The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-11-29
Joseph Arch.

p BY James Parton, in the New York Ledger
Nearly all the land in Great Britain is own
+ ed by Lords and Squires, who let it out il
} farms, varying from $50 20 1000 acres. Tn
tenants of these farms are usually themselve
men Of capital, who seldom work with thei
hands. Frequently they are rich men, o
luxurious habits, who 60 out with the hound,
on thorough bred horses of their Own senC
their daughters to fashionable boarding
schools, and bring up their sons to profession
) al life. The land is titled by laborers, o
whom there are in Great Britain something
less than 100000. Sometimes these meI
are engaged by the year, and live in the far
mcr'S house, where they even sit at his table
and have as good fare as himself But the
great majority, including almost all the mar
ricd men, occupy small cottages, and are paid
weekly wages.
These men are at the bottom of the social
scale in England. Not half of them can read
or write None of them have vote. Their
wages range from eight to fourteen shillings
a week; the average, until recently, being
about eleven. Eleven English shllings is
equivalent, III our present currency, to about
| SO, out Of which rent has usually to he paid
of two shlllings n week. In many instances,
also the farmer does not employ the laborer
Ill DtN littl - VI lllC Walnut
! |. thus frequently happens that a man has to
sport wife and six children, to provide
them with food, clothing, fire and medicine,
upon a weekly sum equivalent to about two
of our dollars.
In England, it is true, many articles OF the
first necessity are much cheaper than with us.
! Clothes do not cost more than third IS much
rs they do here, while food of the cOarscr
kinds are about the same price as in our own
rural districts But if these men could get
their clothes for nothing, how deplorable the
condition of Il family obliged to supply all
their other wants upon less than 20 cents Il
day The man must 90 to his work soon Of.
ter SUNRISE and work all day, with much less
nourishment in the way of meat than an
American boy of II generally eats at his break,
fast. In short, the agricultural 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 cottages,
pinched and anxious. | have seen them
turned out ofthcir cottages in n time Of a.ri.
cultural distress, when they would build how
els of sod IN the high-road for the shelter of
their families. | have seen them gathered in
to huge poor-houScs Nor are they, as many
suppose, so very stupid or incapable Some
of them are; but many have very good minds
of their own, though unCultivated and al
most all of them are peaceable and friendly
in their disposition. If any one were to offer
me the ownership, in fee simple, of the whole
Island of Great Britain, upon condition of my
living in parish inhabited chiefly by these
oppressed and poyerty.srickcn laborcrs, |
would not accept the gilt. The mere specta-
Gle OF their despairing poverty, their ignor-
-, oil. l,rr
where they drown their senses in Supplying
beer, would spoil the possession OF Paradise
itself
There is q movement now on foot in Eng
land for the elevation Of the agricultural Ia
borcrs 1t began thus;
About three years ago, in Charlotte, vii
lage not far from the place of Shakspear's
birth, two or three tarmlaborers saw in a To-
cal newspaper letter purporting to be writ
ten by laborerS, setting forth their grievances,
and asking whether days work upon arm
was not fairly worth half a crOwn-dbout
50 cents These men of Charlotte, when they
had read the letter, began to talk the matter
over. One who was boder than the rest, said
at length;
I'VE ought to do like the trades, and have Il
union. will give something and sign pa
per- If you other chaps will"
In the course 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 to village, for in that region there is
village every half mile But having got
thus far, these poor men knew not what to do
next. All the laborers in the vicinity were
excited and eXpectant but the club had no
idea how to turn this interest to account
Let us talk TO Joe Arch about it," said one
of the original ones
The home of Joseph Arch was not far dis
tant, and he was known 10 all the country
round rs local Methodist preacher He, too,
had once been farm laborer, with family
10 support upon nine shillings week. lie
and his wife, both intelligent above their
class (shc had been servant in a rich man
house, and he had learned to read and write
found 1t hard and bitter work. One night
she spoke out i
Joe, my man." said she, II am tired OF
this. can't keep your children on nine
shillings a week. It's misery and starvation
don't blame you; you be steady, rlght
good man, and do us well as the rest; outyou
must turn out and seek more; and II you can e
get il, I'll 90 back to service and earn what l
can for YOU and the children. There.
At this point she broke down. Joseph
broke down, too. lie had been long medita-
ting the course his wife had suggested.
A few DAYS after he len his place, took his
tools upon his shoulder and roamed the coun-
try in search of more profitable work. lie
undertook little Jobs on his own account Oh
digging gravel, cutting wood, and draining
swamps, extending his tramps lar ana VIDE
In this way he contrived To earn about hall
a. much i'm a week rs a lahoTcr earns IN New
York by digging cellars. Sometimes he would