Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-12-17
OUR LONDON LETTER
Condition of the Poor ContraSted With
Fifty Years Ago.
AChapter on Art in Cbscuriiy aud Art
in Clover.
With DEPRESSION on British and Amcri.
can Actors.

Special Correspondence OF the Gazette.
London, December Last week a
remarkable address was delivered at
London. at the Royal School of Mines,
by Mr.. Robert Giilen, l.. l.. d.. of the
board Of trade. the occasion being the
50th session of the statistical society,
of which he is president, and the sub
iect being 1.-The progress of the work
ing classes in the last half century,
The speaker explained his way of ar
irving ut the conclusion stated by him,
but apprchend it IL quite unnecessary
that ! 80 into the matter. What /
propose to do Is TO notice, only, some
of said conclusions, IN connection with
some statements Of facts which fell
into my hands a few days since. Re
ferirng to the working classes of Great
Britain, he said, while it was fact
that their money-wages in the past
fifty years had considerably
increased, 1t was equally n fact
that the hours OF labor were DUNN
ished very nearly twenty per cent.
He veniured to declare that the in
crease in the matter of wage II said
fifty years had been as much as thirty
to 100 per cent, or, to put it rs he put
it, the worklngmen Of to-day receive
from 30 To 100 per cent. more money
Tor 20 per cent less work; in round
figures he has gained rom 80 10 100
per cent. in fifty years In money re-
turn
Concerning the changes of prices of
commodities he said there seemed to
he little doubt that things were much
the same as they were forty or INV
wears ago. If there had been onv ranI
change he thought ON the whole il
had bpen In the moor nnn,o xc,,.,r
That Is 20 say, that prices of the neccs-
sailes ot NE would aggregate less now
th9h they dlu MY years ago. lIecun-
ceucu tilat meat was much dearer now
imam tileu, nut ne SAID then meat was
iio1 part OF the Regular daily diet of
me WORKING CLASSES lie also conceded
that house rent was doarer, but lac was
sure The houses of the poor were better
now than then.
had Just gotten through with
nasty reading OF the Times report of
inns address when some one handed
me small pamphlet entitled "The
sitter Cry OF oatcast london being
an Inquiry into the condition OF the
ahlect poor. have but now finished
neaa'hs lhis aeeumeht1 winch Is Is
s"eu py ana uhder the direction of the
LONDON CONGREGATIONAL tInfoN.
and this resdior has sueo.s,od
to my mind ,l,os ,,"' ,. s4esSes.e'l
If n il tr,e. ~ .tated l,,,
Mr.. Giffen. t,st the MOON ny ~
very much better or In Ise2 tho, ~ o
were in Iss9 for ;,s,anao 80 I'm .,iAi. 'iieS
must have been tjrelr ambition ,I ,hami
IL this is true. as statod lr ~ n .,ieii'
dent of the - N'' i''eh'7
ON ,,,,e,.,,.
n Nd N"'iEiS,
tnat' sleir wages ARE from 80 to 100 per
cent. more Tor 70 per cent. less work
now'ihan then, what iaust have been
.helt condition thenl If it is true that
nov thelr homes are very much better
man theh, how iearlaly wvetched
must they nave neon theiL
Isfiiaps Mr.. Giiten referred only To
the petter class of warlaing people. and
'ioe W me very poor III all. 4 do not
KNOW how this is, aut aimee he has
n n,Iue io-a'ch dlstineSonin the course
mr nis auuress ! am not authorized to
'.,"niuoe ti,it there was any such dis
unc'ioh IN hls own mind.
IaklDg itltor granted, therefore. that
no such distraction was thvupkt Of nv
intended, i proceed Ia notins ,vbat
v said on the subject Of fhs Moor In
Londaa In lss.. sIys the Conpreya.