Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-05-23
IIoLNSDAlE, WAYNE Co. Pa, ,
January. 1873.

IIoMsDME, WAYNE Co.. Pa
January, 1873.
DEAR FRIEND: ! received your note. and
was glad to find that You we're alive. have
often said TO John Green that | thoughtyou
must be dead. | was pleased to learn that
the farmers had to pay higher wages in har-
vest. better once than not at all. ! wish
the farmers had to pay as good wages in
England as they do here. The wages here,
last summer, We're - per day. and plenty to
eat. All, my brother, they do live here
We all sit at the same table. had my din
ner at my boss's they say to us. take what
You like, and there is such variety on the
table. If | was to tell you all there is, You
would say All, John, you are putting the
polish on" will, however, Just name one
case out of the many. | have had butter,
cream, honey and baked apples all at once
TO my bread and then my friend John Blake
wanted me to have more. They never cut
bread and butter here we cut the bread
and hand 1t to each other, and the butter
the same We have butter every meal, and
like it, too. 1t makes the bread moist We
have tea and coffee every dinner time The
first time | had my dinner at the boss's,
was very thankful, and the mistress said,
g | hope You have had a good one, Mr.. Dur
ham" ! told her that we had to do with
50 little in England. did not like to take
much /; but am getting over it now, and |
don't mind having variety. Nou ask me
in your letter how | liked this country. and
whether ! found it as good as | expected.
Nv answer isyes, yes. yes but before give
Won the reason for saying yes, must re-
mind Won Of one thing | am the same
man that used to live at Wellington. and
worked with you, and always tried to do
YOU good and not harm. | tried to better
your condition in every sense. Although
have left my native country, crossed the At
lantic ocean, and in the land of my own
choice. | am not changed, but remain your
friend still. | never did attempt to deceive
yeu. and never will, God being my helper.
Now to the question. Do you like the
country do, and much better than yours.
like it because John here is as good as his
boss. like it better because the wages are
more iust-the average here per week for
dav Of nine hours is 37s Cd and in the sum
mer 81 for 10 hours. In thelight of these
wages. let us look at two or three facts |
can buy potatoes at 2s per bushel, apples 2s.
beef by the pound, Sd. butter Is, tea 2s,
sugar Cd, soap 4d. new milk Id per pint. |
have bought a quarter of beef at 3id per
pound | have bought 20 pounds butter
/ have new milk every day. | like new
milk. have pint almost every morning,
and as much beef as want every day. Yes,
| do like this country. am drawing con-
trast between it and yours, and it makes me
say heartily, Thank God for America
What contrast between the milk | get
here and what you get in England; what a
contrast between the beef get and the for
eign bacon we used to have when with you
what contrast between your butter made
of the Thames mud, and ours made of pure
cream If England was to ship all the
beef and mutton out of the country, the
poor tillers of the soil would not sustain
much loss, for when the laboring men in
England go to market, they dare not look
at butchers shop, because they cannot
buy, but here they can have the best cut.
Again, like this country, because the
climate is better because the days are more
regular, not so long in summer and longer
in winter. like this country, because a
workingman is something better than dog.
If the boss was to straddle round the men
here as he does in England, he would soon
have to do the work himself
JoHN DURHAM.