The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-09-23

swamp ROOt, ana inc AuuTeSs, Dils mann
ton. N. y. on every bottle.
to write pictures OF slums It only needs
Imagination and fair use Of words. One
can work up the Imagination when the
9Dccasion requires, and thcre are the coll
leges to give US words M @5
4 'oA The most I shall try 10 do ID to give
a few plain facts and let each one use
his own Imagination ara go Summing
x for himself. or dismiss the case. and go to
the theatre. instead which, after all, is
much the best, for these conditions haze
been upon the earth a long, long time. and
will be here when we are gone. and what's
the difference, anyhow, when We are
dead
The common people OF England are very
poor. and Very common. If they were
not so common, they would not be SO
poor 7 hey are poorer here than In Amer
lea, and surely that Is bad enough. The
outside appearances are better here In
London, and. In fact, In all English cities.
than in America. In the first place. the
streets and alleys are perfectly clean. as
clean In the por districts as amongst the
rich
Ones sense Of sight and smell and hear
ing is not forever offended In the slums
OF England, and after ALL II these senses
are taken care OF, that Is the largest
part; there are only two more senses. and
most everybody has lost the sense OF
feeling" still, perhaps. tasting" has
been enough overdevoloped to take It's
place. The spisit OF cleanliness has spread
from the municipality to the people. How-
ever poor the cottage or ragged the
children. these arc almost ways clean,
and In the meancst cottage window It Is
not uncommon to see box OF gay, bright
flowers giving their. touch Of beauty. TO-
1lIfe and perfume to tho most sordld
scenes But In this world man pretty 1sar-
~ lives by bread alone. And It is easier
!. In England than with US to find out the
actual basis OF life OF the common people.
ard when the basis OF life is fixed all the
restils matter of ina glnation. And rlsnt
here is where the rich have such an ad-
vantage; the ina glnatlon that bubbles up
from champagne bottle is so much more
allnrlng than that which Is born OF brown
bread IA III 5J
8 near as can be possibly ascertat.ed.
the average yearly earnlngs.of the Eng-l
alish artisan are2under $3.50 This does not
include the cheapest class of,men and wo
men, which latter make up almost one
third OF the working artisan class OF
Great Britain. A dollar In England VIII
huy little more than in5thS United
States but not much more. Food is mole
expensive In England than America; rent
and clothing and most other things some.
what cheaper here. When the average
earnings OF all the working classes do not
exceed $3.50 per year, 1t Is easy to I'M
agine all the rest.
One-t third OF the working population OF
Great Britain live always right on the
line OF poverty. where sickness, loss OF
work or old age places them at once 70
the pauper list. This, OF course IS quite
apart from the great class who always
1--we In state Of fear,Ewho are opigeo
to hoard and save and deny, and who.
even then, cannot hold out against any
protracted sickness or ill-luck, or the
calamity OF old age. This class includes
nearly all the working people OF England.
and. for that matter. OF the world.
. investigation In Great Britain shows
TINT In lone single day over 1000 900
people-four per cent OF the whole popula-
tlon-receved "poor relief" and that the
class who are permanently IN receipt OF
moor relief in Great Brltain5is eleven per
cent. OF the whole. s
In no civiliza ton Is the Workman sure
~ enployment He has nothing what.
ever sto do with furnishing work, and the
man who gives 1t to him Is n benefactor:
Some where from five to ten. per cent. are
constantly out OF work. and this great
supply OF surplus labor furnishes q con-
slant danger to the labor unions. VINO
must control the supply Of labor to f'1
prices. ~ ~.
hayo no home but the lodging houses.
and OF the London workingmen one OUT
OF every three will do In the poorhousc'
the public hospital or the insane asyiurH
This Is not a really alluring hope 70 ho'a
out to the English workinsman; stu ~
ought to be thankful that he has poor
house or hospital. or an asylum IN
which to die. or. forfthat matter. that he
Inns chance to die,
In all England only six out OF every
hundred leave any property worth men
tioning at the time OF their death. and lt
is gafe to shy that these six are not work.
ingmen, All the people OF ENGLAND ex.
cont this small number must 1--we and
work their whole lives through IN the con-
slant fear OF the almshouse and the char-
ity hospital, and with no chance 70 leave
their children In any better position tnan
the efin which they work and Ole. ~
II, not strange that In England and wares
in the last thirty years the percentage OF
those who commit suicide has doubled
,rhis may not be due to the fact that PEG,
ule are growing poorer, but rather that
they are growing wiser,
II is scarcely worth while TO LOOK lnto
+hn \ houses or the habits OF the poor,