The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-02-11


hard and steady, and learns easily, but
he has absolutely no ideas of his own or
initiative. He will do what he is told,
but does not care to know Why he is do
ing it.
Another philanthropic work undertake
en- by the same firm is the establish
ment OF schools for the children OF the
employees. The government does so
little for education was informed by
one of the officials, that We must do
something ourselves if any good result
is to be obtained" Many of these chill
dren afterwards enter the service of the
firm, when they are old enough, and
the education impaired in the higher
standards has to some extent this OBJ
ject in view. This strengthens the ten
dency of the Industrial population to be-
come permanent. In the lower stand
ards the subjects taught are practically
the same as in the ordinary schools
governmental, municipal, synodal, or
zemstvo schools, but the curriculum is
much more thoroughly taught. This,
however. is one of the very few faeto-
ries in st. Petersburg where lodging
and education are provided; there are,
/ think, only two others.
Another factory which visited was a
large cotton mill belonging to a Rus
sian company, but worked largely UNI
der English management. 1t employs
some six or seven hundred men and
women (no children). The English
overseers seemed to be satisfied with
the Russian workmen as whole, and
were of opinion that if they were better
paid, lived in better lodgings, and had
better food they would be equal to the
worknlen of most other countries; but
in the conditions in which they exist no
real improvement is possible The av-
erage wage being twenty to twenty-five
rubles, or two pounds two shillings to
two pounds six shillings month Tin
many cases it is even less), large part
of which goes in house rent, they can
not grow up healthy or with highly de-
veloped intelligence. In his ten or elev-
en- hours a day he does less work and
less good work than an English or
American workman in eight or nine.
Nor can education mend matters to any
great extent, as the government pur-.
posely discourages it. again for political
reasons. f. {
Another system which tends to de,
press the Russian working classes is
the credit system which obtains in the
provision shops and eating houses.
Each workman has credit book at the
eating houses, which he frequerlts, and
his debt is allowed to mount up until
pay day (Which is usually once fort
night or once month";. Then he pays
il he can, and fw not the credit is car
ried on, but one-quarter of his wages
can be seized by the shopman. II the
artisan loses his employment supplies
are cut off until he gets another job.
Thus the one possible advantage Of the
system-that Of giving credit during
bad tines--is done away with. IL he
obtains another job the shopman Is
down on him at once, and again retains
employer. Owing to the passport sys-
tenn all escape is impossible. In some
cases the bishop belongs to the employ
er, and thus we have the truck system
in its worst form. If, on the other
hand, the debt is paid and anything re-
mains over, it is all spent In vodka.
The Russian is naturally inclined to
in the highest cir
cles of society it is by no means uncom-
mon for men to get drunk every night
after dinner-and for the poor it is the
only pleasure in life Attempts have
been made in st. Petersburg by the
Temperance society to instil taste for
rational amusements unaccomparied by
alcohol among the lower classes, and
the handsome and well.managed Ma
rodny Dunn peoples House, was start
ed with this object There one can en-
joy music, light, warmth and cheerful
surroundings for ten copecks, while at
the same time good refreshments are
supplied at moderate prices. But the
place has become chiefly the resort or
the lower bourgeoisie. The working
man does not go there, for he can sell
dom afford the ten copecks entrance,
and even the cheap prices of the food
are not cheap enough for him. If he
has little money TO spare he prefers
to spend 1t on drink, and although the
total quantity which he consumes in a
year is not large, he takes enough each
time to make himself thoroughly drunk.
1t may be said that the wretched con-
ditions of the industrial classes are no
worse than those in which their peasant
fathers and mothers lived. But, apart
from the fact that the food in the lat
ter case was often really better than in
the former and the overcrowding less
great, the country air and the country
life tended to make up for otherwise
unsatisfactory conditions, whereas Rus
sian morkmen in the factories suffer all
the disadvantages of industrial ciyiliza-
| ton without its compensations.- Lon-
don Times Correspondence.
WALLINGFoRD.