the ragged trousered philanthropists-第110节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ob。

None　of　the　men　were　ever　caught　stealing　anything；　however　trifling；　but　all　the　same　during　the　course　of　the　summer　five　or　six　of　them　were　captured　by　the　police　and　sent　to　jail　…　for　not　being　able　to　pay　their　poor　rates。

All　through　the　summer　Owen　continued　to　make　himself　objectionable　and　to　incur　the　ridicule　of　his　fellow　workmen　by　talking　about　the　causes　of　poverty　and　of　ways　to　abolish　it。

Most　of　the　men　kept　two　shillings　or　half　a　crown　of　their　wages　back　from　their　wives　for　pocket　money；　which　they　spent　on　beer　and　tobacco。　　There　were　a　very　few　who　spent　a　little　more　than　this；　and　there　were　a　still　smaller　number　who　spent　so　much　in　this　way　that　their　families　had　to　suffer　in　consequence。

Most　of　those　who　kept　back　half　a　crown　or　three　shillings　from　their　wives　did　so　on　the　understanding　that　they　were　to　buy　their　clothing　out　of　it。　　Some　of　them　had　to　pay　a　shilling　a　week　to　a　tallyman　or　credit　clothier。　　These　were　the　ones　who　indulged　in　shoddy　new　suits　…　at　long　intervals。　　Others　bought　…　or　got　their　wives　to　buy　for　them　…　their　clothes　at　second…hand　shops；　‘paying　off'　about　a　shilling　or　so　a　week　and　not　receiving　the　things　till　they　were　paid　for。

There　were　a　very　large　proportion　of　them　who　did　not　spend　even　a　shilling　a　week　for　drink：　and　there　were　numerous　others　who；　while　not　being　formally　total　abstainers；　yet　often　went　for　weeks　together　without　either　entering　a　public　house　or　tasting　intoxicating　drink　in　any　form。

Then　there　were　others　who；　instead　of　drinking　tea　or　coffee　or　cocoa　with　their　dinners　or　suppers；　drank　beer。　　This　did　not　cost　more　than　the　teetotal　drinks；　but　all　the　same　there　are　some　persons　who　say　that　those　who　swell　the　‘Nation's　Drink　Bill'　by　drinking　beer　with　their　dinners　or　suppers　are　a　kind　of　criminal；　and　that　they　ought　to　be　compelled　to　drink　something　else：　that　is；　if　they　are　working　people。　　As　for　the　idle　classes；　they　of　course　are　to　be　allowed　to　continue　to　make　merry；　‘drinking　whisky；　wine　and　sherry'；　to　say　nothing　of　having　their　beer　in　by　the　barrel　and　the　dozen　…　or　forty　dozen　…　bottles。　　But　of　course　that's　a　different　matter；　because　these　people　make　so　much　money　out　of　the　labour　of　the　working　classes　that　they　can　afford　to　indulge　in　this　way　without　depriving　their　children　of　the　necessaries　of　life。

There　is　no　more　cowardly；　dastardly　slander　than　is　contained　in　the　assertion　that　the　majority　or　any　considerable　proportion　of　working　men　neglect　their　families　through　drink。　　It　is　a　condemned　lie。　There　are　some　who　do；　but　they　are　not　even　a　large　minority。　　They　are　few　and　far　between；　and　are　regarded　with　contempt　by　their　fellow　workmen。

It　will　be　said　that　their　families　had　to　suffer　for　want　of　even　the　little　that　most　of　them　spent　in　that　way：　but　the　persons　that　use　this　argument　should　carry　it　to　its　logical　conclusion。　　Tea　is　an　unnecessary　and　harmful　drink；　it　has　been　condemned　by　medical　men　so　often　that　to　enumerate　its　evil　qualities　here　would　be　waste　of　time。　　The　same　can　be　said　of　nearly　all　the　cheap　temperance　drinks；　they　are　unnecessary　and　harmful　and　cost　money；　and；　like　beer；　are　drunk　only　for　pleasure。

What　right　has　anyone　to　say　to　working　men　that　when　their　work　is　done　they　should　not　find　pleasure　in　drinking　a　glass　or　two　of　beer　together　in　a　tavern　or　anywhere　else？　　Let　those　who　would　presume　to　condemn　them　carry　their　argument　to　its　logical　conclusion　and　condemn　pleasure　of　every　kind。　　Let　them　persuade　the　working　classes　to　lead　still　simpler　lives；　to　drink　water　instead　of　such　unwholesome　things　as　tea；　coffee；　beer；　lemonade　and　all　the　other　harmful　and　unnecessary　stuff。　　They　would　then　be　able　to　live　ever　so　much　more　cheaply；　and　as　wages　are　always　and　everywhere　regulated　by　the　cost　of　living；　they　would　be　able　to　work　for　lower　pay。

These　people　are　fond　of　quoting　the　figures　of　the　‘Nation's　Drink　Bill；'　as　if　all　this　money　were　spent　by　the　working　classes！　　But　if　the　amount　of　money　spent　in　drink　by　the　‘aristocracy'；　the　clergy　and　the　middle　classes　were　deducted　from　the　‘Nation's　Drink　Bill'；　it　would　be　seen　that　the　amount　spent　per　head　by　the　working　classes　is　not　so　alarming　after　all；　and　would　probably　not　be　much　larger　than　the　amount　spent　on　drink　by　those　who　consume　tea　and　coffee　and　all　the　other　unwholesome　and　unnecessary　‘temperance'　drinks。

The　fact　that　some　of　Rushton's　men　spent　about　two　shillings　a　week　on　drink　while　they　were　in　employment　was　not　the　cause　of　their　poverty。　　If　they　had　never　spent　a　farthing　for　drink；　and　if　their　wretched　wages　had　been　increased　fifty　percent；　they　would　still　have　been　in　a　condition　of　the　most　abject　and　miserable　poverty；　for　nearly　all　the　benefits　and　privileges　of　civilization；　nearly　everything　that　makes　life　worth　living；　would　still　have　been　beyond　their　reach。

It　is　inevitable；　so　long　as　men　have　to　live　and　work　under　such　heartbreaking；　uninteresting　conditions　as　at　present　that　a　certain　proportion　of　them　will　seek　forgetfulness　and　momentary　happiness　in　the　tavern；　and　the　only　remedy　for　this　evil　is　to　remove　the　cause；　and　while　that　is　in　process；　there　is　something　else　that　can　be　done　and　that　is；　instead　of　allowing　filthy　drinking　dens；　presided　over　by　persons　whose　interest　it　is　to　encourage　men　to　drink　more　bad　beer　than　is　good　for　them　or　than　they　can　afford；　…　to　have　civilized　institutions　run　by　the　State　or　the　municipalities　for　use　and　not　merely　for　profit。　　Decent　pleasure　houses；　where　no　drunkenness　or　filthiness　would　be　tolerated　…　where　one　could　buy　real　beer　or　coffee　or　tea　or　any　other　refreshments；　where　men　could　repair　when　their　day's　work　was　over　and　spend　an　hour　or　two　in　rational　intercourse　with　their　fellows　or　listen　to　music　and　singing。　　Taverns　to　which　they　could　take　their　wives　and　children　without　fear　of　defilement；　for　a　place　that　is　not　fit　for　the　presence　of　a　woman　or　a　child　is　not　fit　to　exist　at　all。

Owen；　being　a　teetotaller；　did　not　spend　any　of　his　money　on　drink；　but　he　spent　a　lot　on　what　he　called　‘The　Cause'。　　Every　week　he　bought　some　penny　or　twopenny　pamphlets　or　some　leaflets　about　Socialism；　which　he　lent　or　gave　to　his　mates；　and　in　this　way　and　by　means　of　much　talk　he　succeeded　in　converting　a　few　to　his　party。　Philpot；　Harlow　and　a　few　others　used　to　listen　with　interest；　and　some　of　them　even　paid　for　the　pamphlets　they　obtained　from　Owen；　and　after　reading　them　themselves；　passed　them　on　to　others；　and　also　occasionally　‘got　up'　arguments　on　their　own　accounts。　　Others　were　simply　indifferent；　or　treated　the　subject　as　a　kind　of　joke；　ridiculing　the　suggestion　that　it　was　possible　to　abolish　poverty。　They　repeated　that　there　had　‘always　been　rich　and　poor　in　the　world　and　there　always　would　be；　so　there　was　an　end　of　it'。　　But　the　majority　were　bitterly　hostile；　not　to　Owen；　but　to　Socialism。　　For　the　man　himself　most　of　them　had　a　certain　amount　of　liking；　especially　the　ordinary　hands　because　it　was　known　that　he　was　not　a　‘master's　man'　and　that　he　had　declined　to　‘take　charge'　of　jobs　which　Misery　had　offered　to　him。　　But　to　Socialism　they　were　savagely　and　malignantly　opposed。　　Some　of　those　who　had　shown　some　symptoms　of　Socialism　during　the　past　winter　when　they　were　starving　had　now　quite　recovered　and　were　stout　defenders　of　the　Present　System。

Barrington　was　still　working　for　the　firm　and　continued　to　maintain　his　manner　of　reserve；　seldom　speaking　unless　addressed　but　all　the　same；　for　several　reasons；　it　began　to　be　rumoured　that　he　shared　Owen's　views。　　He　always　paid　for　the　pamphlets　that　Owen　gave　him；　and　on　one　occasion；　when　Owen　bought　a　thousand　leaflets　to　give　away；　Barrington　contributed　a　shilling　towards　the　half…crown　that　Owen　paid　for　them。　　But　he　never　took　any　part　in　the　arguments　that　sometimes　raged　during　the　dinner…hour　or　at　breakfast…time。

It　was　a　good　thing　for　Owen　that　he　had　his　enthusiasm　for　‘the　cause'　to　occupy　his　mind。　　Socialism　was　to　him　what　drink　was　to　some　of　the　others　…　the　thing　that　enable　them　to　forget　and　tolerate　the　conditions　under　which　they　were　forced　to　exist。　　Some　of　them　were　so　muddled　with　beer；　and　others　so　besotted　with　admiration　of　their　Liberal　and　Tory　masters；　that　they　were　oblivious　of　the　misery　of　their　own　lives；　and　in　a　similar　way；　Owen　was　so　much　occupied　in　trying　to　rouse　them　from　their　lethargy　and　so　engrossed　in　trying　to　think　out　new　arguments　to　convince　them　of　the　possibility　of　bringing　about　an　improvement　in　their　condition　that　he　had　no　time　to　dwell　upon　his　own　poverty；　the　money　that　he　spent　on　leaflets　and　pamphlets　to　give　away　might　have　been　better　spent　on　food　and　clothing　for　himself；　because　most　of　those　to　whom　he　gave　them　were　by　no　means　grateful；　but　he　never　thought　of　that；　and　after　all；　nearly　everyone　spends　money　on　some　hobby　or　other。　　Some　people　deny　themselves　the　necessaries　or　comforts　of　life　in　order　that　they　may　be　able　to　help　to　fatten　a　publican。　　Others　deny　themselves　in　order　to　enable　a　lazy　parson　to　live　in　idleness　and　luxury；　and　others