New-York tribune., 1882-04-23
THERURAL LIFE OF ENGLAND
BY CAPTAIN MAYNE REID.
THE FARM LABORER


morollv and intellectually the equal of those VINO
employ him; aye, often their superior Between
him and them there is little or no difference III
breed or blood only the accident OF some money on
one side with none at all the other. But the edu
cation refinement and manners which the possess
sion of means might be supposed TO DestoW are hoV
marked characteristics of those who IN the Social
scale stand Immediately above the farm Iaoorer
while IN practical and useful knowledge he is more
than on n mar with them Money he has none; nor
is he ever likely TO have it, Ont of twelve shhns'
n week or scant three dOllars-his wages iu nOs'
parts of the country-layng by as much as Il Sns'N
sixpence would be problem TO puzzle a ihise' y.
I've /, understood that they are board wages" out
of which he must MAINTAIN ninlseli anu ,,' ,'"''
feed cothe and keep roof over their heads, peS'ues
,aving rates and taxes. The poorest proletarian
and bpmblest householder in England is not be-
meath the notice of the tax-gatherer nor exempt
from his periodical vsitatOns In giving twelNe
shill,nrs as the weekly wage of farm laOorer'
mt il at it's maximum in most parts OF the country
for in most places is he only too glad TO get thS
and thinks himself among the favored ones io
90, sacure n contract for il throughout the whole
COO, Unless a frst-rate hand, that he IS not al
wavs able 10 do; and in many districts ten shll-
lings or even nine is common scae OF payA
where il is permanent less still II ne De aeeu, vi
otherwise not up to his work. Considering una'
hoof is rarelv uoder 90 cents a pound mutton
about the same and other sorts OF iresh meat sun
dearer: that bacon of good quality is Is cents, ana
eorr psuallv over So the hushel; that his cottage
of two or three stands him IN rent Tzo 10 20
nor annum. II needs little arithmetic to hgure up
tba aonnt of lifes luxury possible to his position
Fnouoh of Ife's misery is there in 1t, however, ana
mora than enough, for the worst IS not YET toiu'
There NAV be days of rain, and are-not uhlre-
ouently week of it,-when his wages CEASE anu
want enters his cottage. Or he may oe Iaiu up
with sickness, heightened spell; theh TIC ""n'
.omes nearer TO what might be called famne-a
diet of bare bread and water, even IN stinted allow
ance at that! Such cases are by no means rare III
nv own neighborhood. comparatively prosperous
one hear of them almost every day, ana 100 "eH
LnoD, Them TO exist. Yet this is the merry, happy
England of Chauvinistic newspaper writer's and
brarcinq orators-men who know as much ABOUT
the reality of her rural life as they do of that IN the
moon or. knowing. falsely represent To them the
condition of farm other labOrer is OF slght con-
ca,, and little care they whether he be merry OF
sad.
The labor he gives in return for the above petty
wage is great out of all proportion. His1egular hours
of work are from a. m. till = p. M a nan houI
being allowed him for breakfast and Whole one
for dinner Unless his cottage chance TO he close a'
hand he does not go home for either mea the time
not permitting it. They are brought with MN III
his little bag or "pall," and eaten by the dltch
side even in winter; or if working about the irih
stead the repast will be made In 'he car'-she"'
barn. or other outbuilding AS to his sitting down
20 spread table inside the farmers house, even the
kitchen of IT, that is an occurrence OF the rarest
.,d eating at the farmers own table thing alto
cetber unknown TO him. Poor is the fare he sub
sists on. the very commonest and cheapest to be
nrocnrpd: p: at best only bread and boiled bacon,
cold OF course lie deems hmseis- roll on "''th
this and cannot always get 1t; often having 10
fall back upon boater" salt herringl, eaten
cold too But of all the food commodities purchas-
able by him. cheese is his chief staple and standby
II goes further foI the amount Of money expended
and many farm lsborer both for breakfast ana
dinner has naught but this TO kitchen hls bread
with Tea he can only get on his return home after
his task is done and Of this he is fond; Tor not
withstanding the lax it. it is possibly the most
economical and certainly the most luxurious OF his
meals
True in addition to his wages, he has daily
allowance of beer or in the appe-growing shires ot
cider But tais counts for nothing i'll the way OF
economy and is in truth rather loss than gain 10
him. as it tends toward habits of dissipation. In
hay-InakIng and harvest time. II not under ahhuai
engagement his pay is somewhat better; as then
he works by the piece" or job. Moving lac under
takes by the acre two or more banding together
to do the work The terms are about . an acre 'or
cutting meadow grass, and somewhat less ior clover
This includes drink, which the scythemen provide
for themselves IL they did not, and drank as they
customarily do a very large reduction would have
TO be made in the price of their piece work. al
most hesitate the quantity OF beer or cider
which an English mower will swallow, lest my
statement be deemed an exaggeration. Still II
should lie made and | can truthfully affirm that
MANY of them drink each two gallons per dlen and
some even more. Cider is usually sold at 10 cents
the gallon and beer, not of best quahty, at ~
But when haymaking and harvesting come
around, the brewers advertise what they term
harvest beer" at II cents the gallon, and some
even as low az osel this stui too, III large guam
titles, Well might one exclalm with Horace, :" y
dura lila messorump Little better of these
poor men with the cider when the farmer employ
ing them supplies it. He knows trick, too; and
if the harvest beer be. jocularly termed only
the "washlngs of the brewers aprons" in like
manner. say they his cider is less the product OF
the orchard than the horsepond.
AS good mower can cut an acre of meadow
grass in day the amount of his earnings is easily
reckoned. But 1t must be remembered that this Is
no ordinary days work, but hard. almost constant
toll commencing at 4 o'clock in the morning and
continued as long there is light enough to swing
the scythe by. If he succeed in making his dollar
a day. it is in truth by having done nearly double
work: SO that his temporary increase Of wages is
after all due to a proportionately greater amount
of labor performed; and often. may add to the
detriment of his health. The same is the case at
harvest time, when reaping succeeds moving, with
a week or two OF interval between. AS rule the
corn cutting is also done by piece-work; the
labo reIs employed at it being often strangers to
another united in bands under one 10 undertakes
the job AT this particular time the sons of Erin.
seeking harvest work. penetrate TO the most inland
districts of England, and may be met trudglng