The Press., 1891-06-04
(Norwich Bulletin.) LAZINESS AND POVERTY.

How much of this talk which Is heard every year about able-bodi and industri- ous men starving in the cities because un- able to obtain work, ,-how much of it is truth and how much a cloak for sheer laziness? Any contribution towards the answering of this question is of value to the student of social science. Itwon't do, evidently, to take the Gradgrind view that GU the poverty of the cities is due to laziness and a deliberate preference for other theory which regards all pauperism as a misfortune and never the fault of it's victims will not stand the test.
 MT. J. H. Hale, agricultural editor of The Hartford Courant, the other day re- ferred to this regular plaint of alleged starving men in the cities, adding that there was great dearth of good farm help, this spring, and that as many as 200 good men could find work on the farms of Hartford county alone at wages from $16 to $25 month. This opinion was scat tered broadcast over the country, and brought considerable number of replies and offers. About twenty people came on to Hartford county to take advantage of it, of whose cases MT. Hale has heard. The informing and important fact is that out of his twenty mot single good worker has been secured" One of the applicants was willing to do some "light 1 work" such as "keep the farm books and accounts" ," but couldn't think of do- ing anything hard. Another frankly re- fused to "do any of the hard or dirty work of the farm" And here is the detailed story of another:
 One man, who wrote rather bright letter, said he was 'smart young man of twenty seven, and self and wife knew all about farm work and would like a home in the country" were hired by a friend, and they came from New York on the boat, bringing along ten-year-old- girl who had not been mentioned in let ters. They arrived Sunday morning. The "Smart young man," instead of talk ing any interest in the farm, even to look ing about a little, spent all day in the kitchen smoking. The wife made no of fer to help about the house, although the farmers wife was alone, and had even to get their meals. Next morning the house. wife had to get breakfast for the family, and later, when the 'smart young man and wife" came down, he asked, "Why did you not call us when breakfast was ready ?" And later, when told that such "help'' was not the kind wanted, he had the cheek to ask for money to pay their way back to New York, never for a mo- ment suggesting that, if not wanted perm 1 anently, they would at least like to 'pitch in" and work little, to earn the money rather than beg or borrow it.
 The New York Evening Post, com- menting upon this statement of MT. Hale's styles it one of the most valuable contri- buttons to the literature of the "labor problem" that has been made. The Post goes on:-
 It shows that all there is to this prob lem in many cases is the fact that men and women are too lazy to labor and want to have society support them. It is safe to say that every one of MT. Hales corre- spondents is ''profoundly impressed with | the fact that there Is something wrong in l the constitution of our society,"" that every one "views with alarm" the alleged fact that "the rich are growing richer and the poor poorer" that every one heartily endorses the demand of the peoples party" for more money, and of Mir. Bella my's nationalist party for control by the people of ''the monopolies which are crushing the life out of the masses" It is one of the most melancholy results of the preaching of the doctrine that ''the government" or ''the state" can make
 everything lovely" if it only will, that we
 are developing large and growing class
 of people who have lost all sense of inde-
 pendence and self-reliance, and are unwil-
 ling to work at all during the period while
 they are waiting for the good time coming
 when nobody will have to work.