LETTERS CHIEFLY ON THE SOCIAL CONDITION OF THE OPERATIVE CLASSES. ADDRESSED TO THE SHEFFIELD COURANT. [In July, 1831, after the discontinuance of the Englishman's Register, Dr. Arnold, on finding that some of its articles had been copied into the Sheffield Courant by the Editor, Mr. Platt, opened a communication with him, of which the following Letters, written in the latter part of 1831 and the early part of 1832, were the result. -See Life and Correspondence, vol. i. 285. 309.] LETTERS ON THE SOCIAL CONDITION OF THE OPERATIVE CLASSES. LETTER I. SIR, I have lately been travelling through the northern and midland counties of England;—and though I am ill qualified to give you an agricultural report, yet it was impossible not to be struck with the promising aspect of the crops, and the generally flourishing appearance of the country. But I find that views of this kind, whenever I see them, affect me with almost as much pain as pleasure. One cannot enjoy the beauty which one sees, because we know how much of suffering and how much of discontent and all evil passions are lurking beneath it. Even when I saw the work of harvest going on in full activity, and in the most favourable weather, I could not but think of the wickedness which out of pure fiendish malice had so often during the last winter destroyed the fruits of the earth which God had given us, and which perhaps is now preparing to repeat, on a larger scale, the same atrocities again. I confess to you, Sir, that when I think on this great subject,―on the moral and physical state of the English labourers, whether employed in agriculture, in manufactures, or in trade, I grow somewhat impatient of those long discussions upon the Reform Bill, which are engrossing the time, if not the attention, of Parliament. And so widely are these discussions spread by the public press, that this same question engrosses the attention not of Parliament only but of the nation at large :-it delays inquiry into other matters, and prevents those measures of precaution or of palliation, which it is dangerous, which it may be fatal to postpone. What have we learnt from the experience of last autumn and winter? Nothing, I fear, in the way of preventing the recurrence of such scenes; -the wise and good, they who could and would better the present state of things, seem to have learnt nothing at all from it; but the authors and instruments of evil have learnt much. Upon them, if I am not greatly misinformed, the lesson has been any thing but thrown away. At any rate this much is certain, that while nothing has been done within the last six months to enlighten and improve the poorer classes, much has been done and is daily doing to mislead and to excite them; clubs, unions and associations, the eternal curse of society in every age and country that has witnessed them, are more active and more audacious than ever; and the foundations of all moral and social good are assailed with a vehemence which, unhappily, is only to be equalled by the supineness or ignorance with which they are defended. Meanwhile, Sir, there is in action one instrument from which I hope much, and that is the Provincial Press. Most of the country newspapers which I have seen, seem to me to be really independent; to be free from aristocratical influence, and at the same time to be above pandering to the popular passions and follies, like too large a portion of the newspaper press of London. There is a soberness in their tone which is the thing most essential to the directors of public opinion. The people are just as much slaves, when they follow blindly the violence and faction of an unknown writer in a newspaper, as when they are bribed or overawed by property and political influence. I wish the people to be really independent;that is, to think and to judge calmly for themselves; not |