The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell
Not so long ago my dad expressed amazement that I hadn't read The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists, a staple of working-class literature. Being, if not quite a dutiful daughter, at least frequently guided by his reading recommendations, I downloaded the ebook from ManyBooks.
This 1910 novel follows for a year or so a group of painters and decorators in the South of England, from the teenage apprentice to the old men with failing eyesight, as they work for or are sacked in turn by Rushton's. Every profiteering trick is exposed, from Rushton charging the house-holder for more coats of paint than have been used, to hiring general labourers (cheap rates) for a skilled job or sacking skilled workers then, knowing they're desperate for work, re-hiring them at reduced rates. The philanthropy referred to is the selfless drive to increase Rushton's profits, shown by almost all of the workers we meet in the book.
A distressing picture of working-class life at the time is portrayed, similar to that seen in Seebohm Rowntree's study of York from a few years earlier, so it was presumably widespread. Families facing destitution no matter how hard they work, trapped by colluding employers and greedy landlords. Illness and malnourishment as a way of life, and the upper and middle classes so out of touch, with their let them eat cake attitudes. To say I enjoyed The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists would seem wrong - it made me angry, frustrated, and gave me a frightening glimpse into the lives of my Edwardian ancestors - but I'm glad I read it.
Tressell was a socialist and the way he portrays the bosses and the conniving town councillors (mainly, of course, the same group of people) might be straying into caricature. However, through the character of Owen being persuaded to deliver lectures on socialism to his workmates on rainy lunchtimes (we could do with a laugh - tell us again why money's the cause of poverty, ha ha) he argues persuasively for an alternative system and I defy anyone to read it and say his ideas aren't logical (you are, naturally, free to disagree with it on principle). The sad thing is we achieved so much of it (the NHS, the welfare state, nationalised railways) and now it's being dismantled again, so that some of the book has modern echoes. Some cynics would say there's been a deliberate policy to return us to the days of Tressell and his mates, but I'm not sure if it isn't one of those 'don't attribute to malice what incompetence can explain' situations. That and let them eat cake.
The other thing he has a go at in the novel is (as Ruskin often does) the hypocrisy of self-proclaimed Christians, congratulating themselves for attending church or chapel every Sunday yet with a ready excuse for any suggestion of Christ's that doesn't suit them. Things like giving charity, loving neighbours, not being a selfish and exploitative money-grabbing hardcase.
Although it's making a strong political point, this is an engaging novel with quite a sprinkling of humour and biting satire, and I found myself wanting to know what happened to the characters. It is a bit old-fashioned in its delivery and its use of pointed names (Sir Graball D'Encloseland, Mr Sweater, Mr Grinder, Crass the foreman), but if you're generally happy reading Victorian or Edwardian novels that shouldn't bother you. Even if (especially if?) you're not a lefty of historical bent, I would urge you to give this book a go.