National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1872-08-02

deaths every year ~ the result of care
cssness in the construction or ventilation
of the mines, The report of the inspec
tors paints horrible picture OF the igno
rance oi the men. women and children
employed In mining operations. Th'
women are not permitted 10 90 un
der ground but work AT the pit
mouth in an unseemly dress, and the In
Spectors all agree in saying that theil
manners ARE the most unwomanly con
ceyable. The children are introduced
into the pit almost in infancy. The min
ing population Is poOr--eyery penny that
can be earned ia necessary 10 buy bre
for Its hungry mouths Children brought
mp in this way cannot help being igno
rant, and from their associations soon be
come degraded.
Our own mining population compares
favorably with that of Great Britain. Til,
children do not enter the mines 10 early
and the women are not coarse and unwo-
manly. But the mining population Of
this country, like that of England, IL not
properly cared for. All persons who
have visited mining district must have
been struck with the lack of discipline
and the reckless disregard of their own
lives which characterize 80 many of this
class. Tell them how TO preserve their
lives, and in eight cases out of ten, you
have TO watch them TO see that they car
ry out your instructions. This is due t.
lack of early trainng-to dependence
upon the instincts of the child and the
rough usage OF the mine for disciplinary
Evn.rsapoa hao phnmu that
these are not enough: indeed in most
cases the hard usage of the shop and mine
and the vicons example of the grown up
operatives vitiate the good instincts of the
child placed in such surroundings We
are happy to see that some of the state
Legislatures have taken this matter in
bend and provided for the education OF
the Young ersons in mining districts.
This is sufficient. The legls station
should be made general a proper sys-
tenn of inspection should be devised, and
every care taken that the provisions OF
such salutary law be strictly observed.
1t will not do to say that the mine owners
are alone to blame in this matter; that il
is their rapacity which consigns the chill
dren of the mining operatives to ignor-
auce. This is only partly true. The
parents are themselves culpable. They
take little interest in learning" them
selves, and are not alive to its Importance
for their children. The kind of education
to be given in mining districts is an i'm
portant matter. 1t is absolutely necessa-
ry that it should be mainly scientific
The miner comes into close contact with
the forces of inorganic matter. Many Of
them are destructive. If he does not
know how they are going to be controlled
or at least how their noxious effects ar,
to be neutraized or avoided, though he b,
~ learned AS st. Thomas he may fall
victim to an explosion of fire damp or thu
inhalng of carbonic acid gas. Perhaps i
is the almost entire irrelevancy of Til,
usual routine Learnt taught in The
schools 10 their mode of life that makes
miners and mine owners so Indifferent t.
the general education of the younger por
ton of the mining population.
The mines themselves are not properly
protected against accidents If there is t
mine in the world which on proper scien
titic inspection would be pronounced per
tecty safe, we ARE sure it is not to be
found in Great Britain or the United
States At no long intervals 1t is the
painful duty of the press to chronical VIC
lent deaths in mines-deaths falsely called
" accidental" We have seen that these
" accidents" kill in England alone one
thousand persons per annum. II is not
unlikely that fully as many perish in thi,
country during the sahe period from sim
liar causes. Not that many men die in
preserv ng the public peace the army
even taking war into account, is healthier
than mining operations. Few of these
sO-caled accidents are unavoidable, Mos
of them are the result of culpable care
essness. 1t is to be regretted that tn,
legislation on this subject has hitherto
been so vague. There is now, however
a stringency in regard to it. People arr
beginning to assimilate railroad slaughter
and mining massacres to other cases o
criminal man Staying, and to treat then
accordingly Education of the children
rigorous legislation of the ventilation, con
struction and modes of egress from The
mines in case of accident, and proper in
specton to see that the laws are obeyed
are the protective measures needed by
our mining population. We should no
be behind England or any other country
in this natter E,rchdnge.