The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-10-19
"Tho Question Mt Eome."


Under this heading a long correspondence
has been carried on In the London Sc"o'
Prospecting the present high prices OF 1000
jfQel and other necessary articles IN Epsianu'
with suggestions Of various kinds for alleVi'
ating the prevailing distress thereby oc'
casioned to the bulk OF the population OF tne
British Isles. The suffering occasioned py
this among the poorer classes is very great,
and Ia stimulating emigration on o scale
hitherto unusual In England though long
witnessed in Ireland But to relieve the
misery and the priyations Of the millions
who. remain at home, many suggestions
have appeared from time to time In the
English papers OF schemes OF economy,
change Of diet, cooperation, &C., some oil
them good, some oithem- OF doubtful utility,
some OF them amusing; others inpracticable,
without an entire change In the habits Of
the people. One correspondent, signing
himself %"Economist," hits the nail on the
head at the very outset by suggesting that
the only real and substantial economy
~s.consists In doing without something to
"which We have been accustomed, and to dis
spenss as much as possible with the services
.of others by doing the things wanted our
"selyes," m. d. 81" advises that ''more
.sose should, be made OF the excellent bacon,
shams, pork and cheese, OF which such large
quantities are Imported from America. "He
ssya: Gan almost boundless supply Is to
!obs obtained from thence, but, unfortu-
i"nately, q prejudice exists against the
:"name American and people who would
istnos' buy American bacon or cheese az
i.such, gladly pay fifty per cent. higher for
i.ft under the name OF wiltshire bacon or
+" Gloucester cheese" II the present
famine prices OF these articles should be the
means OF graduating this absurd 'preju.
j"dicce," they VIII prove "a blessing In dis
I"guise.." IA Pntney Householder" exposes
"a trick OF tho London statesmen for keeping
up prices, viz: using the telegraph to stop
supplies being sent up to town from the
country. This Is q practice not wholly IN
known in Philadelphia and New York.
'Big Bee" explains how he manages to re-
duce his gas bills nearly one-halL, viz: by
on new burners Of different illumina-
ting powers, No. i for garrets, No. 2 for bed
rooms, No. 3 for sitting rooms, No. 4 for re-
ceptlon rooms. he also stuffs them loosely
with cotton wool to prevent roaring. "Dots
s'onl3" thinks that the greatest bugbear Ia
waste, .the downright wicked waste OF
"some, notably the domestic servant" he
wants a maximum OF heat with a maximum
OF fuel, and asks how he can get 1t. "One
sswho has lived at home and abroad" sug-
gests that a vast amount Of Goals could be
saved by using stoves instead Of CRATES.
"Jane Cooper" points to women's dress as
the cause Of the misery; but "a Woman
"Housekeeper" is indignant with her for
this, and says that men are as bad as women
In regard to dress, and will grow as 'wa1y"
over ill-ironed shirts or dull boots as over a
fall In stocks. She sums up her experience
thus: ''When the master Of the house is alb
.tsent for a month, the expenses fall to about
stone-hali." "a German Lady" rates Eng
lish women for their expensive dressing, and
for being unwilling to work in the kitchen.
She says: continental women, rich as
swell as poor, are taught that econ.
sony Is e duty and a virtue, and waste u
stsln and folly" &c. K. E." however,
caps the lot by advocating vegetable diet.
His experience Is that he can dine sumptu-
ously off OF a cauliaower, or q dish Of peas,
or q plate OF potatoes, or a well boiled
cabbage. He adds a little fruit, with
coffee, to Lis meals; also, bread, butter,
and an occasional egg. On tho day
he wrote to the Echo, he was going to
dine off carrots. Supper ia, with him, a super
iuous meal, and he chuckles over the way
hs has "done" the coal merchant by inex-
pensive cooking and by diminishing the
size of his CRATE. "W. E. Corner" thus 'cor-
''ners' ''the question at home" He ad-
duces statistics to show that, in 1871, more
than s., 500, 600 bushels OF barley, hops,
corn, fruit and other produce, were used in
making wines, spirits, cider, perry, ale, &C.,
which would have made, at the rate OF FL
teen four-pound loaves per bushel, s23, s42'-
sos loaves OF bread, or more than $50 loaVes
for every family in the United Kingdom.
Also, that during the same year nearly
5000, 900 gallons OF foreign spirits and l6,-
500, 900 gallons OF wine we're imported, all
OF which might otherwise have been import
ed in food. He, therefore, suggests that the
people of the United Kingdom should at
once begin to drink only half their present
quantity, which certainly would be a very
good beginning. F. J. D. recommends
wheaton bread and m~accaroni made OF a
peculiar hard Italian wheat, as the main
diet of the people, and that they should, as
the Italians do, content themselves with two
meals q day. His views are confirmed by
Miss Ida Percy and by "a H~ousekeeper OF
..Twenty Years Standing" the former rec
ommendiug the Importation OF Italian mac
caroul makers, and the adoption of the
French hours Of meals. r. P. advises that
the money now In the savings banks