The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-02-19
STATESMAN.
BY THE--
srArBsM an PUBLISHING C0MYNi
rnE -cNMgRNNn MIl.LINNs.

"kne with * or splendid 5latiuu--'lor
they proser nothing 0ut p,aj o j
mou sense IN plain style-but because
of 5Ro opposite pictures drawn of the
extremes of society as it exists today.
Both pictures are as truthful as the
ftertliOg contrast they present.
Ward McAllister in "Society as /
Have Found 1t" paints the froth of
modern civilization, thrown to the
surface II dark abyss the wealth,
pleasure, ic,volities, fashion of social
HE rs il exists today.
Darkest England" by Gen. Booth,
head Of the Salvation Army, gives us
a photograph of the other side, and
StaItleg us With view OF the hell of
misery aestitution, starvation. crime,
sin and debauchery which underly the
sqcis. fabric and which is particularly
illustrated in the great cities
of this country and Europe.
NeAllist9g shows US the oilers, the
butterflies the millionaires, the So
oiaty mG and women, people who
eat, drink and dance, votaries OF
pleasure Booth draws the curtain
and feveai to US the submerged mill
i0ra u taa lower strata, doomed TO
pennies want, starving, driven by a
terribla .aa irresistible destiny to lives
of theft, Sin and crime.
From McAllister's description of the
magnificent balls, and banquets of the
millionaire aristocracy of New York,
on which the rich vie in throwing
away their hundreds of thousands the
reader turns with shudder to Booths
picture of the poor of London. A
glimpse OF the dark abyss, from whose
depths comes up the cry Of the lost
of endless, grinding poverty, OF shame,
want, perjury, hunger, starvation,
misery, disease and moral ruin.
- .-cudou alone, that modern
Babylon. there are 100000 persons on
use ragged o1ye of this abyss, who
tramble fey the morrow which
r.ay sweep away the miserable
1nb.taaons they call homes. De-
scCaliag 10 still lower strata, there
are 800 coo yretches with the wolf a
CHER door; describing still taarthe'
iuto she abygz there are 100000 whit
lay &ud nie.,l endure the agonies o
hnugry saom ,hs which cannot b.
.ilisS. I'D meath them still owe
$4,000 absolutely homeless, wanderer
IA the cold snd chilly blasts of thu
winter. Still iurther away down be-
low these strata are the bells Of vic'
and crime, where swarm 10000 pros,
titutes. to which are added 10OOO(
moor women, as estimated by Gen
Booth, who are driven by hunger tt
secretly earn the wages of shame.
In an adjoining hell on the same
strata are 10000 thieves, 10000 o
whom are in Jail. Official report
show that one-fifth of the mortality IL
London is in the workhouse, the hos
pital or the lunatic asylum.
After reading these two very plan
but startling books, the sociologist
prone to inquire: Will this continuou
divergence of the extremes, wealt
and poverty, never cease? Fror
century to century the rich 60 on be
coming richer, the poor poorer. Ca
there ever be any equalization
wealth by which the poor shall b
lifted up to higher plane? Ia theI
any hope for the submerged millions
1t is a problem for the future. Mod
ern government and craftsmanship
neither the recent doctrines OF al
archism and socialism, of distribution
have not solved, and cannot solve /
THE house OF the Kansas Legislature
run by the farmers, not the Republi
cans, Yesterday repealed, or attempte
to repeal, the law DISTINGUISHING ex
Confederate soldiers, who heretoior
GOULD not vote or hold office in Kan
sas. But the people OF Kansas coul
take the dollars of the "ex-rebeis
they refused their votes, anu not
withstanding their anti'Contederat
law, sold their corn, cabbageS' pota'
toes, hay, peaches and other things Il
the same "ex-rebels" down in Tsxs
and elsewhere. But the farmers nav
had the good sense to wipe ous' OF 4
least attempt to wipe out, this egreg
IL