The National tribune., 1883-10-11

oiEAC0 w L Os HnlLu gives q SbFlkINZ and n
truthful picture of the life Of hundreds OF
children that | saw in AncOats. "As class.
they the workmen) are drunken, brutal
thriftless and ignorant to a far greater de-.
gree than the corresponding classes are In
France, in Germany, and Italy. But who ia
70 blame for this? VIII any gentleman say
that, if he had been brought up as the average
Manchester workman IS brought up, he would
care much for those " two Fusses virtues, tenn
peranee and thrift"
When few weeks old the batv OF many a
workIngnan IS left IN charge Of a child far too
young 70 properly attend to it. while the
mother goes to work in mill. A little later Il
hnds It's play ground in the filthy street. where
there IS not tree or blade Of grass In sight and
where the sky is generally hidden BY smoke.
Hls clothing and everything he sees IS foul with
SCOT. he sleeps, probably, with several other
children, OF both sexes, in one room In early
youth ne learns that the only place where he
can ind any amusement or any form of pleas
ure IS the public house, and every year Of his
HE deepens the lesson"
These circumstances Of the workman's 3 life in
the paradise OF the British workingman. the
committee OF the Art Museum despairo Of chang
ing. Efsey propose, however, to prepare for
MIN one spot whittier he may go to escape "a
often as be may choose from his hideOUs per-
manent surroundings. How they estimate his
present position may be seen from the following
extract from their defense Of their proposal to
open the museum on sunday: The conditions
under which the poorer inhabitants Of our
towns are living, strongly tend 20 DESTROY. or
at least, TO greatly weaken family affection,
Ihis affection, which gives to parents the most
powerful motives they can have for industry,
sef-denial, and every other form of good con-
Duct and leaves them TO care for the physical.
mental, and moral welfare of their Children.
ana througn which alone children can be led
20 Yield tuH obedience to their parents and to
those whom their parents desire them to obey
IS necessarily strengthened by pleasant inter-
course amongst the members of family. and
weakened By everything which prevents them
from having intercourse or which makes their
intercourse unpleasant But the habits which
as consequences of our climate and the state
OF our towns, prevail among many work people.
deprive the relations existing between th0us-
ands OF them and their children Of nearly all
pleasantness. It is often thought that on sun
day town Workmen may spend their time
pleasantly with their families partly at home.
partly IN church or chapel, partly in the open
ar. But this is not so IN the case of the mora
Ignorant werk-people. Very few of them 90 to
any place Of worship, nor, Il they went. would
they be able TO understand more than a yery
small part OF the service. Nor can many Of
them spend time pleasantly at home, for even
II most work. people had the resources which
for cultivated people gives to home much of It's
attTaetIyeness; even if tlrir children were as
lova0e, as intelligence, good conduct, and ply
steal cleanliness and comeliuess could mako
them, and if work peoples houses were as clean
and cheerful as houses Of the kind can be. the
smalneSs Of their houses alone would make it
quite impossible Tor them to pass many hours
there e0nteutedly.
WHY TINE HANGS HEAVY ON THEIR HANDS.
" 1t need hardly be said that for the lower
Of -r.-h
aOie conditions exist Many Of their children
are as unlOveable as filthiness and brutal habits
learned IN the stFeet-thair only playground
can make them; the parents do not read easily
enough to read long with pleasure: thew have
very lew books; they do not play any musical
instrument; they lead such mOnOsOn0us lives
and haze little knowledge of ANYTHING but
their immediate surroundings that they have
few subjects of conversation; and their houses
are not only very small and very crowded bQe
are also made very gloomy by the smoke-ladsn
ar OF the town, and by the absence of plants
and OF every thing else which is bright and
beautiful.
Time cannot be spent pleasantly by them on
Sundays outside their own houses. For the
streets and public houses are then the only
places where those work people who do not 90
to places OF worship or do not live near to one
OF our few public parks can take their children,
and IN wet weather public houses are the only
places The streets are not long attractive,
even IN very fine weather, and it is not sur
prls1ng, therefore, that as soon as public houses
open on Sunday very many working people 20
to them; that many OF their children at q verv
early age also begin TO spend part Of Sunday a
public houses, and that, both in public houses
and IN their own houses, many work-peODle
seek relief from monotony in the exciting oc-
eupatl0ns OF betting on races and gambling at
cards Bad as the habit of going TO public
houses would be even if all the members of q
family who went there went together. and
thus kept alive the sense of companiOnship
with each other, the badness of the habit has
not even this mitigation. The habit of drink
ing IN public houses is one of the influences
which are most fatal even to the lowest forms
oftamily affection. However fond of drinking
a husband or a wife may be, each knows that it
wastes wages and wage-earning power, and
each therefore dislikes TO see the other or his
or her children drink. Hence. when several
members OF family seek recreation IN drink
ing they usually separate TO do So
lt cannot be doubted that until there are
places where most work people can spend much
OF their leisure time, and certainly part OF
Sunday happily with their children IN occupa-
tlonS which al the members of the family can
enjoy together, and which VIII draw them to
each other by making them feel interest in and
admiration Of the same things. and By giving
them SUBJECTS which they can all remember
and discuss with innocent and refining pleas
ure, brutality and Ignorance and disregard Of
duty must continue 10 be very common
amongst the lower classes IN our towns
Prospectus, pp. 14-15.
have quoted largely In this letter from Mr..
Horsfall and other Manchester writer's. because
what they say of their own city (of which in
their hearts they are exceedingly and Justly
proud in spite of the truth of their own critf-
eisms upon the state of the laboring people al
the present timeJ must have infinitely mora
value than any description which I can furnish
after hasty view of the Paradise OF the British
workman. FIX