A Penny Weekly Magazine of Natural History. 



Xo. 7. 



DECEMBER 13th, 1879. 



VOL.1 



WORKING MEN. 



^Y" T has been suggested to us that we 

 Jf ought to say a few words now and 

 ;hen to Working men. But the difficulty 

 it's not so much in saying the words, as 

 n bringing them before those to whom 

 hey arc addressed. We have heard of 

 i Natural History Society, in one of our 

 ities, that numbers over five hundred 

 nembers, and not one of them is in 

 •eceipt of weekly wages. Our infor- 

 mant also tells us that the subscription 

 o this Society is only five shillings per 

 nnum, and that there are very many 

 nembers in it who would be but too 

 lad to help, either with information or 

 pecimens, a beginner in any branch of 

 Natural History; yet, with all these 

 facilities, there are no working men 

 connected with it. How, then, can we 

 lope to get their ear 1 Certainly we 

 mow personally many working men who 

 ^re good naturalists. Men who will do 

 :heir day's work faithfully, and then 

 •amble off into the country to botanize 

 :o catch insects, or follow up some other 

 )ranch of the Science. It is not very long 

 since the nine hours' movement was 

 crowned with success, but after all the 



success is very questionable. Shortening 

 the hours of labor was but the means to 

 an end. The means were obtained ; 

 what of the end 1 Before the nine hours 

 were conceded, we were told a great deal 

 as to how the extra leisure time was to 

 be spent — the amount of study that 

 would be done, the reading that would 

 be accomplished, the general mental and 

 moral improvement that would result from 

 the boon. Has this been the case 1 Many 

 masters now say that shorter hours of 

 labor, mean longer hours for drinking ; 

 and, though no doubt there are hundreds, 

 nay thousands, to whom such a charge 

 does not apply, we are sadly afraid that 

 there is too much truth in it, and that 

 the cases where a wise and beneficial use 

 has been made of the extra hours, are the 

 exception and not the rule. We are 

 quite prepared to admit that the workman 

 who does an honest nine hours' work per 

 day, deserves, and ought to have, a rest 

 after his labors ; but we have always 

 found that a change of occupation was 

 the best rest. To lie about the house, to 

 lounge through the streets, to stand at 

 corners, ( saying nothing of tavern- 

 frequenting, and such like), are not proper 

 ways of spending leisure time, even after 



