National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1873-04-11
How they Live.

An English farm laborer told dread
ful story before n Board Of Examiners
At eighteen he had followed the pillow
working from six in the morning unit
ten at night without having twopenny
worth OF food in him. and little SOU
cider, which was called "perquisites.
1t was tn third runnings. The wages
were seven shillings week. "The liv.
ing was tea-kettle broth for breakfast.
Two or three little pieces of bread were
put in the breakfast pot, which held
three quarts, and then the bread was
soaked with hot water. For dinner they
got few potatoes and square inch Of
bacon fried in the pan for family of
seven, the fat going on the potatoes, and
the meat being the fathers dinner. For
tea they soaked burned bread, and put
a little treacle on it, that being carried
to the husband in the field by the wo-
man. For supper they got little pieces
OF bread and skim milk cheese. As for
dwellings, have known thirteen hud-
ding together in one room on what they
called 'shakedown,' like hounds in a
kennel. Last week 1 spoke to an old
man at Yeovil, whose master told him he
could not give him more than five shil.
lings . week, and who said he was then
literally starving. 1 will do my best to
elevate my coantrymen, and run the
risk Of the horse pond"
This arrow which Mitchell let fly, re-
ferred to the speech which the Bishop
OF Gloucester and Bristol recently made,
in which he advised the farmers to
"duck in the horse-pond" any agitator
that came into their neighborhood to
make their laborers dissatisfied. 1t is
now called "the bishops baptism"
An investigation in Somersetshre
presented gloomier picture even than
that which the farm hand drew. At one |
of the meetings held in that country
Charles Wright, described as an elderly
man, was examined and cross-examined,
as follows:
Question. "Have you been a farm
laborer all your life?" Answer. "Yes."
Q. "Do you remember when the
standing wages for the best men were
seven shillings a week ?" Il. "Yes."
"a voice: II do; six Shillings.')
q. "The laborer twenty years of age
had only seven shillings?" 4. "Yes."
Q. "Did you everhave parish relief?"
A. "When my wife died 1 had little.
She left me with seven children"
Q. "Your wages some ten or eleven
years ago were raised to eight shillings
l week ?" 4. eyes and last summer
hey were ten shillings."
9. "After harvest did your master
Jay to you, There's five shillings week !
or you if you continue to live with me '
t not, go home? Is that true p Il.
Yes, it is" I
q. "How much house rent did You I
ave to pay out of that p Il. Zone
hilling and sevenpence half penny ]
veek." a
Q. "On wet days were your wages /
aid ?" A. "No ; 1 lost the time"
Q. "When you were at harvest till 7
an or eleven o'clock did you get any {
hing extra ?" 4. "No." CA voice:
A quart of sour cider!') r
Here the chairman asked if any one y
ished to put any further questions. A l.
entleman called out that his father =, -
al once worked for nine shillings a =,
eek, and was now worth GO, 1000. Abra- ~
am Burt was next examined. His ex- .,
erience repeated that of the above as ~
wages. He was then asked how many
lildren he had. ~
A. "Six." W
@. "How many bedrooms have you?" n n
"One." NJ
Q. "How many bedsteads ?" 4. g,
rwo." p!
Q. "Do you all sleep in one room p N
. "Yes.