The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-03-28 00:00:00

1,

• ittrAatilisampumr"-- •••• -
'• flies 'Of soaseteltloallsteraililleabselliologi
thlie.4rllirifi4 bitft,ieseldrieey 41' a siren
litVi 'by farethtiliftternmshet, especially in Leddlen,'
e otifkihts4lfermfliy toilet down and re-bitikline.
t 1 t AltetragflanSiorbsiack t hem" arises e qiestleis.of
roilliitleietile importance In thore who hare proper";
itr.t.werei4;liolf 4lskii* is net bl 'the slightest degree
Coif& osrorbri.oi provided lor ht. the- Bill now on
tt~Mir'Loid*Stpe table; noviely, at whose 'espence
ilf*sollfeteratiotra ire to be made: it OW ground land-
lord or reveriinner expewild to volunteer the ',pence;
sir brit 'ltippriied that tilit original lessees may do so?
. I r .Neither, bow then is the sub-lessee, or yearly to.
bed.; In make' diem ? And yet, if he does not, one
three things -be must do: be must either go with-.
nut fire in those apartments, the flees of which can.
oat Ire irmatit with machinery, or submit to lire in
itrrkike, or quit the bouts; to say nothing of the
&inter to' which himself, his family, and property
must be constantly exposed from the soot in those
idiftlineys raking ire. The espence of taking down,
and re-building a stack, of chimneys, ingolrieg els*
rim Viperietr.uf•iither''ilteretions, and the certainty
of •being ittllked to new paper and paint all the
rooms, camel* be calculated at less than one quarter
of the cost of first building the whole hoses; for
when it'is. considered, that the walls end partitions
of most chimneys are only halt a .brick, •r four
IMbiliel sod a half is thick nem, it snot ge. see& by every
ewe; 116* impossible it is to enlarge the fives by re-
daring tho brickwork, and rialto impossible there-
fore to alter theis-bet by taking dew. the whole of
every chimney-ghat so circumstanced. Hence it is
reasonable to conclude, that if the Bill in question be
permitted to pass into a law, a large numbest of
-bnneei will become untenanted; that conflagrations
..iii he more frequent; and that property in houses
being rendered. more hazardous, will be Ins saleable
than heretofore.

~

.

- Parliament will pauses good deal before they torn
oat of their bread many hundreds of children who
Ore now rapable'of maintaining themselves, and cast
4, at of employ many hundreds of onoffending indivi-
duals, who now support themselves and theicfamilies
by an occupation which, though very humble and
Ltborious, has hitherto been regarded not only safti-1
nocent, but eminently useful. This the Master
Chimney-sweepers are convinced most be the effect,
if the Bill now before Parliament should be suffered
to pass into a law, by which the ezercise of their
present occupation would be rendered highly penal,
and the business of sweeping chimneys would he
stopped long before it would be possible for the
Chimney-sweepers through the country to be pro.
tided with machines, much more to bare acquired
the art of using them to advantage.
The case of Climbing Boys is attended with hard.
'hips, such as cannot be avoided by children in their
bumble circumstance in life: but these hardships
have been very much exaggerated.
• Cruelties may base been used by the lower class of
Chlasney-sweepers in teaching children to climb a
chimney. But it appears, from evidence, that they
are not necessary. At any rate, whatever difficol•
ties may pass through in learning to climb, they can-
not be of lung continuance: for it is obvious to uni-
versal observation, that children of eight or nine
years of age will climb a chimney readily, and with-
out reluctance. And would parents, who are chim-
ney-sweepers, teach their children to climb if they
could not learn without undergoing excruciating tor-
ment. Ihre not Chimnepseeepers the feelings of
men ?
Is it not some counterbalance to the hardships sof-
,
feted by Climbing Boys, that by learning this art
they are enabled to maintain themselves by their la.
boor, and sometimes even their parents! coarsely
indeed, yet still better than to live upon the parish:
better than to be without bread, to lie in the streets,
and live by pilfering.
• I r appears from evidence, that sweeping chimneys
Is not upon the whole an unhealthy employment.—
It is alleged, that "soot weakens the eyes:" but,
as a balance, it cleans and fastens the teeth, and
preserves their bodies from the itch and other
cutaneous diseases. The children of the poor most
submit to many inconveniences, and any thing is
better then living in idleness upon a parish allow.
1111010.
The Chimney-sweeper's cancer is a terrible disease
when it becomes virulent. But bad cases are not
frequent. Mr. Cline only attended about 20 such
cases iu 40 'eats. The disease is scarcely known in
persons under 30 years of age, and may be avoided
by care and cleanliness, and in its early stages easily
cured. _ _ _

Chimney.sweepers are liable to terrible " and fatal
eccidents." This is very tree. And the report of
them may, be el ade to appear very terrifying, when
extreme cases arc collected from all ports of the
country for a considerable number of sears back,
andprinted together in half a dozen pages. But let
it be remembered, that sweeping chimneys is not the
, only nor the most hazardous employes's*. In fact,
considering how many millions.ofchintieyiare swept
by Climbing Boys, the member of accidents is coos-
'aridly/4y very few • and these, with care and by
proper regulations, ;right geeerelly be avoided.
• It is alleged, that many Chimney.sweepers behave
wish great cruelty to the Climbing Boys; and, no
dosbt, in this occepation, as in all others, a dis-
grace to human nature. But truths is not essential
to the employment of a sweep. And it is hard that a
whole elAss of the community shield be proscribed
end branded with infamy for the misbehaviour of a-
few, and that the innocent shield suffer for the.
'guilty. Let the offender be psuisbed; but let not
the indostrious and the nnoffending be tamed out
bread. It may, also. be asked, Who ere the com-
plainants is this case ? Neither the Chimney-sweep-
ers nor the Climbing Boys have applied for redress;
where then is the necessity of Parliamentary inter-
feres« ?
The applicints to Parliament are, no doubt, re-
spectable, both 4autbaracter and for good intentious.
21st it should be remembered, that not one ten then.
seodib part of she individuals who will be base-
*lately and seriously sleeted by the measure, have
been consolted about it, or know, or even suspeet,
what is going on.. And it is probable, that whin
fiery individual householder in the kingdom comes
4 learn, that it iscontrary to law, and highly penal,
aolmsre his chimneys swept in the nasal way, it will
*OM anieereal cossaternationvead may be produc-
the of great mischief. Per In aU probability, the