New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-22
INDUSTRIAL ENGLAND.
By ROBERT p. PORTER. MEMBER OF THE LATE
TARIFF COMMISSION.
THE DEGRADATION OF LABOR in THE
BLACK COUNTRY.

|
more pleasant than GLASGOW, left the latter city
early this morning for the Queen of Cities. Ii was
not always permissible to enjoy CristLss In Glas-
cow. Three hundred years ago the Presbytery Of
Glasgow ordered five citizens 10 penance for obserY
ing the "superstitous day called Yule" and IN 1903
| those who insisted upon honoring the "superst-
| tious day. were threatened with civic as
well as ecclesiastical punishment. In those days
even the Bakers" or bakers had TO report 10 the
authorities the names of the people for whom they
baked Yue bread Some of the spirit OF those
old times exists in Scotland at the present
day. Saturdays GIdsgOw Herald contained the re-
port of a religious conference which closed WIN inc
following curious dialogue:
| Dr. Rainy then added by way OF benedich9n
| "And now, gentlrmen, allow Inc to WISH you All q
Dr. Begg CangriIyl: "A PoPish Observance" ,..
| Dr. Kennedy: "Whust whust, Doctori remember
| the trure Haye you any of the old Talllsker
| leftV Laugnterl
| The meeting then separated
| The Rev. Doctor not to be hushed. and so yes
terday lie took occasion to enlghten his congrega-
tion on this matter, and, Judging from the way the
uewApapos take the subject. II is likely to lead to
onie theological brush In the report of his sermon
| Ir Rege ~ made to declare that "everyOne who
had studjed the subject knew that that day had no
connection with the birth Of Christ IL anything"
| saws the irate Doctor SIS more certain than an
o,ber Il was that the birth of Christ did not
on the 25th of December" On the contrary, it was
day of the IN ost absolute degradation on the part
of the heather. To observe II was pure wil!-w0r-
shpn and beng so idolatTy." And so the Kew
| Dr. Begg has. metaphorcally speaking, thrown his
bat into the ring, and stands ready to DEFY the
heather ma ton over the border who have practi-
cally stopped all husiness, and TO American
Ism gone in for four square days' Of olic1iion.
But really must ask pardon for this depression,
for had no thought Of writing letter on Christ
mas. or how il is kept, or, more accurately not
kept. in Scotl1n
On the contrary, have in mind sad facts
lustraIve of tho prcsent condition Of the laborer
IN some parts Of Great Brain, which have not as
vet come under 1ny immediate observation, but
which bear 50 directly OF the inquiry am attempt
ing and are likely to be Of such unusual interest
during tho present tarf discussion, that l
ave taken this opportunity 10 present them.
The most start ing account of the degradation Of a
branch of English labor comes from the Black
Country a region which shall not reach for three
or four weeks. Tho facts, however which shall
present in advance of gong there are from the
most Trustworthy source and were actually wit
nrssed a few DAYS ngo. IL takes one back TO the
days before Parliamentary interference compelled
the white slavc-drivrrs Of the manufacturing DIS
trics of England to op using women as beasts OF
burden IN the coa-pis OF this same region. had
expected 10 find poverty and distress and squalid
misery IN these great centres of inGustry Tor we
have that AZ home IN land where the laboror Is
not Obliged to work for ID or II shlings a week.
did not expect to read such a recital Of mans
greed as one that has just been made public as - q
simple narrative Of truth" from the Black Country.
IL appears that to-day, IN spite OF "Fao.ory Act
and School Board" thousands Of females. old aud
young, mothers aud daughter. with their little
children 10y thor sIdes. toll by day and bv night.
IN a locality about seven miles from the great REQ
Trade city of Brmngham-the home of Br ght and
Chamberlain In this gloomy district abou' $4,000
people ale engaged in making nails and rlvets. IL
they were men and boys tho lowne-s Of the wages
voulI not seem 30 bad But this account
brings ont he fact that sixteen thousand females
are engaged day after day IN the occupation. Ihry
arc not all mature women; daughters work bv the
side of mothcrs-daughters who. In their tender
years ought t. be nj home il they have any home.
or in bed. instead Of working their weary arms IN
shaping in the still small hours OF The morning.
molten iron INTO the form ~ nail Here Is the PIE
ture draw n by a writor In The London Standard who
actually witnessed 1t two or three II gifts ago;
In the middle Of a shed which n J 'insa spualid
looking house there is a whole ianly al work in
the production OF these mails; father mother sons
and daug heTs-iaughters, too,v Young ~ years.
but with that sad look premature axe which II
aIavs 10 bc noticed in the faces Of child WOrkrrs
The gayety OF youth ITS freshness AMI ~ gentle
ness seem he crushed out nf them. la the ccnle
of the shed. with rs Tatefei ctllng-a bio * ami
Wretched hu,ldinS through the walls oi which the
wind readily huds ts way-there IA = hearth" lei
Ivy gledes" or hrerzes Probably there "a grl of
woman blowing at the bellows. while ne StIips "i
iron from whicG the nails are made become note1.
TO make this still more forclble here is all actual
case:
In one of these FORCES Z mother and several |
chi dren. Tue mother was woman probably iortv |
years OF ago; nor youngest dau%h ca ha1rn- |
haired girl with sweet AMI WlhS'ne lact-WlS |
certainly not NOR than twelve years OF age. rs |
the side OF the hearth t re was "has ~ technically
called The "OlIyrr"-a Trel-lIke construction on |
he top of which is fixed the stamp Of tho mar |
ticular pattern and size of the nal required TO be
made. The w"rkmen and workwomen' by means |
of wooden troadlo-an industrial uo1dmu II |
ought more strictly 10 be Gale shoot our tho ma Is
from he lot in which they are fixed; They have
previously hammered the top OF the tncandeace:t
metal with masculine hTmncSs, 80 Ms 10 IuIIh mo |
head OF the nail.
So inurcd dO .hese poor women and girls become |
TO this work that 1t is said they seem TO work
with moro yigor than the men-yery often
indeed they support their husbands and their
fathers who NAV have fallen INTO drunken habits. |
But the first question hat will naturally be asked.
by those who demand cheap goods even at this foar
fn degradation of woman. is How much can they |
earn Again quote from tho man who las wit
messed the spectacle
Tho remuneration they receive rs incredibly
small II is unusual ihIng-on the contrary it Is
raj her the usual Gus on-for n family of three or
four persons, after working something ike fourteen
houis "a dav. 10 earn II 800 III u week. But out of
th = money there has to ie deducted Is 3D.. for
carriage 10 convey the nails to the gaicrs," ~
they are ier led in the district: then there il al
lowance to he ma 10 for fuel and the repairing of
the zach merry, which reduces the 81 to about Us.
3D. Isl IS) for three peope-for three people who
have commenced 10 work every morning ut half
past s, and who have worked on through
all the weary day, with substantial food, until
late at night.
These poor aborers rarely ever taste meat from
one weeks end to the other In the expressive but
MIA lang & nne rkwn m how |