The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-23

THE London Daily Telegraph gives the
following picture of Matchmaking and nail
makers in England. Weinvite such men as
the editors OF the Courier-J ournal and of the
News to read it, and then tell us that
the condition of laborers in Europe and in
America is about the same, and that Mr..
Robert P. Porters letters from the manu-
featuring centers of England are gross ex-
aggerations and caricatures. The Telegraph
says:
"There is no more wretchedly remuner-
ated employment in the kingdom than nail
making, or one that in consequence of the
starvation prices paid is more frequently in
terrupted by strikes. 1t spares nobody;
mites of children out of school hours. can,
in their small way assist, and the poverty
of their parents makes them glad TO avail
themselves of even their puny help; delicate
girls, mothers who are nursing their babies
aged women bent and feeble and who all
their lives have been, i'll manner of speak
ing, chained to the forge drudgery in the
midst of smue and smoke, still 80 on ham,
mering and filing and Juggling at the bellows
until their strength utterly fails them. Then
they retire for brief spell to the work-house
and thence to the ohurchyard. 1t is q
IidINel now, On tilc sCuItI wages JlGN are
enabled to earn, they contrive to exist at all
l remem Der poor Soul at Cradley, widow,
who with the assistance OF her eldest
daughter. q girl of thirteen, maintained
by her eliminating the entire family seven
i'll number. The hovel in which her forge
was fixed adjoined the squaid little two
roome6 cottage where she was supposed to
reside, but, 10 use her own words, she might,
except for sleeping purposes, as well almost
be withoutit since it was only on Sundays
that she did not live with the children in the
smithy." And never did | set my eyes on
more depiorable little objects than the latter
were, Not one of them including the girl
who attended to the fire and bellows, wore
either shoes or stockings, though no shoe
leather could have been blacker than their
feet the remainder of their bodies being but
few shades lighter in complexion. 1t was a
mere waste of soap, the mother averred
even if she had money to spare for. its
purchase, to attempt to keep them clean.
Being next to naked they could not go into
tine street. and their only play-place was
among the coal slack and ashes. On Sun
days, however, she gave them a reg Ter good
scrubbing and OH the same day of rest she
washed their rags while they remained in
bed, and dried them. somehow. so that they
might wear them again on Monday morning.
She told me that, working at the forge from
6 in the morning until 10 or IL o'clock at
night, and with her daughters assistance,
she was able to earn about five farthings an
hour, or one and eightpence or ninepence a
day. Ten shillings week exceeded the aver
age, and out of this she had to pay two and
ninepence rent for the cottage and the
HEARTH or snithy howell"
Will some railer against protection be kind
enough to point to a single spot In the United
States to equal this, bad as the poverty and
distress to be found in our cities confessedly
are. But there is nowhere in this country
q place where honest, unremitting labor is
thus rewarded, and we challenge the contrary.