Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-02-03
The EDITOR OF JOURNAL,


DEAR SIR In reply to Mr.. Woodhouse's
friendly letter, in which he quotes Olmstead's
"Walks and Talks of an American Farmer
in England as his authority for the state
ment to which gave so distinct a
denial in the Journal of the 25th inst,
beg leave to say that though l believe Mr..
Oimstead's book to be reliable in the main,
| am sure of one thing that it is not all
gospel. I have certainly had no personal
experience with the farm laborers of Mon
mouthshire "a county, however. which hap
pens to be originally and still is ESSENTIALLY
Wslch, though Mr.. o. seems to have thought
it's people English and pure Saxon too at
that nor have | had any with those Of
Herefordshire, Worcestershire or Wiltshire,
but can easily conceive that Mr.. Olmstead
may have thought them stupid, when we
take into consideration tie peculiar dialect
of that district, which is such as would
render it difficult even for an Englishman
not accustomed to it to understand them
Perhaps, also, when We consider that one OF
these counties is famous tor its cider and
the others for their ale We have key to the
other part of the statement as to brutality
and licentiousness and walking and talk
ing through these counties (rather blindly it
would seem) be may have come to con-
clusion from certain incidentals about hiIn
that the general state Of things was worse
than it really is. One thing IS certain that
q gentleman who could mistake Welchmen
for Englishmen Speaking as they DO totally
different languages) however much he may
have walked, and however much he may
have talked, he did SO, at least in those
parts, to very little purpose. am the less
disposed also to receive Mr.. Olmstead as an
authority in matters in which have not
lad experience, inasmuch as have more
than once found him at fault in matters in
which hays had it. beg, therefore, very
respectfully to re-iterate my denial of the
lecturers statement that the English labor.
er is more degraded than the Indian. Negro,
&C., and am happy to perceive that he also
to certain extent disclaims it, when he
very graciously allows that the remark did
not apply to all parts OF the country.
Mr.. Woodhouse proceeds in his letter to
ask several questions, which as they are not
germai,s to the point in dispute, he can
hardly expect me to answer, yet as wish
to indulge him as far as l AN able, will
e'en reply to them in order. The disadvan-
tages then which name as frequently "in-
superable'' in the case of the English labor
or are those distinctly detailed in my letter,
and which weigh heavily upon him because
he is generally poor and the '&c,' refers
to that particular class of disadvantages
There are disadvantages OF one kiud or
another, presume, in all countries, and
some of them frequently fsinsuperable,' - but
that is no reason that know of why the
person laboring under them should be lower
chan an Indian, Negro or a Chinese. Nay,
he might 80 comport himself under these
disadvantages as to merit considerable praise,
and this, to the honor of the English la-
borer be it said, is generally SO in his case.
By ssremote" districts mean out Of the way,
far from central localities, towns, roads OF
general travel. By comparatively degra-
ded mean as compared with iaoorers in
other parts as to the difference betty
opportunity" and "means," would beg to
say that as man may have the 'means" TO
purchase houses, lands, &C., yet from variou,
causes may have no "opporunity" to do so,
soa man may have school-house Ga 'means'
OF educeti tion) next door to him., but be SO
occupied as to have but limited "opportu.
nity'' to use those "means."
do not see that anything l have said
strength ems in any way, (as the lecturer in
his letter insinuates) til e assertion as to the
English laborer being on a lower level than
the Indian, &c, The statement in fact,
whether it CONS from Mr. Olmslead or any
one else, is simply absurd, and if,a quotation
from blunderer (who could not distinguish
o Welchman from an EnglishmaD) made by
one who wSs not able to detect the igno-
rance of his authority, is sufficient to brand
a worthy race wi tn an indeible stain, then
l can only say the, sooner such travellers
cease to "wa.k'' and such lecturers cease to
sstalk,' the better. 7a52: 2';.Al1s 10 9i!tH2a'oa
As Mr.. Hewitt is writer we'll known in
this country, and one, moreover, whose po-
litical tendencies are not such as would :ead
him to represent the English laborer in q bet
ter light than is his due,9 Il will, with your
permission, conclude this letter with an ex-
| tract or two frem his "Rural Life in Eng
land. ."1aA Aft er enulnerating the various pri-
vations cf the English 1aborer, lie says
s'snca are thee sshort and simple an
nails of thousands and tens Of thousands in
those kingdoms and yet what fpe strap
Ping young fellows spring up in these little
cabins, men who have TILED the soil Of Eng
land, and welded at home her mechanics
tools, and borne her arms abroad till their
industry and genius, under the direction Of
higher minds, have raised her to her present
pitch of eminence; and what sweet faces