draw loads seemingly altogether be-
yond their strength, as is shown by the
following, and many other similar para
graphs -
"The girls hurry [drag] with belt
and chain, as we'll as thrust push
There are as many girls as boys en-
ployed about here. One of the most
disgusting sights have ever seen, was
that of young females, dressed like boys
in trousers, crawling on all fours, with
belts around the waists and chains pass
ing bet cen their legs, at day-pits at
Thurshelt Bank, and in many small pits
near llolmfrth and New Mills. 1t ex-
lists also in several other places"
1t is not an uncommon thing for
children eight or ten years of age, or
even as young as six, to descend into
the coal mines in the morning and there
remain for twelve and fourteen hours
for the purpose Of attending gates OF
doors, erected for the purpose Of pro
tecting the draughts in the mines. Here
these children are stationed for the pur-
pose Of opening the gates whenever their
older companions appear with cart
And except the occasional presence Of
these hurriers and thrusters-as those
who drag and push these carts arc tech
nically called and the glimmer of the
light which they bring with them, these
children remain in silence as profound
as the center of the earth and darkness:
as black as Erebus OF course, tht
effect of this cannot be other than, no
only to keep them in Ignorance but, t.
f produce a sort Of idiocy. Can there b.
anything in the darkest corners Of tn,
Pacific islands more heathenish and de.
, grading than this : We have neve
read of it.
, But supposing the agricultural AM
f mining laborers quit their districts an
, 60 to the already crowded workshop
and manufactures it is about the sam
| as dumping from the frying pan int
the fire." But it is useless to attempt
in a newspaper article, to give even
synopsis of the misery and degradatio
-, consequent on the various systems G
4 oppression and slavery in the variou
b departments named in the commence
e ment of our article. We would advis
those who wish to learn what field Q
home operations, in the civilization an
!, CHI istianization of their own flesh an
b blood, Christian England" has, to rca
) Cobden's A" WHITE SLAVES OF ENG
LAND"
y bay- On Monday morning last, as MI
!.