Page:Economic History of Virginia Vol 1.djvu/622

 soon. A youth of eighteen or nineteen was capable of performing almost as heavy tasks as a man of twenty-three or twenty-four, and whatever difference of physical strength there might have been in the latter&#8217;s favor was covered by the advantages accruing from longer service. It must not be forgotten, however, that boys were more easily secured than adults because so many were bound out as apprentices.

The Company showed, in 1621, a willingness to accept men and women belonging to the ranks of the poor, who in that age constituted a serious burden upon the welfare of the kingdom. But one condition was imposed; these persons were to be delivered, supplied by the parish from which he or she came, with a fund which might be counted on as sufficient to cover the expense of clothing and transportation. This proposition had the approval of Parliament. It was regarded as a feasible means of diminishing the multitude of those who were unable to secure a livelihood without the aid of the authorities of the communities in which they lived. That the number of indigent persons imported into Virginia in consequence of this new source of supply was probably small, may be inferred from a statement published at this time, that the men recently sent out were &#8220;choice spirits&#8221; drawn from all parts of England, and enured from their earliest years to a life of industry.