New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-11-16
JOSEPH ARCH.
BY JAMES PARTON.

i The tenants of these farms are usual
:. themselves men of capital, VINO seloo
~ work with their hands. Frequently, the
n are rich men, of luxurious habits, VINO
d out with the hounds on thorough Dreu hors -
~ of their own, send their daughters to fasl
: ionable boarding schools, and bring up the
$ sons to professional life. The land is tile
d by labOrers, of whom there are IN C1res
/. Britain something less than 100000. Som'
;, times these men are engaged by the yeal
and live in the farmers house, where the
even sit at his table, and have as good lar
q as himself. But the great majority. lnciue
: ing almost all the married men. Occup
small cottages, and are paid weekly wages
These laborers are at the bottom OF IN
1 social scale IN England. Not halt Of then
? can read or write. None of them have
+ vote. Their wages range from eight shil
liugs to fourteen shiliings week; the aver
> age, until recently, being about eleven
} Eleven English shillings is equivalent, II
our present currency, to about 80, out o
which a rent has usually to be paid of tw,
shillings week. In many instances, also
the farmer does not employ the laborer il
bad weather, and during parts of the win
ter 1t thus frequently happens that a mar
has to support wife aud six children, t.
provide them with food, clothing, fire anC
medicine, upon weekly sum of money
equivalent to about two of our dollars.
|
the first necessity are very much cheaper
than with US. Clothes do not cost more
than third as much as they do here, while
provisions of the coarser kinds are about
the same price as in our own rural districts
But if these men could get their clothes for
nothing, how deplorabe the condition Of a
family obliged to supply all its other wants
| upon less than thirty cents day! The
man must go to his work soon after sun.
rise, and work all day, with much less
nourishment in the way of meat than an
| American boy of twelve generally eats at
! his breakfast. In short, the agric ultural
| laborers of England have been for many
years past among the most wretched and
hopeless of the human race.
! This know from personal observation.
have seen them in their two roOmed cot
| sages. pinched and anxious. l have seen
| them turned out OF their cottages in time
I OF agricultural distress, when thew would
! o1ld novels OF sod in the high road for the
! shelter of their families. | have seen them
! gathered into huge poorhouses. Nor are
! theye as many suppose so very stupid or
incapable Some of them are; but many
have very good minds Of their own, though
unesItiyateds and almost all of them are
pe1ceable and friendly in their disposition:
ii any one We're 10 offer me the ownership,
ID tee simple, of the whole island of Great
Britain, upon condition of my living IN a
parish Inhabited chiefly by these oppressed
and poverty stricken 1aborers, | would not
accept the girte The snere spectacle of their
Hespalrlng poverty their ignorance, their
mean abodes thes hogrid tap rooms. where
tAey drown stieg senses in Supplying beer.
would spoil the possession of paradise itself
4here Is q movement b0ys on foot in Eng
!aH1 for the elevation of the agricultural
iaHo..rs. 1t began thus: About three years
ago. an Charlotte, village not far from the
pace OF Snahsspeares birth, two or three
farm iabOver. saw ia a local newspaper a
letter puspor,ins 20 be- written by laborers.
setting !o:tI their grievances and asking
whether days work upon farm was not
1alTiy worth halt Grown-~about sixty-fivs
cents. These men of Charlotte when they
read the letter. began 70 talk the matter
over cAee ao!ses than She Sesto said 1t
length:
I've ought 70 DO like che trades ana says,
% "h!".; VIII give something and sign
paper :. you other chaps wilo''
In the sourss OF that evening eleven men
formed themselves INTO a. club, signed their
names. paid an entrance fee and elected a
treasurer. News Of this action spread from
village 20 village, foe in that region there ia
village every half aliie:' But having cot
so lar hesr poor ilen knew not what to do
next. al! ,he iaboreTs In the vicinity were
eXcittI and eHpectant, but the club had NO
idea how 20 turn this interest to account.
''iIet Ia. talk 70 Joe Arch sbour ~ saiH
one u. ,hs original eieyep,
she ho'ne OF Joseph Aic'l " as NET fap DIS.
'8nt. and he wa. known to all that countrv
round as a local Methodist preacher. Ne.
200, had "nce been a farm laborer. with a
!auiiiS 10 support upon nine shllings d
week. sis and h!s wife, both intelliSene
above their class I.hs had been a servant
III ilchi mans house. and he had learned |
20 read to read and write), found it hard I
aud bitter work. One night she spoke eut
zoe. my man. said she, IL am sired of
fhs can't keep ycur children on nine
shii'inGs week. ITS misery and searva- I
t.oi'. doht 0lame Sou; you be a steady,
ri2ht good man. and do as well as the rest. |
but sou must turn out and seek more. and J
II you can't get st III 90 back to service |
lren. Theze,'
AZ this point she broke down. .JosenS |
broke down, too. He had been long meditat |
ing the course his wife had suggested. A I
10" Gays AFTER he lett his place, took his |
tools upon his shoulder and rOamed tho
country IN search of more profitable work
ne undertook little jobs on his own account |
VI dlgging gravel, cutting wood and drain
ing swamps, extending his tramps far and |
wideo In this way he contriyed to earn
about halt as much in week as a laborer
earns earns an New York by digging cellars
nc "oulu not see his home for
months at time. but be did not repine. be.
cause ne was able to keep it much better
stuppiieed IMAM he could have hoped to do in
ne had been from early life an ardent
'iethodlst, and he was accustomed for many
ears, Wherever he found himself on SIM
lays 10 preach to the laborers of his own
lersuasion' often In the open air; and TINS
10 obtained great facility in extempora
'peahing. ana acquired the confidence az
'one thousands OF his own class. Hence it
was sAat when these eleven men of Char.
3ote We're puzzled how TO proceed. Il pc.
'uireu u them TO consult him
one Monday morning, in February. 1877
IT. was heafo at the door of his cottape
g. 80 nau come nome tired the night before
.it7r preaching twice, and his wife was
~ 0i1poSed at hrst to let any one in to see
..an, d4thoclgh he was up and at work mar.
Is p 80 ior MS son, who Is a sergeant in
ae British army. Mrs Arch went to ,ha
'"p,, "o iaborers stood before her
i home ~ "a 'Nohl' rs lie
,, W hat DO You want with him p" said che
- WY, they answered, I'VE want To tall
- 90 . "oot forming union. Other trades
bnnl5a,t uiilon, ana we don't see wbv we
nmr' un y nave one. It's time we did
W lou FOL term a union said Mrs. Arch
UGH thlngi" enouSh Tor no
-, ",Yes, , we have" said the man .sf 1oo
Ut IN IL ne will, we're ready" y VIC can I;
Tho i;atanad Arcn brought her husband