Genre:

Poetry, Drollery

Relevant illustrations:

wdct. [2]

Illustrators:

J Scott / T Hood

Subjects:

Education, Agriculture, Politics, Political Economy

    A group of 'bumpkins' are discussing the question 'What's Agricultural Distress?' (140). Colin observes of the others: 'You never cares to look, / Like me, in any larned book' (146). He proceeds to explain that 'agriculture' only means 'farming', and that 'Distress is want, and pain, and grief, / And sickness,—things as want relief; / Thirst, hunger, age, and cold severe; / In short, ax any overseer' (147). Since there is no such distress in the growing of crops and the raising of stock, he concludes that 'agricultural distress' must mean 'the Farming of the Poor', to which all agree (148). The illustration captioned 'Political Economy' (facing 147) depicts a group of four men crowding around a shop window to read a newspaper. The illustration captioned 'Who Says There is Not a Surplus?' (148) depicts an Anglican cleric being dressed in a surplice.