Could someone please tell me what "on the rates" is supposed to mean?
From From Wilde's "The Soul of Man Under Socialism:"
"He should decline to live like that, and should either steal or go on the rates, which is considered by many to be a form of stealing"
Thanks!
It seems to be something like 'being on poor-relief' (relying on society to give you money to live on).
That is at least what this link says (go 'Ctrl f' on you keyboard for rates and at some point it should come up):
http://www.uncharted.org/frownland/b...-%20v.1.0.html
One has to laugh before being happy, because otherwise one risks to die before having laughed.
"Je crains [...] que l'âme ne se vide à ces passe-temps vains, et que le fin du fin ne soit la fin des fins." (Edmond Rostand, Cyrano de Bergerac, Acte III, Scène VII)
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