The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists

et. A Philosophic

ger. Britons Nev

gh. It stood back nearly two hundred yards from the main road and was reached by means of a by-road or lane, on each side of which was a hedge formed of hawthorn trees and blac

ked and broken that they had to be replastered. Openings were cut through walls and doors were being put where no doors had been before. Old broken chimney pots were being taken down and new ones were being taken up and fixed in their places. All the old whitewash had to be washed off the ceilings and all the old paper had to be scraped off the walls preparatory to the house being repainted and decorated. The air was full of the sounds of hammering and sawing, t

galvanized iron pail that he had placed in the middle of the floor. By the side of the pail were a number of old jam-jars, mugs, dilapidated tea-cups and one or two empty condensed milk tins. Each man on t

ed pails, and the drawers belonging to the dresser, formed the seating accommodation. The floor of the room was covered with all manner of debris, dust, dirt, fra

m the steaming pail, before sitting down. Most of them brought their food in litt

sounds of eating and drinking and the drizzling of the bloater which Easton,

loody tea,' suddenly remarked

retorted Bert; 'it's been bili

and scarcely reaching the top of his patched and broken hob-nailed boots. The knees and the bottoms of the legs of his trousers had been patched with square pieces of cloth, several shades darker than the original fabric, and these patches were now all in rags. His coat

ea in, or else you've bin usin' up wot

another painter. 'If you don't like the tea you needn't drink it.

to express an opinion. It's my belief that 'arf the money we gives 'him is spent on penny 'orribles: 'e's always got on

'It's not me wot buys the things at all. I gives the mo

tively exchanged significant glances, a

own tea after this week,' he said, addressing Sawkins, '

aters or bacon for you no more,' added

ut on a white jacket, regarded himself as a fully qualified painter. The others did not perhaps object to him trying to better his condition, but his wages--fivepence an hour--were twopence an hour less than the standard rate, and the result was that in slack times oft

one of the men, who told a dirty story, and in the laughter an

essing Bundy, the plasterer, who was intently stu

a bob each way on Stockwell, in the first r

e of those who did not join the syndicate was Frank Owen, who was as usual absorbed in a newspaper. He was generally regarded as a bit of a crank: for it was felt that there must be something wrong about a man who took no interest in racing or football and was always talking a lot of rot about religion and politics. If it had not been for the fact that he was generally admi

itude of his fellow workmen, for Owen held the most unu

d on the verge of want; and that a smaller but still very large number lived lives of semi-starvation from the cradle to the grave; while a yet smaller but still very great number actually died of hunger, or, maddened by privation, killed themselves and their children in order to put a period to their misery. And strangest of all--in his opinion--he saw that people who enjoyed abundanc

subjects that his fellow workmen came to the conclusio

out of his head and his mouth wide open, was devouring the contents of a paper called The Chronicles of Crime. Ned Dawson, a poor devil who was paid fourpence an hour for acting as mate or labourer to Bundy, or the bricklayers, or anyone else who wanted him, lay down on the dirty floor in a corner of the room and with his coat rolled up as a pillow,

ington employment. It was whispered amongst the hands that the young man was a distant relative of the gentleman's, and that he had disgraced himself in some way and been disowned by his people. Rushton was supposed to have given him a job in the hope of currying favour with his wealthy clie

y anxious to learn all that he could about the trade, and although rather reserved in his manner, he had contrived to make himself fairly popular with his workmates. He seldom spoke unless to answ

it their pipes and a desu

any relation to Sweater the draper?'

me bloke,' r

be on the Town Co

ed Crass. ''E's on it now. 'E's mayor this

married old Grinder's sister, didn't 'e? Yo

eve he did,'

It was 'is niece. I know, because I remember working in th

yne. 'She used to manage one of G

ime. By all accounts, ole Sweater used to be a regler 'ot un: no one never thought as he'd ever g

of, there followed a brief silence,

?' he said. '"The Cave." I wonder wha

of outlandish names nowada

Payne. 'For instance, if a bloke backed a winner and made a pil

tree in the garding,' said another man; 'then

Harlow with a grin, 'you know, the cesspool, what the drai

had ceased. 'Talking about the drains, I wonder what they're going to do about them; the 'ouse ai

ing to be a new set of drains altogether, carried

t he felt certain that this course would be adopted. He never missed an opportunity of enhan

o cost a good b

weater. 'E's got tons of it; you know 'e's got a large wholesale business in

-but he was conscious of a growing feeling of indignation and hatred against foreigners of every description, who were ruining this country, and he began to think that it was about time we did

of this 'ere fis

replied Crass. 'I don't never

n sagely, 'argyfying about politics generally ends

ay, but in a mixed company it was better left alone. The 'Fissical Policy' emanated from the Tory party. That was the reason why some of them were strongly in favour of it, and for the same reason others were opposed to it. Some of them were under the delusion

ached so objectionable a subject, when

le your heads about politics" preven

ence. Easton however, in spite of the snub he

this 'ere paper is true, it seems to me as we oughter take some

that's in that bloody rag you'

rlow was a member of the local Liber

look round the place an' you'll see that more than 'arf the damn stuff comes from abroad. They're able to sell their goods 'ere because they don't 'a

being in charge of the job, had it in his power to put in a good--or a bad-

on as Linden, echoed Crass's sentime

uff from foreign countries,' said Harlow, 'but

said Crass. ''Ow much more did they buy

t was not much wider than Crass's. He mumbled something about not havi

Crass; 'you've got a 'ell of a lot to say, but w

esser had been awakened by the shouting--'We're overrun with 'em! Nearly all the wai

blokes wot sells 'ot chestnuts; an' wen I was goin' 'ome last night I see a lot of them Frenchies se

of the others, who thought it was a very serious state of affairs. It was a dam' shame that these people

ry they did to British trade. These were the seeds which, cunningly sown in their minds, caused to grow up within them a bitter undiscriminating hatred of foreigners. To them the mysterious thing they variously called the 'Friscal Policy', the 'Fistical Policy', or the 'Fissical Question' was a great Anti-Foreign Crusade. The country was in a hell of a state, poverty, hunger and misery in a hundred forms had already invaded thousands of homes and stood upon the thresholds of thousands more. How came

them could not have read a dozen sentences aloud without stumbling--it was not necessary to think or study or invest

had in some d

g like this: "This meeting of British Christians hereby indignantly protests against the action of the Supreme Being in having created so many foreigners, and calls upon him to forthwith rain

could think of nothing to say i

, it follows that you know nothing about them; yet you do not hesitate to express the most decided opinions concerning matters of which you admittedly know nothing. Presently, when there is an election, you will go and vote in fav

y this time

an opinion as you 'ave. I votes for who the bloody 'ell I likes. I shan't arst y

tion is the evil that some people say is is, I shall be one of those who will suffer. I say you have no right to vote for a policy whic

walking up and down the room emphas

nd by what he thought was the glare of madness in the latter's eyes, 'I reads the Ananias every wee

o create a diversion and beginning to read from the

TRESS IN M

OUT OF EM

HE CHARIT

ES ON T

tress among the worki

eems every prospect t

ced is over the distr

ut

ciety and kindred asso

did at the correspo

oard of Guardians hav

Kitchen has had to op

than usual. The numb

h meals is three or f

t y

reading was ha

d one shilling for single and something about there's been 1,572 quarts of soup given to poor famil

UFFERI

he poor is so acute t

ion Army's great Socia

heltered nightly. Hu

d are distributed in

in London. Addition

established. Our Soci

characterless and the

ffort of its kind in t

required before Chris

section or home, if d

keep the work going?

nd (Law Courts Branch

Balance Sheets and Re

WELL

' prosperity wot Owen makes out Free Trade

e brought happiness or

y exactly them words, but

ection things were worse still. Other countries have Protection and yet many of their people are glad to come here and work for starvation wages. The only difference between Free Trade and Protection is that under ce

poverty is hover-popula

nts two men, twenty goes after the job: th

France? Is over-population the cause of poverty in Ireland? Within the last fifty years the population of Ireland has been reduced by more than half. Four millions of people have b

med his seat. When the cough had ceased he sat wiping his mou

e of most of the p

d 'worldly' people. He was not 'worldly', he did not smoke or drink and never went to the theatre. He had an extraordinary notion that total abstinence was one of

ay's work in all their bloody lives. Then thers all this new-fangled machinery,' continued Crass. 'That's wot's ruinin' everything. Even in our trade ther's them machines for trimmi

, 'there's thousands of 'em nowadays

ation, nowadays,' remarked old Linden. 'Wot the '

t puts foolish idears into people's

ng to this pitiable farrago with feelings of contempt and wonder. Were they all hopelessly stu

: 'no man oughtn't to be allowed to get marrie

u continue your argument a little further and say that the practice of eating and drinking is the cause of poverty or that if people wer

e some money in the bank; an' another thing, I reckon a man oughtn't to get married till 'e's got

re was a ge

or you to talk; you've got almost a constant job on this firm. If they're doin' anything at all you're one of the

'Misery' was only one of the nicknames bestowed upon him by

ntinued, winking at the others, 'what's a

uer hisself,' said

ht!' said Harlow and th

strength,' replied Slyme, ''e would be sure to fail, but

aid Harlow in a tone of disgust.

k?' demanded old Jo

eedin' talk. I wouldn't mind 'avin 'arf a

had lost his wife some five years ago and was now alone in the world, for his three children had died in their infancy. Slyme's reference to drink had roused Philpot's indignation; he felt that it was

orkers could be by some miracle transformed into sober, industrious and skilled workers tomorrow, it would, under the present conditions, be so much the worse for us, because there isn't enough work for all NOW and those people by increasing the competition for what work there is, would inevitably cause a reduction of wages and a

Crass, with a sneer, 'praps you c

ow it's to be altered,' remarke

,' declared Owen, 'and I do think

don't see no sense in all this 'ere talk. There's always

ds or quarrelin about politics. It don't make a dam bit of difference who you votes for or who gets in. They're hall the same; workin the horicle for their own benefit. You can talk till you're black in the face, but you won't neve

rasped a jam-jar and raised it to his lips; but suddenly remembering that

wen, taking no notice of these interruptions

o money, of course,'

nfully. It seemed to them

n, 'that is, as things are arranged in the world at presen

another outburst o

island, and YOU had saved nothing from the wreck but a bag containing a

!' cried Harl

he richer man,

worst of your arguments. You can't never get very far without supposing some bloody ridclus thin

nden. 'That's wot we want

n by poverty, th

lization; the necessaries, comforts, pleasures and refinements of life, leisure, books, theatres,

wanting or having such things! Any doubts that any of them had entertai

ation--the accumulation of knowledge which has come down to us from our forefathers--is the fruit of thousands of years of human thought and toil. It is not the result of the labour of the ancestors of any separate class of people who exist today, and therefore it is by right the common heritage of all. Every li

ust be a clever sort of chap to be able to talk like this. It sounded almost lik

e are not only deprived of nearly all the benefits of civilization, but we and ou

e ans

who work. We do our full share of the work, therefore we sh

lligent answer to save his life, for once had sufficient sense to remain silent. He did think of calling out the patent paint-pumping machine and

etended to

, had suddenly g

ivilization we are really worse off than slaves, for if we were slaves our

en listening with evident anger and impatience. 'You can speak for

sturdily. 'Let them call thei

leading to the kitchen. Old Misery! or perhaps the

gasped. 'It's fou

of a pair of steps and began wa

ng a piece of sandpaper from the pocket of his apr

y of the Obscurer and scr

hronicles of Crime in

ng up the stale whitewash it contained, and the

nation

lefactors suddenly interrupte

nly Bundy returning from