New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-09-13
A LONDON WORKHOUSE.
Hard Work and Slim Diet for the
Inmates.

London warehouses are under the jurisdiction
Of the Local Government Board, and that body has
seen 1T in its wisdom TO draw the line which sep
arates young from old men at ones SIXTEEN
birthday" writes inmate Of one Of these houses
TO 'Chambers's Journal" Y shall treat chiefly OF
the young men. quorum pars fui.
There is stone breaking done in the Princes
Road Workhouse. as in most other places OF the
kind. the only task works te-ng grinding nine pecks
OF corn on mill per day and picking four pouhuS
Of oakum. Not all of the adjudged to the
latter task finish it, and. far as my observa-
ton went very few. indeed. were able to empty
their mills before bedtime. I had one day on
mill myself: and, with my utmost efforts at the
cruelty monotonous work I succeeded in turning
out only five pecks. Il is exercise that can be
confidently recommended IS a for obesity. only
that is not a common complaint among the inmates
Of a workhouse. Like every other contrivance Of
the sort devised to measure Up a mans full
strength. there is knack in Il which. If the op-
orator is lucky enough to hit upon It. will enable
him 10 of successfully; but even then IL Is
work which. the men pithily express it. wants
doin'.' The secret of oakum picking is believe.
much more easily compassed, it being not 50 much
a matter Of sheer strength and endurance as or
patience and ingenuity. The taskmaster-the Off
Ger who has the power Of making your life mis-
cradle or tolerable in the worklouse-can see at a
glance whether man IS trying do his level best
or the corn mill: and IL he finds him really unable
to finish the allotted task. he puts him next day on
something else within his strength-that ia. II
which IS drive its Gle bodied manipulation out al
the gate All the other work is OF a general kind
saving and chopping wood scrubbiEg doors clean
ing stairs. passages and windows. and painting all
OF which carried on under the supervision Oh
the lynx eyed labor master.
The dietary scale for the young men Is as FOL
lows: On three days OF the week there is meat
dinner Of FIVE ounces OF boiled beef. with a thin
white gravy potatoes and four ounces OF bread
on Monday dinner consists of a pint of pea soup
.s-~aE= Ta~r and
dav six ounces of bread. with "A piece OF cheese
and orion. and pint Of an unheard OF species
Of soup made Of oatmeal and q few vegetables
In both kinds OF soup there are always placed
few small cubes of left over meat Of the toughness
OF gutta percha. and absolutely tasteless, which
make bold 10 hold responsible for the prevalence OF
nightmare IN the young mems dormitory on the
nights following the soup dinners. On Friday per
haps the best dinner Of all is served. round OF
suet pudding. which. In my own case at least
eased the Qualn.s Of ever oesetting hunger bet
ter than did the meat (beef. never mutton)'
which almost always tough and cartilasinous
and devoid Of all natural favor.
Breakfast consists Of six ounces Of bread. with
tuesdays and Thursdays. when basin OF good
Ss b6 the VIII Raoe Of ou ihs s *
they s S su bs or and butter
as at breakfast on three nights OF the week week
nights and Thursday night being reserved for the
discussion Of thin beef or mutton broth with six
nate as 'hy water and is the theme Of endless
testing In this menu the bread ana butter in
variab bly, good. so the tea and the Cruel; the
cheese generally good, too often five times
al its best IS innutritive and fnsipid degree
not at all due to its qualities as 1t comes from the
hands OF the butcher.
And now I will describe briefly the work had
to do on this diet promising that | could eat very
little OF the meat, and burst not eat much OF the
cheese from fear Of indigestion, After week OF
paint scraping ] put into the boiler house as
stoker'- mate. or drudge. Ny first duty in the
morning was to sweep down the tops OF the two
boilers ard then. descending from that torrfd re-
and. finally. to sweep the roadway far as the
dust bins. which had to keep tidy at all times
In the course Of the day, while incidentally shining
brasses and carrying of and drenching hot ashes
and cinkers whenever the fireman cleaned out his
fires. had to keep him constantly supplied with a
and a half tons a day. which had 10 break
I'd to the requisite size In the coal hole before
wheeling away Twice day had 10 clean the
engine which the various machinery OF the
called away BY TIE engineer to light the srnithy
forge clean out checked gullies. drains or pipes.
turn the srindstone. cut and drill holes In Iron
work-ir short help him IN any OF the multifari-
Gus duties OF hts Office. BY me close OF the day
could have welcomed what unsttainaole IN
Now. 70 a man who has been Injured 10 manual
labor. perhaps such work would not seem hard. II
he was adequately fed. at least could readily
assrnflate the workhouse fare But II a man has
suffering from some sharp stroke OF misfortune.
hts IS indeed pitiable. No matter how he
suffers in mind or body or his bones acne with
rheumatic twinges unavoidable IN such a factory
% drauKhts the many cornered. many corrfcored
workhouse Is he has time TO attend TO his SEN