The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-20
SOCIAL CONDITION OF ENGLA Nd.

THE feuda laws OF entail and primogeniture, bar
barous relics of brutal age that have locked up the
lands OF the United Kingdom in the hands of forty
two thousand landlords, and the vast powers first
entrusted to the Barons when they were defenders
of the borders of the kingdom from invasion, but
still usurped by them, although they now remain
only labelled landowners, have been the fruitful
sources Of incalculable poverty misery and degra-
dation among the masses Of the English people.
WELDING an influence In law-making equivalent to
that exercised by the Senate Of the United States,
although representing nobody but themselves these
awgivers for life have prosttuted their authority to
perpetuatng the existence of their own order. Had
they been so minded, England would not disgrace
this civilized age by total neglect OF public educa
ton Almost their last act in parliamentary session
was to reject the measure for making education
universal in Scotland, while the humble petition
of the British Association that natural science be
made an essential part Of the course OF education.
was contemporary treated.
The practical workings of such system OF semi
vassaage shown by the facts that whilst the proper
ton of acreage under cultivation in the United King
dom is only IS per cent, France has much as 92
per cent. of her land cultivated and that whilst there
is not much difference in the proportion OF acres ap
propriated to corn crops, France has valuable addi
tions OF industrial products In beetroOt, textile
fabrics and silk. In the numbers employed in agri-
culture there Is still greater difference. In the
United Kingdom 11'21 per cent of the population
and whilst in the United Kingdom only 133 per cent.
of the persons SO employed are styled 'anded pro-
pretors" in France the proportion is not less than
20 per cent-the numbers being AZ 500 in the United
Kingdom and 3S00,000 in France. In the United
Kingdom there's one proprietor for every 1000
In cultivation; in France there is to every 30 acres.
In almost all continental countries property in
land is more divided than in the United Kingdom
Taking the number employed In agriculture at
1,6OO 900, and the acreage of England and Wales at
OOO the supply of labor is in the proportion OF
62 persons per 100 acres. Assuming the demand OF
labor to be at the rate OF so persons for 1000
pasture the number required with the present pro-
portion OF culvation would be only 80 per 100 acres
Much more capital could be employed in agriculture
In many II the landlords would grant tenant
leases and settle rates OF compensation Tor improve
ment The condition OF the agricultural laborer In
Deyonshire is very precarious. Taking the income
OF a family OF five at Ids. per week, the minimum
expenditure canno. be less than 14s 3d., allowing
nothing for drink, club, education, or sickness ANY
saving under these circumstances s out OF the ques-
| ton. AS to education, more women are aoe 10 sign
marriage registers in the agricultural than IN the
manufacturing districts.
Bred nm In ignorance and wretchedness, thousands
of children are early adopts in thievlng ana other
| vicious practices The number oi reiorlnaVoiy
schools In Great Britain December 81, 1868, was
| g. OF these there were-in England, Ior Doys, oo'
for girls, Ia In Scotland, for boys, 81 ior glrs o.
| The number OF offenders under detentioh III these
schools ON December 81, 1885, was 694S' VIZ, boys
bOT2; girls 1176. They distributed as iolows'
Protestant schools: England, boys, 1901 girs oSt
Scotland boys, 7s1; girls, 1s7 roman ,,p' oa,noh0
schools: England, boys, 1852; girls 1867 Sco'anu'
boys, 272; girls, 1Os.
In 1851 the population Of England and wales was
2OOee9s2 or these $780, 900 had incomes or earned
wages; 7,227,OOe less than siS7 per year; ana ON,
l,1oOOOO well enough to do to be taxed III 'e
class about 1900 had incomes ranging from o0o ~
/ 10 Ana
ebOOO wear, about 100000 from esOO to elOOO
year, and the receipts from all sources oi aopul
soO,oOO were from el0O TO e3O0 year. III auui'iol ~
to these, there is mention OF 1,OOsOOo osners ln
eluded IN the lists of the middle ana upper cisscs,
whose annual receipts from each indiVlouai rang
downward from less than eioO per annum to much
smaller sums the average being less than eoo'
| 1t has been estimated that not less tnah one