THE LABOURER'S EARNINGS 169 



of activity, whilst his sons are yet at home and 

 able to add to the family earnings, can he put 

 by money. Even when he is working overtime, 

 up early in the half-light and toiling on till dark- 

 ness overtakes him, when his wife is doing a bit of 

 " charring " and the youngsters bring home a few 

 shillings a week, there does not remain much to 

 swell the savings when the last day of December 

 comes round. Should any accident occur to 

 prevent his working steadily, should his wife fall 

 ill or have to undergo an operation, where will the 

 extra money come from ? Only from hand to 

 mouth can many of them live and even with the 

 greatest resourcefulness on the part of the woman 

 it is often impossible to pay all that is owing to 

 the friendly village shop. Is it to be wondered 

 at, then, that the labourer asks himself if it would 

 not be more prudent to run no risk of workhouse 

 days, but to emigrate to the Colonies ? Work 

 may be harder there, it may mean more roughing 

 it for " the mother," but there will be a prospect 

 of owning land and of tilling and improving some- 

 thing which can be handed on to the children later. 

 Can we blame him and should we not do likewise ? 

 If his wife does not fancy going to a distant 

 country, leaving father and mother for good and 

 not seeing old friends again, then they decide that 

 town life will be best, because it means better 

 housing, greater facilities for bringing up children 

 well, and a less monotonous existence. Probably 

 the weekly wage, even though it be higher than a 

 country one, will vanish more rapidly, because food 

 and clothing are dearer where many people live 



