The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1873-04-05
The English Agricultural Laborer.


FleaAlng rActures
The appended report is copied word for
word from The Pail Mall Gazette In re-
printing it, The Cincinnati Commercial
says:
I'VE deny ourselves the luxury Of offer
ing any comment upon this description of
English rural felicity, for in doing so we
should rob The Pail Mall Gazette of hit
tie Of all the honor which is its due for
publishing to the world statement Of facts,
carefully and graphically told, which must
have brought blush to the cheeks Of the
editor whose duty it was to tell them. Our
readers will Judge for themselves how far
Mr. Arch, the English agricultural 'agita-
tor, Is entitled to the respect and sym
Pathy Of right thinking, right-loving men,
the wide world over -
Three cases heard before the county JUS
tees at Newbury few days ago, illustrate
the sad want of self-independence which
SO unhapily prevails among some Of the
lower orders, especially in the agricultural
districts Henry Ballard, described as
half starved, splritless- looking man, was
charged with trespassIng in search Of rab-
bits on certain land at Chieveley. Ballard
was weak enough "a burst into tears, and
ask the magistrates to be merciful to him
on the absurd ground that he had but Is
a week to support thirteen children beside
himself and wife His wife, he said. was
consulnptlve, and as she very much wished
tor rabbit, he tried to catch one The mis-
creant was hned Is. (cosJs includedD and
allowed fortnight for payment Perhaps
his cOnsumptIve wife when she sees her
husband and children obliged to stint them
selves IN their dinners will learn that sick
ly persons have no right to long for luxu-
res. In the meantime II is an immense
satisfaction to feel that the miserable Bal
lard will have u shell out some IF his su
pertiuOus wealth.
The next case Vas almost grotesque in
its character Elizabeth Nuknis, who VAS
sucking an infant, wa sent to Reading
jail for fourteen days for stealing several
pieces Of brass fittings which had belonged
to threshing machine out Of barn at
Wexford, where her husband had worked
for twenty years This righteous ser tence
gave rise tu most unmanly complaint
from Mr. Nokins If the magistrates. he
sand, sent his wife away. his six children
must stArye alone, for his work was two
miles from his cottage. HIS wages were
only lis, which, he added, ridiculouly
enough, is not much to keep eight persons.
1t would be interesting to watch the little
Nokinses during the fortnight they are
thrown on their own resources, ana il il to
be hoped that few tracts will be- sent to
them, pointing out the duty of resignation.
In the thlrd case a young married labOrer
named George Major, was charged with
having left hls employers service without
lawful cause. The defendant was hired at
nine shiillngs a week, and left His work
because he considered he was not paid
properly for the services he performed.
Mrs. Major Ia delicate looking woman
with an infant III her armsJ complained
that the cottage they rented Of her hus-
bands employer Was in 4 miserable state.
and that She had caught her death
through it. The cottage, however. seems
to have been most luxuri"us dwelling As
times %. and Admiralty ventilated. The
only fault urged a--.nst 1t was that it was
partly blown down before Christmas, and
the boards We're quite rotten where the
snow had driven ill., The real fault rests
with the occupants, who are evidently hv-
ng beyond their means, for they had
nothing, 1t was stated, bur two ur three
old guano bags to hang up and protect
them from the inclement weather, The
magistrates thought the cottage ought to
be repaired, but fined Major sixpence and
mne shilIngs costs. and ordered him to
return to his work As he could not pay
the amount, his master paid 1t, on the IN
derstandlng that 1t WAS to he deducted
from the money due To- HIM at Mchaelmas
~ course no fine was imposed on the owner
# the cottage for allowing It to be inhab-
tied IN its present airy condition, and Mrs
Major will perhaps become reconciled to it
Iii turn.