New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-31
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE LONDON WAGEwORKERS.

Edited By Charles Booth $40. Four volumes.
Do. Vi, $50, 1903, 3OS and 354. Macmillan d 70.
IN these four volumes Mr.. Booth and his CO
labcrers have done for the city OF London what mas
never been done for any other city in TIE history
Of the world. Historians have recorded for us with
painstaking mlnuteness the superficial life OF the
great capitals OF ancient and modern times We
may read In their annals the splendid achievements
of their famous rulers and industrious citzens Ihey
have described for In glowing periods the wonder
full growth Of such cities In population, wealth. power
and magniAcence or their gradual decadence and
fall on account OF the luxury. vice or ambition OF
their citizens. But In the case OF no oCner CITY GO
We have a complete record Of the real life OF the
myriads of plain working people. such as these Vol.
umes give us for the city OF London. We know the
superficial aspects. the famous streets and noble
buildings Of the modern cities. The careers OF
their eminent citizens living and dead are familiar
to u.s. But OF the life Of their people, and the con-
ditions under which they do their work. We nave
only the most hazy idea. Even in regard to their
own city. most people are lamentably Ignorant.
How little the well-fed. weltodo ard prosperous
New-Yorker knows Of the composite and eongested
population OF this city. its struggles With dirc
poverty its blind attempts TO understand itself ana
the strange life around 1t. Its sullen apathy us VIII
despair or sometimes. It's lawless desire to overthrow
civilization order to better itself! In his interest
ing books Mr.. Jacob Riis has gwen some glimpses
not In existence any such picture OF the wage
workers Of New York Mr.. Charles Booth has given
us Of the London wage-workers in this monumental
work. Its interest does not lie merely in the fact
that II throws light the industrial life OF London.
but that in doing describes for us certain eco
nomic conditions that obtain to-day I'm every great
city. 1t is study Of social economics that will be
OF inestimabe value I'm solving the problems that
exist in all great centres Of population.
Mr. Booth and his assistants began their investi-
cations In 1886. That the subject has aroused
general interest in England is evident from the legs-
latve inquiries that have been instituted. Recently
the English Government authorized houseto-house
investigation of the unemployed" The recent In
dux Of poor Jews prompted another inquiry under the
name OF "Foreign Immigration; and more recently
stIll committee of the Houses of Lords and Commons
have been Investigating the sweating system An
other House OF Commons committee has been appointed
10 take charge of the question Of poor relief, and
number Of Mansion House inquiries have been insti-
tuted on the same subject. Mr. Booths statistics
fully cover all these branches OF inquiry "Of the
wealth Of my material" he says 81 have no doubt.
am indeed, embarrassed by its mass and by my reso
luton to make OF no fact to which cannot give
n cumulative value. The materials for sensational
stories lie pentifuy In every book OF our notes. pnt
even II had the skill to my material In this way
that Gift of the aginaon which Is called reailsuc
Il should not wish to use 1t here There is s'rus-
aung there is restitution there is hunger, drunken
ness brutality and crime no one doubts that IL Is SO.
NV objese has been attempt to show the numerical
relation which poverty misery and depraVlty pear
10 regular earnings and comparative comfort ana 10
describe the general conditions under which each class
lives For the trade inquiries and special subjects
have been fortunate I'm obtaining the ald OF o'hers,
and their work will speak eloquenty Tor rseh' ii
the facts thus stated are OF use In heipng socNii
reformers to find remedies for the evils when exist
or do anything to prevent the adoption OF false
fc
the disadvantages under which the poor labor. and
the evils OF poverty there Is general sense vi heiP
lessness: the wageearners are helpless TO regulate
their work and cannot obtain fair eqmvaieht lot
the labor they are willing to give; the manufacturer
or dealer can only work within the limits OF compe-
tition: the rich are helpless TO relieve want without
stimulating it, To relieve THIS heplesshess,
better stating Of the problems involved Is the rst
step In this direction must be sought the uthty
of nv attempt to anayze the population OF Lohuoh
We have rot space to 60 into any OF the oe'"iis
IN these volumes, except to say that the area dea
with comprised the following districts OF Lohdoh
East London, Shoredch, Bethnal Green, Whitechapei
e. Georres.in- the East Sepney, Mile End. Old Town.
Poplar and Hackney. The population OF 9oo'ooo III
these districts is classified as follows: Inc lowest
class Of occasional laborers, loafers and semcrin
nails casual earnings, every poor intermi''eht ah1
small regular earnings, regarded IS poor reeni"
standard earnings, above the line OF poverty hener
class labor: lower middle class and upper midoie
class The "poor" those who have an income oi
10 or 81 shllings a week for family; the very
poor are these who fall much below this standard
This latter class is largely hereditary Their children
are the street arabs and from them come most OF
the criminals But Mr.. Booth did not nhu tha'
th,s c,oss ,s nc large as has been supposed. "The
hordes OF barbarians of whom we have HEARD ne
saws. Who issuing from their slums, Will one gay
overrun modern civilization, do not exist There are
barbarians but they a handfnl--a small ana de-
creasing percentages disgrace but not DANGER.
No one who desires to study the problem OF HE LII
a.. craot cit,es affected as It Is by the industrial
conditions that obtain to-day, should fail TO read
this book which reflects the life and labor u the
people with such Photographic accuracy.