CROAKERS.
(Lin kijai, Ri:vn:\v.) Jt " ™tomnry lo hear a k.,.,,1 deal M l ) 0„, ,]„. g„ o d o hl iiiKv and people | 0 „ k |, iu . k upu|i lh(i|n wi)!i ,;, ljn |bnd . ■ »«• 1.v,..-vtlun K thon, from a counlrv squire toapairof «»»h,wu, uore thorough, s „ ,„ s|M , lk ; ~,',„ it is mJvv :it -u,, , (j „,. ~,„ ,„,,, (]i t||(j(| I)|;ivi; (1(1 Ilv ,. oimui lm "'' asiiitol broadcloth la,f hi,,, a lifetime.* occasionally "•qneathing H. to succeeding generations. Jl,, i-aimut d'.> ">it now though. ]~ ,| 1( . (IV,, pn,,v, he is not (li.. prutlc-iil, I'iinUvorki.is fellow he was then; ~i..1, in the second, the «:K)IH 1* niorc shoddy compared will, that which u-cd to he N'""- j he.*ame yeoman u.-ii Mont to make hi- henchman J'llioiir ii'om early morn until dewy .-v.', and- lliu latter was ho and contented a being as' ever drew the breath ol' 1 "«'- Jli! H not, so now. || ( . declines lo yield Jiiinsi-lf a slave, •""I '■lilks ahont, demanding higher wages and doing less ""'■l'". .And so peai-e and contentment have given »av to •li.ssnli.Mlaetioiiiind agdalion. I'coph-iu the olden times found j » pleasure in their work, „, 1( | thought notliiii'.' of sticking at. i il sixteen or eighteen hour- at a stretch. .Vow thev deem '■ tlieinselves very ill-iHed if th,. v are chained to anv employ- i inenl, |„ the ~x|( . „|, ~(• ~| K | lt in .\ vn (,„„,,, a ,| ;IV . Then they i ''■'•■'l t-> IliinS p]ei.>iirii>g akin l«» crime, and un'lv ind.i.Vil in i I'.v iciughu hnuslike Ma-ter (ieorgc JJaniHoll,'who, if Ira.li- i
{"'"is '" lie Iru-led, rnded his eareer as all surl, inerrv I'adesdid, upon the gallows. \ow lliey make a seiemr of J'leasiire-liiiiiliiig, m |,i ,-urrv thf pursuit to such an extent ""it a lar.e emliiigchl. o'f the population are employed Mili-ly in luiiii.-toriug to them. Then thev were frugal in
i irir \\ ;tiil h, juhl simple j M (lici r 1 n-l t'<. Sow I lie y :iiv llir flaws ol luxury ami riirrvat i jia-liint*, liot t<> .-av I lii' 11: i 111i':iI rcsull wns llinl our aiirvM'oVs were hcakliy, long I'* I'll, anil happy, u hilc we are enia-ciihilcd, mi-cpahlc, and h '""'l "lived. Siii'li is I lie ili-mal tali' which any one who goes about willi 11i s cars npi'ii 11j11~t. pci'lopce liuvr conveyed to him. Is I lien; i,in- (.t'iif)i in iI ? When we pill aside hcai'sa \ , find, ceasing |o ileal iu geiicpalll les, come down Mini silt shbslanlin.l |. v i< 11 i tin' i-c-1111, is hapdlv so favourable In those gallant. fnrelal hers of ours. Sta! i.-l ics It'll lis llinl milrdt't-s, robberies, anil other crimes urri' nitirt' jilt'iil ilul in pa.sl. I linn I hoy arc in Iho |ii-<'scii(, - hanging, ill t'lw good • '111 days, being quite :i. common aliair, which cxcilcd lilllc iiili'l'rsl, while Ihe slocks and Ilie whipping-post were objects Willi which cvri'vl it >( I v was actpiamlcd, some lolks very closcly *<>• \\ c Inivc dispelled wil h I lie lal Ici- implements ol t oi'lure iniicli In I lie disgust til' some got.d people and so degenerate is the ni;e becoming, that, il- appears not. unlikely thai, we chilli :irr<t (fint nl no very dislant period --nl*)li.sh "lal grand tild in.-l il ill inn I lie gallows. Tlml I hese ]ien|ilc of J 'In! olden lime were a. sober lot is what lew in.'il dare assert, l'"i' ul, dinner-]i,■ u lies nl' noble lords and g.'tillcineii il. was j C tslniiiiiry |i,r a proporlinn ol.on In finish by helplessly | lulling iimler lhelal>le in a hopelessly bacchanalian si ale. ( Indeed, I'roni I.he earliest. limes nl which I lie churlish Saxon I set. his l>,o|, in ICnglaml, he has been a gu.'v.ling rogue, and, | Irulh In say, I,he ai'i.-l'tei'al ic .Nopiuan li:i -> not been iniicli j heller.
»■( I In* laiucnlal ions c('.ii( iirtie tlrfl I lie present, are so 11 n I ell Nil I ike I lie g I nlil I imcs. 11, is alleged, 111 IKM if;' ol her I hings, I hat now -ii-ilms il. is harder In advance oneself in I,he Morlil ; tli,ml llic sin,'ill capitalist lias not, tin: same chance Ik; used In have. Iliird work alone, in lliis iiiiiclccnl.h century, il is sniil, will iicici- make a. 111:111 nVli, wealth being obtained by scheming and ill ilizing I lie labour of others. This is Ihe <tv ul' 111 < ■ small middle-class men, v.'ho view with iihirin the process of alisiii'|il ion carried 011 liv I Ik; largo capitalists, the fear of the former being llial, if tilings go 011 us they are fjoing, t hi'v will short ly be wiped out of existence altogether. Those w ho employ workpeople, however, ilcelfire on I ho other hand Iha I their demands are so ext ruvagant, and their merit, so lil I Ic, I lint, I, hey eri|i|icl Ihe industry of the country, unit sending il lo rack anil ruin. .Men who, in their yonlh, were accustomed lo labour half ns long again as people do now, looft' with (lie greatest disgust and dread upon t ho short-time nioienicnl ; and at, each development, indulge in dreary (■makings I gloomy prophecies. Jiul, they would not. allempl I <l slem (lie lide Ihey know heller, though it lew years will bring ahoul a. stale of things little iintieipaled. r l lie working people will not be warned or told, so they must, lake the conseipicnces. A verv shoi'l. epoeh will prov" wild her the vat i(■ ill a I ions of I hese prophets of ill-omen are i nnccl or I lie reverse. .At present they point triumphantly lo the I'acl thai even I hiug is advancing in price, and thai, a number of years ago 11 sovereign - would buy half a* much again as il will now. While doing (his lliey happily lorgcl the fact that at the laller period people occupying Ihe same position as they (the croakers) occupy now, got. fewer sovereigns. A number of years ago a man woi tli live hundred a (ear was moderately rich; .now, he is a minnow among trilons, and has I o .scheme and pinch lo keep up appearances. 1» uI I his is not a very signilica.nl, fact, for it. merely proves I hat the \ alue of Ihe sovereign ha'.'T lessened. The i|Ucstion is, arc I here as many men, in proportion lo the population now-a-days. enabled to live as the live hundred pound men Used I(1 r* We think so. l'utling l.oudon 011 one side, in eicry provincial (own of any iiiagnil ude there are scores and scores of houses which cannot, be maintained 011 anything like live hundred a year ; atul these are by 110 means the domains of provincial aristocrats. Pushing the invpiirv further, il may be asked are the bulk of Ihe people able lo procure I lie necessaries and comforts of life io a. greater or less extent than they used to be? We know very well that, the denizens of t he town (and t hey are the great bulk of I lie population) fare heller lliau the agricultural class, which has, so far. changed willi the progress of years less than anv; and it. docs not. appear a very dillieull nfuttci' fur flu* vast, majority to oblain their bread and cheese. The croaker's strong point, however, is what, we are coining to rather than the present coudiliiuiof affairs. Tlieve is too lunch that is liollow connected xvilli modern society; too much of thi* shadow, and too little of the reality in everything. It niav he so. Hut, si ill, all things considered, there is lit lie ground of complaint and gloomy misgivings as to the future.
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Bibliographic details
Waikato Times, Volume II, Issue 84, 14 November 1872, Page 3
Word Count
1,263CROAKERS. Waikato Times, Volume II, Issue 84, 14 November 1872, Page 3
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