The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-08-17
Mr.. SAMUEL GOMPERS WRITES
OF THE SQUALOR IN BRUSSELS
Poverty Such as Exists in Belgium and Holland, Can Hardly Be
Conceived by the Average DweHer in an American City
(Copyright..19O9, by P S. Ridsdale for
Samuel GOmpers.)

~ odIIluCt HolipSIo.)
Berlin July-1909.
During the last eight days, besides
making flying visits to The Hague and
Bremen. I have stopped over either
one day or two, in Brussels, Antwerp,
Amsterdam and Hamburg. In the lat
ter cities the time at my disposal per-
mitted me to attend labor meetings
and TO have interviews with local lead
-. ers in the movement, some Of whom
were old friends. l also obtained IN
each place a hasty glance at some OF
the harSher features OF a society Whlcn
compels victims TO protest and at
some of the results OF the methOdS by
which they protest.
Poverty such as exists in Belgium
and Holland can hardly be conceived
by the average dweller in an American
city. In our country, the a~ble-bodied
man may generally see some light or
hope ahead. Work may for the present
be toilsome, the quarters one lives in
uninviting, the pay small and occa-
~sionally unemployment depressing.
But on seeing how the very poor live
and work in Brussels, Antwerp and
Amsterdam, one obtains a view of the
truth that poverty has indeed most
striking differences in it's d~eprivations
n it's struggles. In New York, even
dire poverty reckons its purchases in
cents or nickeIs. and it looks forward
to earning dollars; in Amsterdam,
~ ~ NAt$S NiNoA
fifth of an American cent. and families
subsist for a week on a budget that
the smallest gold piece might cancel.
1t is to be accepted as true that any
observer who wishes to make a point
Of the existence of poverty anywhere
can find the material for his thesis. In
firm old age. helpless infancy, the
fame, the halt, the blind. physical
human f~eebleness in various forms
everywhere brings the duty Of succor
to the strong. But when one sees,
not weakness but strength. and not
only individuals but masses habitually
struggling for bareSt subsistence, he
can but find himself asking why such
a state of things should be 50 and
what could be lone in the way of re-
lief In this spirit of inquiry [ put on
record some of the evidences of a
chronic misery among the masses |
have witnessed during the last week.
Brussels has a rather large Co
operative establishment organized by
q numbe Of working people. It's
headquarters is the "Maison du
People" While examining the details
of this voluntary association of mutual
assistance, mention was made to me
that a district in which "hOme-induS-
try" was carried on was close by. A
cO-OperatOr who was acquainted in
the neighborhood volunteered to show
our party how the jewellers in the
house lived and gained their living. We
first went to a particular house with
which our guide was best acquainted
and found it to be an old one, but of
substantial build. A faucet in the
alley to the building was the only
supply of water for all the occupants.
The narrow steep stairway had just
been washed and the walls recently
calcimined. We to the attic
to inc what we had come to see. It
was, two small attic rooms the larger
one about 10 by 8 feet, the smaller
room about 8 by 6, the only daylight
to each room being admitted by a
scuttle formed of a single pane of
glass. In the living-room were the
wife, a bright young m and
four small children, house-pale and
wasted face. A bed. crib. a cooking
stove, cupboard. and a few of other
household effects, left little space in,
which we could move. In the mans
.workroOm, a tailor's table took up
nearly half the space; beside it was a
crib. The man, tall and we'll made,
had an intelligent face. Directly under
the scuttel of this small room stood
an easel. On it was a painted flower
piece, nearly finished and quite well
done. His work was that of a tailor
doing custom work and to order. His
condition was therefore better, it was
explained to me, han the tailors who
work in their homes and who are
employees working for others. Trade
was dull for the moment and our host
had turned to painting, at which, our
guide. his friend, said he had once han
a fair success. The rental for his
attic space was $3.50 per month, the
property being owned by the city,
which is soon to be torn down. Form
erly, the rental was $3.50. The cloth
ing of the family, especially of the
children, was scant and the least pos
Sible cost.
Those in a position to know and
whose rustWorthinesS is unquestioned
declared that at least IT per cent. of
2he industries Of Belgium was being
carried on in the homes. in the bed
rooms of the workers of that country
and situated in much greater squalor
than had been shown me.