demand for their services, are at once brought to great, and perhaps, to utter want? To every friend of the order and security of society, be he a Christian, or an infidel, it is a question of deep import, what are the best means of meeting the exigencies of great and peculiar suffering among the poor? To the philanthropist, and the Christian, it involves still higher interests; and, as he dwells upon it, he will find that it calls him to still higher duties, and to more solemn responsibilities. In regard to those who have lost much, but who still retain much, the real evil of their condition, with respect to their losses, may not in fact be great. The remedy of their difficulties, is also within their own reach; for their very sufferings, if wisely improved by them, or, in other words, if they shall be excitements to greater prudence and activity, and to a wiser economy, may even be means of securing them a greater abundance, than they possessed before they met with these losses. But I believe that I may state with confidence, that in consequenee of the improved machinery, which is now used in printing, and by the substitution of boys and girls, for men, in the work of printing offices, there are at this time, or within the past summer there have been, in our city, between two and three hundred journeymen printers, who have been able at best, to obtain but occasional employment in the occupation, in which they have been educated. I am assured, too, that there are as many as two hundred journeymen carpenters, and in all, not less than a thousand journeymen mechanics, in the same condition. And of day labourers, in all the departments of their service, the supply is at least twice beyond the demand. Nor is the difficulty less, nor the distress, which is expe

rienced by the very large class of females, compre hending some hundreds, who have families depending on them; and who themselves depend for their own, and the support of their families, either upon their needle, or some other daily labour. I have recently been told, by a very respectable keeper of a slop-shop, that he has for some time past, had fifty applications a day from females, for work with which he could not supply them; and the work sought by them, is, coarse shirts, to be made at ten, eight, or even six and a quarter cents each; or labourers' frocks, or duck pantaloons, at the same prices. Now let it be considered, that there are among us hundreds of these poor females, mothers, and widows, who are deeply anxious to support their families, by their own exertions; but who, even while their families are in health, and when employment can be obtained for every hour in every day, can at best, earn but a dollar, or a dollar and a quarter in a week; who yet, however, are sometimes taken off from their labours by their own, or the sickness of their children; and often, even when they are all in health, cannot obtain more than two or three days work in a week. this state of things, the prices of rent, of food and of clothing, ought to come down to the level of wages; or, if the price of day wages has not yet essentially lessened, to the level of the difficulty of obtaining employment, and thus of obtaining wages. And so they will, if this state of things shall be of long continuance. Nor have we reason to complain, even as far

*

In

* Wages, in some departments of labour, have in some measure been lessened. The pressure, however, has not yet continued long enough, to bring them down generally to the level of

as the poor are concerned, of the price of clothing, and of some important articles of food. But while the rents of such houses as are occupied by the rich, and by the middling classes of society, of which we have in fact more than are sufficient to meet demands for them, have come down in some proportion to the general depression of trade and commerce, the rents of the poor continue to be as high, as they have been for some years past; for the very plain reason, that houses of the kind, rented by the poor, are rather below, than above, the demand for them. It is not easy to obtain a room, either in a garret or cellar, and however small, inconvenient, and unfit to live in, at fifty cents per week. Nor are there many to be had for sixty-two and a half, or seventy-five cents a week.* The common price of a room is a dollar a week; of a room and bed-room, a dollar and twenty-five cents; and, where larger accommodations are required, and sometimes, at least, they seem to be absolutely required, the rent is proportionally higher. It is also an important circumstance in this connexion, that the houses which are occupied by this class of our population, to a considerable extent, are not let to them by their owners. An owner lets his house to one, who becomes responsible for the whole rent; and who, it may be, retains certain rooms

demand. They are kept up, in part, by the high price of rent; and quite as much, or more, by the liberal spirit of employers. A considerable number of those who depend on wages for their support, have, also, within a short time, left the city; by which the poor who remain are in some measure benefited, a greater number of them being thus enabled to find employment.

* The case is not quite so bad in Philadelphia. None of our poor pay more than fifty cents per week.-EDITOR.

in it for his own family. The object in taking the whole house, in this case, is, to obtain his own lodgings, at the smallest possible price. Aware, therefore, as the renter is, that he may lose by some of his tenants, he requires the highest price from each, that he may be as secure as possible against ultimate loss. And these rents are generally demanded at the end of every week, and sometimes in advance, as the only condition of obtaining a room. Under this system, rent is obtained, if an amount equal to it can be earned in the week. There are, without doubt, cases in which a considerable amount of rent is lost. But, as a general fact, it is paid, not only when it absorbs every cent that is earned, but often by the sale of one and another article of furniture, that can possibly be spared, and without the sacrifice of which, a home could not be retained. There are great numbers of mothers, widows, who would now, if they could, go into service in families. But they must hire a room, because they must provide a home for their children.-Let us then look at these facts, in view of the questions, what is the tendency, and what are the dangers, of a time of peculiar distress among the poor? And, what are the best provisions that can be made for the remedy, or relief of the evils, to which they, and society around them, are thus exposed?

First, what is the tendency, and what are the dangers, of a time of peculiar distress among the poor?

Among the poor, there is all the diversity of character, which is to be found in the other classes of society; and, I am happy in being able to bear my testimony to the fact, that there are those among them, who, under all the depression, the discouragements, and

sufferings of their condition, have a strength of religious principle, a purity of religious sentiment, and a consequent energy and fortitude, which would do honour to those in the most favoured conditions of human life. As far as respects them, the tendency and the danger of a time of peculiar want and distress excites no very strong feeling of alarm, in the minds of those who know them. But this is not a very large class. There are far more of those, who are to be recognised as virtuous poor, and who are not only ho nest, temperate, and industrious, but to an important extent, pious, who yet have not very great strength of character; and, who are not safe in the day of very great trial. They are able, and willing to work; and, while the employment can be obtained, by which they may pay their rent, and get food and clothing for themselves and their children, they not only would not ask for charity, but many of them would prefer not to receive it. But if, by their best exertions, they cannot pay their rent; or, if their wages will not enable them to provide for their absolute necessities, or for those of their children, the sentiments of piety, which they thought were deeply laid in their hearts, are shaken. They look about them for the causes of their sufferings; and some will trace the evil to its true causes. But some, too, will think that they find them, in the insensibility of the rich, to the wants and sufferings of the poor. Discontent, envy, jealousy and resentment are awakened. And feeling, as they do, that they cannot obtain redress from those, from whom they think that the injury proceeds, they seek their sa tisfaction, in the secret indulgence of their irritated feelings; and, in the expression of these feelings, when