Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-04-24

Leaves for butchers meat tea sugar,
soap, lights, pepper and salt, clothes
Tor seven persons, boots and snGes for
seven persons, beer, medicine and
pocket money, per week. .....,..... 60
Shall we leave the problem in DESPAIR and
echo the little woman's "God knows how it is
doneP ATTACHED TO the cottage is little plot
"a few yards square-of garden ground: but
that does not grow butchers meat, tea or boots
All the assistance received, was assured, was
3O0 OF coal in winter, and for short time in the
coolest season quart of soup once week.
Dinner consisted Of potatoes fried in some scraps
OF bacon rind that had been left over from the
hall pound that had constituted yesterdays fare
Sometimes the family, whose guest am, dine
OIL salt herring obviously TO be divided into
seven portions Often the only fare is dry
bread; sometimes it consists of chef PpuUre
in cookery known as "teakettle broth"-a con-
cOcnon OF hot water with few greens and herbs
and "tag-end" or two of bacon. Potatoes cost
As. Cd. per eight gallons, SO we could not afford
to be heavy caters. In a military prison the
dinner diet used TO consist of three pounds Of
potatoes and half pint of milk per man. We
had no milk, and among the eight of us was GER
fanny NOT the rations of a couple of prisoners.
! have not yet dned an hour, and feel as hoI
low as drum, but resist any flesh pots that
may be accessible, and turn my Thoughts lone.
lngly toward supper, which is TO consist of bread
ana DOlled potatoes, without the fragments of
bacon rlnd, which the children devoured al din
ner time.
What kind of days work can Won exnoct
from man fed like this? And | am assured
that our to-day's fare is an average sample az
tne iaInily's diet throughout the year A mans
blood must be sky-blue who lives as does this
iaporer; lie is not by any means a little man
~ poully frame, out there is no hardness about
his muscles From poverty of blood he Is yexed
WIN lndolent leg sores that force him at inter
walls INTO the hospital, and then his family go
on TO the parish The family is better off than
u was lew years ago, when flour was lbs. Id.
per Dushel-they used bushel in the week and
when as YET the eldest boy was earning nothing.
For inc article OF bread alone, it will be noticed
tney were actually paying 4d. per week more
than tue husband was earning in his regular
wages. The weekly fourpences accumulated 81
the chambers shop till harvest time, when the
wages are III week for n month ] fancy
thls harvest bounty cannot but be alwavs fore
stalled ut the shop. have visited one family
where the harvest bounty of 1872 is already dis
counted IN this manner. II cannot be well other.
wise when the family is large. But il is A fact
" any one may ascertain by a simple calcula.
llon, That Il this family, whose day boarder
, mum "'ll, ale inc whole OF the bread-wnner's
wages OF Us. per week, the money would not
give ny three peace penny for each
meal throughout the seven DAYS for each mem.
yer Of the family, reckoning an allowance of
three meals per day.
stroll on the road to aid digestion, and meet
bariord man, who has lost his work and pot
notice TO quit his cottage because he would moi
pledge himself not to join the union The Bar
| iord man has likewise seven mouths TO feed. He
pas nve children the eldest boy eight and a
hall-'ol DC NOM" interpolates the youngster
VINO accompanies the parent. The Batford
man wages were 49, out of which came a
rent OF Is. Cd, leaving lis. 3d. to feed the seven
| hungry mouths; for none of his family con.
| tribute to the treasury. The Barford mans
! budget is very simple