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A*e*wr-14 r 1854.] TMB LEABBR. 783
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^ - ~ n • dDHPlI ( Lllllltril W-^^U VlUUmtUI*
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[IN THIS t>P.PAUTlIl5XT, AS AIX OPINIONS...
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There is no learned raan but will confes...
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THE DOMESTIC MOLOCH. (7'o the Editor of ...
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I2JDIA* (To the Eaiiorofthe Zeader.y Sib...
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DO STIRaEONS MAKE EXPEROIENTS DST CORPOB...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Thr Employers' Keport Upon The ; Preston...
heads of the argument ' -which : destroys it . In the first place , the . rate of wages was not accepted by the large miscellaneous population ; but had caused great murmuring and discontent for months before the dispute culminated- to a point . Inthe second place , the bettfer-paidi towns were amply stocked' with labour ( the report itself says-that " no actual scar , city of factory operatives had yet been felt : " ) , and to inundate them * with the discontented Prestonians would have brought down their wages to a ; level
with those of the latter . In the third ; plaee , locomotion ' from market to market , is rendered well-nigh impossible to > the factory operatives , partly on account of the expense ; and partly from the restrictive measures of the combined' employers . One sentence , in which the franaers- of the report attempt to prove Mr . Bounderby ' s position , that tlie factory operatives-are the best paid people in the world , would have teen better suited to the pages of ' •' Htvrd Times" than to a business-like report .
" The average earnings , of the men , women , a » d children employed have been 10 s . IOcL per -week , or- for a . family of four wm-king ( a low average ) , equal to aa income of 112 / . ISs . 4 d . being about twice tlmt of many clerks and shopmen—quite equal-to that of ' a small tiudesmaii—more than : tbat of the average of our cva'qtes . and Dissenting preaoliers— -approaching tosome of those whp :. erribark . iri-the lottery of the learned jrpfessions-rand . quite equal to the pay of ii lieutenant of infantry . "" " . : ¦' ¦¦ After hearing \ -whlelrwelkattested , ' string of facts , it is to be expected that crowds of clerks and shopmen , not to speak 6 f curates and Dissenting preachers ^
with a sprinkling of learned gentlemen who pine in utter brieflessness inrthe Temple , and perhaps a stray lieutenant of infautryi will at once repair to Preston , and seek the hi ore profitable occupations of the loom and the spindle . Seriously speaking , ' however , this passage is as fallacious as those whichwe havebefore quoted ; There has been no such average as IQs .- lOd . for mea , wornen > and pliildreh , iii Preston . Weavers are among the best paid of the factory operatives , and the average for all the pair-lqpm : weavers in the largest establishment in Preston , previous to the month of August , was 8 s . 8 d .
But the question of whether the employers could or . could hot afford the advance which they resisted , has been practically answered ' within the last fortnight ; for it appeals that Mir . Miller , the largest employer of labour in Preston , indeed in Lancashire , the Chairman of the Masters' Association , the gentleman without whose puissant aid the experiment of the Look-out must have been a miserable failure , has raised his rate of wages from five to seven-anda-half per cent ., and that in the face of a market which is infinitely worse than ever last winter saw .
A*E*Wr-14 R 1854.] Tmb Leabbr. 783
A * e * wr-14 r 1854 . ] TMB LEABBR . 783
^ - ~ N • Ddhpli ( Lllllltril W-^^U Vluumtui*
• (! Dpm Cumrril
[In This T>P.Pautlil5xt, As Aix Opinions...
[ IN THIS t > P . PAUTlIl 5 XT , AS AIX OPINIONS , lIOWUVKn nXTRKlfE , AIU . AU . t »\ VBU AM ICXl'HUSSION , TUB BUITOtt J , IiCUS 3 AlUL , Y HQLUSlilMS 1 ! I , I- ltliSrONSlIlLlS I'OIt XOXBJ
There Is No Learned Raan But Will Confes...
There is no learned raan but will confess he hath much profited by rending controversies , his senses nwnkoned , and , his judgment sharpened , If , then , it be profitable for hh"n to rend , why should it not , at lcaat . be tolerable for his adversary to write . —Milton .
The Domestic Moloch. (7'O The Editor Of ...
THE DOMESTIC MOLOCH . ( 7 'o the Editor of ( ha Leader . ) Sin , —A . ftcr thanking you , in common with many ether womqn , tor your oxposux * e week by voek of tho most crying sin of the day , we wish to make a fuw r . marks in answer to tho letter by J . H ., published in Saturday's "Leader . Wo do not think that any permanent good could bo clFcotod by tho means J . II . suggests . Legislation must not bo trusted to euro this evil ; Magdalen hospitals and refugos must not be trusted . Wo must go deeper , and find out what causes place women under tho sore temptation of adopting such a life , and what onuses produce men so dogradod as to tako advantngo of such 'misfortune . Womon tiro generally driven to degradation from ignorance and tho difllcnlty of getting respectable employment , compared with the groat demand and temporary high wages of this accursed trade . Also by thttb public opinion which condemns thorn as lost characters after the birth of one child out of wedlock , and forcos- them down to a lower and lower depth . Mcnare debased by bad training in youth , and by ttio wretchedly low theory mid hypocritical bearing ot society on tho subject of prostitution . Must women will forgive vice in men beforo marriage , and tuobo 9 t do not dream of bringing publia opinion to bear openly and efficientlon sinners
y . Xlio absurd ( U flloultios placed in tho way of mnrnugo ronvtho number of superfluities doomed necessary m Hie , and ; the iuacceaslbility of respectable young women whonro needlessly shutout from intercourse with ypung mon ,, joincd to tho iinnors'liillty ol divorce fo »; the middle elasaos , are some of the evils that lie at tho root of tho matter
Lieutenant-Blackmore is doing indirect good'by calling pufelie attention to the subject ; and we do not like to dishearten such-good'men by saying that ; while ¦ the demand remains the same , for every miser able girl rescued another victim is ensnared ; yet it is true . Some explicit teaching of right and wrong ' upon the subject , some distinct warning of the penalties of transgression on both sexes , ought to be given to all boys and youths ; "We must' apply more energetically to the education of women of the lower classes , to open out the avenues to employments- in- every possible direction both-to them and to- that portion of the middle class , who , from want of subsistence , are ^ constantly dragged into this most miserable and suicidal life .
It cannever be inherently necessary that one class of women be sacrificed for the protection of another ; an assertion constantly repeated . If' it be so , then happy are the victims compared to those forNphom this curse is perpetuated ! We wish that all workers and well-wishers would think before they act ; it is- not sufficient that we do something—weought to do the best . B ; B .
I2jdia* (To The Eaiiorofthe Zeader.Y Sib...
I 2 JDIA * ( To the Eaiiorofthe Zeader . y Sib , — -Although a sincere admirer of your opinions on most subjects , I cannot agree with the spirit of your remarks on Indian , affairs . You speak of th £ shameful extortions under which , the natives still : groan , and you apparently allude to the collection bf the ; revenue . Here you are certainly mista , keny for nothing , can . be more equitable . than the manner in which , -the :, assessment , is made ; and in very bad
years the Government invariably makes a liberal allowance to : the tax-payers . "Fpr instance ,, not only wastemporary assistance -bountifullytendered during the terrible famine of 1838 , but the revenuedemand was lowered in all the districts that suffered most severely . In . Bengal Proper tliere is , unfortunately , a perpetual settlement with which we cannot interfere without a breach of faith . If any change , however , could be niade , it would be ; to . dbuble the assessment .
Perhaps your objection lies ag-ainst the nature of a land tax ? But it must be remembered that this and the salt tax are the only imposts that fall upon the natives . To our English ideas the latter duty does appear an oppressive one for the working classes—but it is not so in reality . If the salt tax were repealed to-morrow , the labourers who for . mjthe vast majority of the population would not benefit in the slightest degree . Their employers , also natives , would alone reap the fruits of the measure , , b y reducing the rate of wages ; The European system of political economy will not- yet apply to Asiatic peoples and countries , Iui those climates a man has such very few wants , and Nature is so bountiful ,
that he is satisfied with the merest , pittance in the shape of money . His dress consists of a linen cloth bound round his waist , and-of another one wound round his head . More than this you could not persu-adc him to wear . His only extravagance is in the article of jewelry . Every pice he can accumulate is laid by with the hope of purchasing a bracelet , an anklet , or a ring . Beyond this and his daily food he has no thought . I once saw in an English publication a heartrending description of tho poor ryots , who might be seen working in the fields under a vortical sun , without so much as a . shirt to their backs . Oft mentioning this to an intelligent native , he smiled , and said . " Yes , sahib ; give ryot shirt ,
make . much good turban . " Unless you can teach the natives to have artificial wants you will never get them to strike for wages . Tho masters know exactly upon how little a man can subsist , and also the amount ot disposable labour in the district , and they consequently give the labourers just so milch as will keep them in . fair working condition—and no more . Whatever oppression does exist is exorcised by natives over natives . And I really believe that a Hindoo loves to be oppressed . If you treat him with marked kindness ho directly suspects some sinister
motives on your part , or fancies that j ' ou , are afraid of him . This may possibly bo owing to long agos of misrule ; but it certainly is tho case . They acknowledge that tho Iftsringhees are more just and pvntlo than thoir own countrymen over were or would bo ; but they do not value us the more on that accountrather the contrary . Tho only class who really lovo our rulo nrc tho traders ami money-changersbankers if you will . Those men are able to pursue their usurious speculations in safety and without fear ; and many of thorn rcoogniso this much of morit in tho hated Feringhec .
With respect to admitting natives more largely into tha executive uucl administrative departments , the " prindplo is undoubtedly right . But tho time has not yet arrived fur reducing it to practice . Tho English public form erroneous notions of tho degree of enlightenment tliat prevails among tho bettor educated natives . They found their judgment on tho well worded petitions that are , ever and anon ,
seat home . Butt these petitions * are usually drawn up by some : pettifogging . ' English attorney , who failing " . of success-among hisiown countrymen * . adopts ttae . apparently literal £ ourseof : throwTOg . himselfdnto the arms ofi the- natives ^ and t of' identify ing > theininterestS' witte his * owsn .: I can assure * you posi tively that most of ^ those 1 mem wtioy in India , talk , most loudly of thei rights-o £ man ; are those who respect : them . the least * . The natives themselves do not understand the- nature of ¦ a ; constitutional or ; representative Government . Englislrhistory is quite unintelligible to them . THiey-will in . time . master a certain number of dates , and names of persons and
events * . But . you cannot get them- to connect cause with effect . They are the-most : inconsequential reaseners-it is possible to 'imagine . They will talk . glibly ahout " Macaulay's Essays , " "Rasselas , "" Shakespeare ,, and the " Spectator *; but iix . vain sha . Ul you attempt to fixupon any one idea . They delight ' in a * flowing / style—it is as music to themr—arpleasant sound , " only this and nothing more . ; " At times-you imagine that they understand your explanations-of ahighstate of social civilisation , wlaen : in a . moment yourrhopes are crushed : by an unmeaning rhapsody of high sounding words , which only proves-to you thafeyou ; have wasted youEtime : and ; breath ; to . no
purpose ; The system of educatiouasvpartly in fault . We have begun ; with'colleges ^ where ^ elementary schools were-really feq . u . iredi . Wei givethe ; natives boolss . to read , such , as wfe should : jilace in / tjie . hands-of ldds going . up to oxtr"Universities . ; But we omit the com > - mon . place . foundations ; and ^ ^ bove aU ^ neglect toanculcate the habit 6 fi application , which ; ii » the most valuable ¦ ac quisitionimadeat . ordinary : schools ' inour own cduntryi The conseguence .-isj . that : the native is - ^ top-heavy . " He isHie a . man- hatoxicaited with tie fiirme & of champagjae . ThrereJ is but one Iialfpenny worth ; of h ^ ead ^ to > ak : intdlerablerquantity / of sack .. There isjbo ballast ? on bdaid , and yet all sails are set alofk .
Thfe evil is undoubtedly susceptibleof a remedy , but tirne is required for its application . The Hindoo , and especially the Bengalee ,, is naturally astute—too rnuch so , indeed . He is deficient ) however in common sense and in practical knowledge . His moral and social ideas are also miserably weak . In short , he wants stabilit y and " soundness . * ' Having much more to say , I must breai off for the present ; but , with your permission ; will return to the charge neist week * J . H . '
Do Stiraeons Make Experoients Dst Corpob...
DO STIRaEONS MAKE EXPEROIENTS DST CORPOBE VILI ? A correspondent has called our attention to the following passage in the Association Medical Journal : —and . we insert his comments : — " During the \ aita painfal investigation into the circumstances connected with the death of the child , Alfred Eicliardson , at the Eoynl Free Ilospitu ] , we more than once heard it bioadly stated by sensible laymen that , whatever ljii g lit besaid for or against the humanity and operative skill of the surgeons of the Royal Free Hospital ,, it was well known that hospital surgeons were unfeeling as a class , arid leamedall tliey knew by wantonly carving the bodies of the poor ! Beckless experiments upon living men and women were in fact
represented as the frequent and congenial occupation or liospital aspirants to surgieaL eminence . It was not only incasual conversations that we mot with this monstrous Calumny ; for in the newspapers , especially in those of weekly iasue , we found articles breathing , tho same absurd / and sl . tnderous spirit . For example , the Leader , in its impression of tho 22 nd of July , spoko as follow ^ : — " ' Very likely tho verdict of the jury is quite just : bat do we not know that surgeons are always experimenting in the hospitals , vory frequently to the ruin of the poor—most likely pnupor—patient ?'—Lender , July 22 nd , 1854 , p . 679 . " The question arises—How is it that such an oxtraordinnry delusion exists in tho public miad regarding tho skill au'd tho morality of our hospital surgeons ?"
"It is a fortunate thing fox' the members of the medical profossion that thoir morality is not to be estimated by the tone of their own peculiar journals j and wo doubt very much , if any question of morale were put to the vote , whether as a body tho whole profession would not at once cry out , ? Save us from , our brethren 1 * Such is tho clash-of' knives and the clamour of infallible- cures , —what with this slashing operator and that fashionable physician , ^—that tho ancient science is as full of its diplomatists and charlatans as any othor profession that lives by Weed " ing the public .
" That there is a scienco of medicine , alboit as yet somewhat of the obscure—that it has benontted immensely by tho later ndvancos of physiology , wo firmly believe . There enn bo no reserve , too , m admitting »\ t onco tho high position for integrity nnd honest npplicntion of thoir best skill on an emergency that belongs to tho profossion gonor « lly > but thoro is no blinking tho foot that niodlaino and surgery are amongst tho luicortuin sciences—thoy lmvo to deal with tilings that are nlwaya more or lose matters of uncertainty- — contingencies that are to bo guossedat ; and tlioso mon « ro succcsaAil who have tho kuaokto observe well and truly tho thousand . diflbfent < phasos of tho ills tlint flosh ia- heir to . Wo should ' be tho flrst to allow ovory amount of latitude to tho devo-
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 19, 1854, page 15, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_19081854/page/15/
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