The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1884-05-18

lacts cot forth In Work and RaVes By Prof. ].
Z THonoLD RouEns tPutnamsL We are far
within the truth whom We say that ell the
merely dogmstio avNrments and deductions
lrom assumed promises Of the Engish econo.
how few OF their so-called prinoi.
piss have bssn verified BY sxpsriencs-are out.
valued by the results Of this application OF the
lnductive method to the study Of the history OF
Rnslish labor. After twenty-five years OF 10.
Dor. devoted for the most part 10 the discovery.
and oollocation Of unknown. OBJ
soure. or Inaccessible records. the author OF
this book 10 able 70 trace the changes
wrought BY six centuries In the rate Of wages
and tho price OF the neOessaries OF life.
and thus 10 exhibit and explain the social and
economical condition Of the laboring man at
oyery Important epoch from the reign OF Henry
III. TO our own time. The evidence. whose out
some 10 here succlnctly stated. has bsen given
In detail In the volumes thus far published
Of the writer's "History OF Agriculture and
for the period covering the hrst 32A
years up TO the middle Of tho reign Of Elisabeth.
For the next 40 yearA ending with the acces.
sion OF Anne. analogous testimony has been
eoilsotsd BY Prot Rogers. and adequate data
for the subsequent period arc supplied By tho
observations Of Young and Eden In the eight
senth century. and BY various students OF
statistics in the present age. OF whom the most
and useful are Porter and Clifton.
Il 10 the four and half centuries preceding
the reign Of Anne which had hitherto formed
terra incopniia In the history Of English labor.
and In which Prof. Rogers IL at present our sole.
though sufficient guide. The materials which
hs hes dlgestsd and interpreted wore to be pro-
viously found In no printed Volumes but
existed in the imminent rooms Of certain
English colleges. and particularly Of Merton
College. Oxford. which from its foundation. In
tho thirteenth century. had preserved the
accounts OF the baififis or agents charged
with the caro- Of IL estates. These
estates consisted Of manors In various
parts OF England and from the minute reports
OF receipts and expenditures annually fur
aished II has bsen possible 70 evolve con-
tinuous history Of wages and prices at once
authentic and reasonably exhaustive. which
throws flood Of hight on tho social and eco
nomical vicissitudes that labor has expert
snced In England. and demonstrates the incom-
parable superiority Of the lot Of the working
man In feudal times to that In which the dawn
Of this century found him. or even to that some
what improved position to which In certain
oallings be has since raised himself. OF course
In the pictures here presented the author has
avAiled himself Of whatever trustworthy illu-
mination could be furnished BY ordinary his
tories and general literature. but he never per-
mits himself to forget that for the fundamental
eaots relating 10 wages and prices the man
uscript records revealed by him are tho solo
trrefragible authorities thus far known. and
that exterior Information representing for the
most rart individual opinion cannot be suf-
tered to contradlct or pervert such testimony.
Before endeavorin0 to convey some notion OF
the results OF this investigntion-and 1t is we'll
nigh hopeless 70 attempt summary OF the
contents Of book which is itself tho Quintes-
senoe Of condensation-it may be we'll to say
Q word about the author. who Ia not apparently
% we'll known to American readers as he de-
ssrvss to be. Thorold Rogers IL an interesting
- we'll - distinguished man. He at first
chose the navy for his profession. and had
spent We believe. many years at sea- when he
decided to obtain university education. He
was ct least twenty-five. and already. It
seems. married. when he matriculated at
Oxford. yet although SELF fitted and there-
fore lacking an the advantages bestow-
Cd By training ct the large public
schools. he gained fret GLASS In Greats on
graduation. He took orders In due course, but
continued TO reside IN Oxford. where. like Mr..
Lowe now Lord 6herhrooke. he added to his
Income by acting a. coach" or private tutor.
20 young mon reading for honors. His success.
while no consented 10 employ HE great abilities
In this function. was remarkable. Meanwhile
his private studies had been directed to eco
nomical subjects and. his writings having com.
manded much attention. he was appointed
Professor Of Political Economy at Oxford and
has since filled . similar chair In the UNI
versity Of London. There was An epoch-about
1868-when the opinion was current among
reading undergraduates that the two men Of
hrtO - 0Yf0rA
were Goodwin Smith and Thorold Rogers. an
estimate whose HatterinR character will be ap.
preciated whom We recall that at the time the
list Of Oxford professors and fellows included
Uuch names as those OF Mansel Jowett. and
Max Muller. Mr.. Rogers has for aome years.
~ believe. ceased to exercise clerical func-
lions. and he 10 at present q member Of Paria.
mont Most OF his time has long been given to
tho compilation Of his monumental History OF
Agriculture ana Price," Of which the book be.
fore us Is q compendium. It wss. OF course.
during the years OF his residence at Oxford
that he became alive to tho existence In the
archives OF Merton and other colleges OF In
valuable materials for an economical history Of
England.
It has been said that there Is no phase or ex-
tension Of political liberty for which a colorado
pretext could not be found by a close scrutiny
OF Parliamentary annals. 1t will be- Mr. Rog.
ers's best title to remembrance to have shown
that there is scarcely any demand put forward
ON behalf OF tho worklngman for which warrant
cannot be found In tho medieval history Of
English labor. An examination Of the evidence
now adduced In the accounts actually kept be-
tween the owners Of manors and the tillers oil
the soil proves that nothing could DO more wide