Herald of the times, and Rhode Islander. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1846-1849, 1846-12-10
Whole No. $50.
Eiihu Rurrift and the English
GDcratiyes.

d
ing letters, which are published In his
"Cbrisiian Citizen" in this country. In
one of his rambles, on foot, he fell IN
company with an English operative at
his work, of which he gives the follow
ing account The vivid picture he
draws ofthe hard working class in "mer-
ry England" in the solitary sketch ho
gives, will give the reader some idea OF
the toll and privation endured by no
small portion of the human family, in
that land where abounds 80 much spen-
dor amid the dazzling .pomp of royalty.
Twas suddenly diverted (says Mr. Bur
rii, from my contemplation ol the mag
nifcent scenery by a fall Of heavy rain
drops as the prelude of an impending
shower. Seeing gate open, and hear
ing a familiar clickering behind the
hedge, | stepped through into little
black IN this shop, about as large as an
| American smokehouse for curing ba-
con. The first object my eyes rest
ed upon, was full grown man, nine
years OF age, and nearly three feet
high, perched upon stone OF half
that height, TO raise his breast TO the
level OF his fathers anvil, at which he
was at work, with all the vigor. Of his
little short arms, making nails. | say
F. juH groun nan, for | fear he can never
grow any larger, physically or maniully.
As ] put my hand on his shoulder IN
familiar way, to maSe myself at ho'ne
with him and to remove the timidhy wnh
which my sudden appearance seemed TO
inspire him by pleasant word or two Of
greeting his flesh lel case-hardened inio
all the lndurarion Of toiling manhood and
as uususcept,bIe OF growth as his anvil
block. Fixed manhood had set npoD
him in the greenness of his youth and
there he was by his fathers side, a stint
ed, premature MAN with his childhood
cut off {; with no space TO grow in be-
tween the cradle and the anvil block
chased, AS soon as he could stand on his
little legs, from the hearth stone, by
iron necessity, that would no. let him
stop long enough to pick up letter of
the English alphabet on the way. D,
Lord John Russell think Of il or this
Englishman's son, placed by his mother,
scarcely weaned, on high cold stone,
bare footed, before the anvil ; there TO
harden, scar and blister its young hands
by heating and hammering ragged nail
rods, for the sustenance her breas, can
no longer supply Lord John look a!
those nails, as they lie Kissing on the
block. Know you their meaning, use
or language? Please your lordship, let
me tell you-I have made nails before
now--hey are iron exclamation points,
which this unlettered dwarfish boy is un-
consciously arraying against you, a
gainst the British government, and the
ministry Of British literature, for cutting
him off without letter Of the English
Al lphabrt, when printing is done by
steam ! for incarceratlng hun, for n0
sin on his parents side, bu, poverty,
in a dark, six-by-eight prison OF hard
labor, youthiesS being = think of it an
infant hardened, almost in its mothers
arms, into n man, by toll that blows tho
s,urdiest of the worlds laborers WV"
come to manhood though Intervening
years Of manhood.
The boys father was nj work with his
back towards me when | entered. Al
my first word of snlu,atior TO the lad he
turned round and accosted me little
bashfully, ms funaccustomed TO the sight
Of strangers in that place, or reluctant Ia
let them into the scene and secret OF his
poverty. ] sal down upon one end oihis
nilbench, aud told him was an ADerI-
can blacksmith by trade, and that had
come in to see how he got on in the world,
whether he was earning pretty good wa"
pes at his business, so that he could live
comfortably, and send his children ~
school. As said this, glanced inquls
ringly towards the boy, who was looking
steadily al me from his stone stool by To"
anvil Two or three little crock faccd
stolen in tImdly, and a couple Of young
frightened eyes were peering over ih"
door sill at NE. They all looked as II
some task were daily allotted them in The
aoot and cinders oi their fathers tovg'.
even to the sharp-eyed baby at the door
The poor Englishman-he was as mucb
IN Engllshman as The duke OF Welling
Ion-Iooked at his bushy headed, bare.
footed children, and said softly with
shake of the head, that tl"
times were rather hard with him y
troubled his heart, end many hours Of il"
night he had been kept awake by th"
thoughts ot II, that he could not send h,-
rhildlen 10 school, nor teach them him
self to read. They were good children
he said, with n moist yearnipg in his eyesi
they were oil the wealth he had, and h.
owed them the more the harder he hat
n work for them. The poores, part "i
he poverty that was on him, was be-
could not give his children the letters
They were good children, for all the
crock Of the shop was ON their faces, anb
their fingers were bent like eagles claw
with handling nails. lie had been -
poor man oil his DAYS, and he know b..
children would be poor all their days, ar-5
poorer than he, " The nail business sboulj
L.