THE 



COUNTRY GENTLEMAN'S MAGAZINE 



JULY 1868. 



THE CONDITION OF THE RURAL LABOURER. 



HAT the condition of the Agricul- 

 tui-al Labourer is not, generally 

 speaking, in a satisfactory state, 

 no one can deny, but still it is not 

 so bad as to wairant the outpouring of flowery 

 sentimentalism, flavoured with downright abuse 

 of employers of eveiy grade, with which we have 

 been made so familiar of late. There is a practi- 

 cal as well as a picturesque view of the question, 

 and the agricultural world is indebted to Mr 

 Bailey Denton'' for the able manner in which 

 he has supported the first named position, and 

 brought his wide experience to bear on the 

 question. The picturesque view is no doubt 

 alluring to a certain class of writers, especially 

 those who do not possess any practical know- 

 ledge of the subject, and whose sole object 

 in meddling with it is merely to get up a sen- 

 sational article where other topics of general 

 interest are scarce. A great deal of misre- 

 presentation has in this way become current ; 

 and it is therefore satisfactory when a man of 

 Mr Bailey Denton's experience undertakes 

 the task of setting forth the plain facts of the 

 case, supported by evidence which it is im- 

 possible to gainsay. 



Mr Denton starts with asserting that when 

 the wages earned by the urban and by the 

 rural labourer, respectively, are carefully dis- 



* Vide his paper on this subject delivered befjre a recent meet- 

 ing of the Society of Arts. 



sected, it will be seen that there does not 

 exist that great difference between the two 

 which there is generally supposed to be ; and 

 that if the rural labourer is in any way inferior 

 to the urban operative class, it must arise 

 from causes which limit his mental abilities, 

 and prevent his increasing the value of his 

 labour, while they depress his status in the 

 social scale — causes, says Mr Denton, w^hich 

 it is the duty of the country to investigate and 

 remedy. 



In pursuing his investigation of the subject, 

 Mr Denton proceeded to remove the misap- 

 prehensions that prevail as to the value of 

 the farm labourer's occupation, and the 

 amount of wages his services command. It 

 is true that the rate of Avages varies in dif- 

 ferent districts, but his conviction, founded 

 on experience gained in nearly every county 

 in England, is that, " measured by the real 

 value of the servaces rendered by the agri- 

 cultural labourers in different parts of Eng- 

 land, the prices peculiar to different districts 

 are as high as the return to be gained from 

 those services will sanction." It is " a fallacy 

 to suppose," says Mr Denton, " that the 

 labourers of one district are as good work- 

 men as the labourers of another, and that for the 

 services of each, when applied to the same 

 object, the same money should be paid." 

 Ever}^ one who has given the slightest atten- 



