The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-01-15
"A Chorus of Lamen tatiOn
from the Journals.
SORROW AND GLOOM IN MANCHESTER.
Threatened Strike of a Hundred
Thousand Golfers.
AMERICA THE CAUSE.
How We Have Taken the Iron
and Cotton Trades.


LONDON Dec "a. 1873.
Punch appears this week with suggestive cartoon.
The background of the picture is snowy, sombre
atmosphere, with dark shifting clouds. The ground
is covered with snow. Father Christmas carries
lantern. His beard is white and flowing Around his
head is twined wreath of holly. At his side is
Mr.. Punch, in the warmest combination of gar
ments-a heavy muller around his throat. his hands
deep in his pockets his eyes shivering and anxious
Tho dog Toby is also warmly clad On the background
are the words, WAR" Failures" Commercial
Depression" Distress" This is the legend of the
picture: IAN ARDuoUs QUEST. Mr.. funch-"What
you looking for. father?" Father Christmas
peace earth and good will to men, There are
some verses upon it, from which allow quota
tom
Peace and good wilt Our yuletide mirth
Is marred by sounds of wrath and sorrow,
While War and Hate divide the earth,
And Ruin measures the morrow.
Yet sober Sense must ply its task,
And Charity its sacred mission;
And Wit shall strive TO tear the :;:Ssk
From each fresh face of Supervision
Hearing the words that echo still,
peace and good will!
This is sorry welcome from the most genial OF
ncwspapers-the journal whose mission is to find
nothing but merrment in the world-to see only the
sunny side of every cloud. But Mr. Punch only
speaks the voice of England, and there is no voice
but what tells of sorrow and want and pain. Here
the morning journals, which supposed to
mirror the day whose events they record. You read
of Arctic London. The editor his readers that
this is not the time for luxury and feasting. and
urges a Christmas of "wise, considerate and far
seeing charity q fitting conclusion Of disas-
trous year, tending and mark the significance of
all here lmpied-"to lay the foundation of better
understanding between various classes when the good
times come around again. The various classes, it
seems then, not the best relationships class
which bears not quite comprehendng class which
is borne. Is there nothing oninous in this?
DISTRESS WORKING DISTRICTS.
One passes to another newspaper and reads news
report The heading is sad enough. Distress in the
Country" Mark you, it is the country not teeming
grimy, snow-bound, over-populated London. In
Nantwich the shoe trade is in shocking condition
Shoemaking is the industry of Nantwich. and the
manufacturers have reduced wages penny the pair.
On the London and Northwestern Railway, one of the
great corporations 5000 workmen have been given
enforced holiday of ten days. And at Christmas.
too when workmen pull up and try to get
ahead and have enough for good turkey and .
gown for the "missis." In Chester abe-bodied men
shovel snow for bread, that even is bless
ing Meetings are held in Southampton to devise
methods Of finding bread. Birmingham is great
industrial CENTRE of the most interesting towns
in England. where labor has attained high intel
ligence. where political forces moro active and
moro progressive than in any part OF the Kingdom
In Birmingham learn that the distress is greater
than has been known for many years. In Ulverstone
the iron trade has stopped and soup kitchens are
opened In Chard there is a quarrel between lace
makers and the masters The masters insist that tho
workmen shall not belong to the trade union and
because their wish is not respected they give moro
work In Exeter ablebodied workmen crave bread !;
they have no means OF earning bread. At Tunstall
the golfers have been reduced ten per cent. All
through the Trent region in Staordshire, where the
lowest form Of industry fourishes, there is such
depression as has not been known for years. Then
the canal is frozen and this adds the distress At
Leeds there has been large failure the boatmen are
utterly notwithstanding for themselves their
horses" God help us! The silk hands are all idle.
Who would buy silk this dreary, dismal year? and If
people will not buy silk workm cannot spin and
weave it. There soup Kitchens which are largely
patronizcd In Northampton bread and oatmeal
are distributed. and committee has been named
to make searching inquiry into the
OF the distress. II will be comfort to
know the result of this inquiry, but in the
meantime let there be abundance of bread and meal
Among the fishermen there is unusual want, many
of them selling their furniture to buy food and COAL
On one day last week 800 gallons of soup given
out In Ashton under-Lyne, where cotton industries
flourish, there is no cotton trade. Furnaces
blowing out their fires. In the Dewsbury iron dis
.rict strike has taken place. The men will not sub
init to the reduction of two shillings q week. In
Warrington the wire trade suffers. and "over two
hundred ablcbodicd workmen breaking stones at
from eighteen to thirty-two cents day." And, 10
crown all. comes the appalling rumor that 100000
no of str Gan ivoso
what that means? They say in France the cold SO
that wolves arc seeking food at the gates Of
Metz. And in England -?
SORROW IN MANCHESTER
Here. for instance is Manchester, the centre OF
Of the richest, most populous and most industrious
sections In England lover the whole Of the vast
area" says one authority, 'the trade depression,
and as consequence poverty and distress hangs like
a cloud" Before me is long narrative of the spe-
cial forms assumed by this distress. The better
classes clerks and skilled workmen feel il. Furni-
turc goes 10 the pawnbrokers. These men intel
ligent and have the pride of intelligence, and be-
fore they beg complain send away the
piano and the sewing machine. tailor
is seen who. in good times, with the
aid Of his wife. earns 81 so week. Now he lives in
a room fourteen feet by eight his wife and children
crouching around the fire. and furniture but
mattress A clerk is visited who had been CON-
mcrcial traveller. Six months ago he told there
was no longer any commerce which could be coaxcd
by travelling. Now watch, furniture and all have
gone because two baby boys had to be fed and there
was not chair . table in the room. Another
was that of n small draper. All his furniture gone,
only lot of coal. which Kind friends had sent
the morning my informant called. seamstrcsses
were found in actual starvation. Men who earned
81, 900 or $4,000 year have fallen into pcnury.
II is difficult 70 relieve such people. They do
not want to go to the soup kitchen or the
workhouse and you ind advertisements OF this
character in the Manchester papers:-"Familes
whose position makes them unwilling TO make per-
sona application for relief are invited to state their
cases by letter only addressed to box 1G2 Post ONCE
Manchester. All applications must be- accompanied
by reference 20 last employer and one or two respect
able houscholdcrs." You can imagine how widely
spread is want in Manchester when you learn that