THE WORKING MAN'S HOME.

Press, Volume III, Issue 130, 31 March 1863, Page 1

THE WORKING MAN'S HOME.

A letter will be found in another column from the' Secretary to the Working Man's Homo. We E ]fld to hear of the proposed alteration of the tame of the institution from ilic Working Man's Home to the Mechanics' Club. The institution poposed will not, in fact, he what is called in Iceland a "Home," but rather what is called a flub; and it * s always desirable to call things l>v iheir right names. But we certainly arc somewhat, surprised to jam that only 1000 shares are taken up out of 5000, And wo do not think that the way in ihich the institution will be made to succeed is tvrelviiig on those who put their money into it, merely from charitable motives. Xo doubt the epitalist has an interest in it as well as the poor an,—the employer as -well as the employed. It feqnite (is much the interest' of the sheep farmer that his hands when they come up to town shall bro a comfortable home to go to instead of going tothc grog shop, as it is the interest of the men themselves. But still if this Mechanics' Club is to be a success, it must be mainly the work of the sechanics themselves. They can afford it very kD. There ig not a labouring man in the arantry who cannot afford if lie chooses to take & one, two, or three shares in this speculation. lid we arc bound to say that the promise of the public meeting has not been followed, as it ought tokyo been, by performance in the wny of taking stares. It may bo quite true, as Mr. Ellman bjs, that the working classes are unaccustomed a speculations of this kind. They learn quite l&fcly enough to speculate in land, or in any sler way in which they can get money. We w never found the working men at all deficient a intelligence in the matter cf bargains. It is iffl a question mainly for them, whether they apply the principle of association, which ha* k>3 been used by the upper classes for the purPose of obtaining comfortable homes for men of '•derate means, to their own class and their own "nostanccs. We are confident that if the furiing men choose to take the matter up and $ together, they may have a home quite as well ™>d in all the comforts and conveniences of life "lie majority of the wealthier classes in this There is no limit to the enormous power Wiatcd capital in matters of this kind. Look 'toe example of the London club houses. There "ttpalaces with the most splendid saloons and 384 gorgeous ornaments, and with every luxury the most lavish expenditure can procure, **8l»t within the reach of men of the most moans. Many and many a man of not *• than £200 a year is enabled to live in the *ofa mn with £20,000 a year. Let the men go and do likewise.