New-York tribune., 1894-01-07
THE, POOR IN EUROPE.
,.pnsuIPs WORSE THAN ANY FOUND IN
TUE UNITED STATES-WHAT THE
ITALIAN ARTISAN LIVES on
WAGES OF THE ENG
IISH LABOREK.


thoroughly appreciates the comforts of lux
,r,ously furnished and cosey, warm room as
when gazing at the thinly clad and hungry
,oolxinc people trudging along in the snow. the
oin The slush and piercing wind outside. 50 in
,h Same WAY much of the distress that now
,reyails In this city may be assuaSed and rem
4. dered more easy 10 bear by the knowledge that
there are others suffering a FAR greater degree OF
r,iser-, jn The Old World misery OF which the
native born citizens OF this country can form no
,dea I am perfectly aware ihat fair words and
,ocrallzng do not satisfy an appetite or provide
warmth for he cold but at the same time they
MAJ, have the effect Of rendering such suderings
s those more easy 70 bear. all the more so as
M one on this side of the water. al any rate in
the cities and large owns need die Of hunger or
nerjeh OF cold. a feature wherein the C!dtcl
states presents Il pleasing contrast - the CON-
tries Of the eastern hemisphere.
As 4 foreigner who has enjoyed the oprortuni-
ties Of studying poverty In it's mos. terrible
shapes IN many lands. who has visited the
famine-stricllen districts Of China and India
who has probcd to their lowest depths the
soualid misery OF Italian and Polish towns and
cities and spent some time in studying the con-
dition Of the hungry Egyptian fcllaheen. think
I may be regarded speaking from experience
when | assert that there IS no land so highly
favored by Providence, and where there is COM
paratively little misery. so small cause for
discomfort and so much reason for courage and
perseverance, as the United States. Here any
one who is honestly anxious and ready to work
and to turn his hand to anything. no matter
what provided II is an honest means of live
uhood. can earn his daily bread, and generally
sreaxing that Of his wife and children. OF
course there are times Of intermission, when
work NAV temporarily cease. when man may
he ont of n lob. But it is never for long-at
the most only for a week or so; and If during
that time there is any need Of bread in the
house or Of fuel in the bin. why, there are many
charitable institutions and organizations only
too ready to supply the needy. particularly in
such deserving cases.
In Europe on the other hand. there thou
sands nav millions of good honest. Industrious
workingmen many OF them skilled artisans
who are both ready and eager to work-to work
without any limitation as to hours or scale OF
pay and whose object in life is to provide food
and raiment for their little ones-and yet who
cannot find anything to dc. and who are obliged
10 stand by idly watching their children fade
away from sheer want. which they are unable
to combat save by theft. robbery and crime
This is an alternative which no one is called
upon to face in the United States.
Can any American born workingman picture
70 himself people So hungry as actually To dig up
carcasses Of cattle that had died Of disease and
been under the ground for several days and
then TO eat the flesh. quite black and absolutely
putrid, without even being cooked? Yet THIS
&c what have known to have occurred in the
important Egyptian village Of SQUAT during the
months of June and July, 1883. and unless am
much mistaken. the fact will be found recorded
IN the dispatches from the American consular
representatives in Egypt of that year. 50 cruel
Is the poverty on the banks Of the Nile that
no ordinary kind Of fuel can be obtained by the
peasants TO cook the handful Of rice or corn
which constitutes their single daily meal. the
women and children being therefore employed
IN making cakes Of a mixture Of chopped straw
and manure which, after being dried in the
sun on the roofs of the novels they inhabit, Is
then burned as fuel. engendering the most pestif-
erous Of gases. Sometimes they are even re-
duced to actually eat this filth
Nor is It only in civilized countries Of the
Orient that such misery is to be fourd. In Ger
many. in Italy. in Portugal in Spain. and above
all IN Russia, the poverty is beyond the con-
ceptiN of Americans who have not crossed the
Atlantic. With thos, poo: people meat is
luxury which they seldom taste from one years
end 10 another. In Italy, polenta, macaroni
and onions constitute almost the sole sustenance
as well as in the Iberian Peninsula. matters are
but little better Compare for moment the
lot Of the successful joiner in this country with
that Of the artisan reputed a successful car
ponter in Germany. The latter thinks himself
rich indeed if he can an annual income
CT $3.50 or which he keeps his wife and three
or more children; for Germans. as rule, nave
large families. All necessaries Of life are dear.
and the only indulgence or luxury is the beer.
And for this pittance. mind you. he works, not
eight hours but twelve. and even fourteen hours
a day. II this then, is the lot Of the successful.
Woodworking and conscientious artisan. what.
then, must be the fate Of those who have not
achieved similar success?
In England too one finds agricultural laborers
with their families living on wages that do not
exceed 81 q week. These wages were compare
tive opulence n hundred years ago. but now
adays. when the necessaries OF life nave so
greatly increased in price while the decilne ol
returns for agricultural investments has been
such as 70 prevent any augmentation Of these
wages 20 the labOrer these miserable elght
shillings barely suffice to keep body and soul
together. What wonder. then, that the agri-
cultural population deserts it's villages by the
wholesale and ilocks To the towns and cities IN
search Of more remunerative labor. which, alas.
they seldom find. At the present moment. ac-
cordng = the official returns Just issued by the
Government authorities, there are no less than
half million people out Of work in London
alone; and inasmuch as the relief departments,
both public and private totally inadequate
to meet so great demand upon their resources,
the situation hls become very critical. and a
source o. great Apprehension alike to the author
tiles and 10 the we-to-do citizens.
The country in Europe where probably the
least downright distress prevails Is France.
This is due in part to the thrifty character OF
the lower classes-especially Of the womankind
and partly, too. to the perfect development OF
the charity organizat tons Of the nation. These
latter constitute a hannY combination of nriYate