"Loafers."

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 131, 14 May 1872, Page 7

"Loafers."

Ijhe modern " loafer" is the abject slave of loth, having neither the power nor the incliion to labour to avert the ruin, the misery, [thedisgrace which are hanging over his ,d/ He would rather go without his dinthan do a day's work in order to obtain and is content to sleep under a haystack a, hedge, if it involves any very great exlion on his part to obtain the luxury of a d. He can endure hunger, or thirst, or igue, or cold, or wet, or the undisguised like and contempt of the world—anything t regular, settled, honest work. He will wandering over the country,—more at war ith his ft llow-men than ever was luckless Icendant of Ishmael, —robbing a henroost 1-e, or supplicating the price of a glass iere, so weary that he can hardly drag one g before the other, in wind or rain, frost or |m-, or under a broiling sun which shrivels p his flesh into parchment, in preference to I pouring in a comfortable workshop, for iges which would, at any rate, enable him I live comfortably and decently. If, by jne fortunate fluke, he becomes the possesrof a sum of money, he does not keep any jrtion of it as a reserve fund for those bad lies which are constantly overtaking him. j); he seeks some dirty pot-house, and sits (mself down to drink and smoke just as long ! his money will last. Never, if he has iough in his pocket for present necessities, pes he put himself to any inconvenience to dto his store. Prudence and forethought i, apparently, qualities which he does not ssess; at any rate, if he possesses them, ey are not sufficiently developed to induce in to forsake his earthly paradise—the dirty ir-parlour—so long as he can help it. There will remain, holding forth, after the manferof Dr Johnson, —being quite as dogmatic n his statements as the learned pedant himilf ,—to all who will listen to him. Politic s, Metaphysics, theology, and science all come ifike to him, f< r he has thought, and formed listinct opinions, upon each subject. He criticise the policy of a Prime Minister p very forcible language, and talk about region in a style which would astonish many Geological warriors, and, at the same time, razzle them not a little. His views are disarted and his reasoning weak, but it is a aistake to set him down as a muddle-brained JoL' £Tp often possesses a fund of informaatioY,—it may be, much of it is not relikle; but there remains the fact that he possses much that is. He has studied Holy Writ, and is not unacquainted with the grand pnceptions of Shakspeare; while he has reived out of his own mind a system of polifcal economy, somewhat startling in its iiginality, and which is not at all in accord Jith the theories propounded by Adam pith, Mill, or Bastiat, whom, however, he U not afraid to assert he holds in unmitigated contempt. And, what is more, he can say Wiat he thinks. Hear him talking about the wrongs which society and the State inflict Bron him, and this will be at once admitted, jjie possesses cunning enough to induce him P 0 pretend that it is not his fault he is idle, |tad poor, but the fault of those who have ■parge of the State. He is generally listened » with much attention and outward respect, ■■which is not surprising, seeing that he posIKsscs a fund of dry humour and racy anecpMe. So clever—though eccentrically clever |» Ms conversation, that people are often led ■to inquire how it happens that he is not in a ■more respectable position. It must be reIjteited that it is because he is lazy and vicious, ||tcause he will not work, preferring to live, |«Kf! an unowned dog, from hand to mouth, 1-pn be the servant of any man, and subject B 0 fixed rules and conditions. He is too ■"Othful to keep himself clean, or to comb his I ! r >7~ to ° l ;l z,V, in short, to do anything but *h drink, and talk. He only leaves his pot°use willingly when his money is done, beIjise he knows that if he did not do so, he ■»°uld be turned out. He goes forth relucIgjtt enough to beg and steal, to encounter *' wmds and weathers, to lurk about streetgwnm or p rowl a | ()ng lm( j er t ] ie hedges of P? highroad, with bent head and shuffling ■*«! looking the poor, mean, pitiful creature ■ a his sloth and its accompanying vices ■**« made him.— Liberal Review.