AND ON THE CONTINENT.

189

If one visits the English operative in his home, its appearanceconvinces one that there is here more than the bare standard ofliving, that certain demands for comfort are fulfilled, which hasa most favourable influence on the family life. Let us go, forinstance, to' the spinner in Hyde, whose budget was given above.In front of the house there is a small garden. It was, at the timethat the particulars for the budget were got (August, 1891),filled with blooming plants. The house door leads into theliving room, the size of which has already been given. In themiddle of the side wall there is a large fireplace, with a clear,flaring coal fire. On it is a kettle, in which water for the tea,indispensable at every meal, is boiled. At the side of the fireplacewe find an oven for cooking meat and baking bread. In themiddle of the room stands a large square table, the meal-table ofthe family. Against the second wall a long sofa, against the thirda large mahogany set of drawers, upon which were some stuffedbirds and some books. Against the fourth wall of the room standsa piano, for buying which the operative with pleasure applies hissavings, chiefly in Lancashire , the population of which has a specialinclination and capacity for music. I have seen one in manyoperatives’ dwellings, even in weavers’ houses at Bacup , who didnot pay more than 3s. 9d. for rent (3).

Even if the value of the instrument as well as the musicalproductions on it are meagre—it was related to me that the twodaughters had deemed 10 lessons each sufficient for learning theart—in any case, the life of the operative of Lancashire gains acheerfulness by the practising of music, which is doubly to bewished by the sad commonplaceness of the industrial localities ofthe North of England. The floor of the room is covered with oil-cloth. Nowhere is there missing an arm-chair for the head of thefamily. Five further chairs complete the furnishing.

Behind the living room there is a kitchen. The same, however,does not serve for cooking, since this is generally done in theliving-room, but for preparing the dishes, and chiefly for washing.We notice particularly the large built-up washing Boiler, arrangedfor heating with a coal fire. At the window there is a slopstone

3. The lack of pianos in similar workers’ dwellings in Germany was pointedont by me in a paper partially reprinted in “ The Textile Mercury” and the“Manchester Chamber of Commerce Monthly Becord ” on March 28th,1891. “Even though Germany is noted for its makes of pianos, I neverremember having seen one in the house of a daily-bread toiler,”— Translator.