The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1866-07-20
rhlIdrrn in Engilsh 80 ~

4 eorrcsposlunt If tAc MI Mall Uugiit.
yho has visited sowe Of The ifoa furnaces in
the ''black country" Of STAG ,rd.hire nRA Wor,
eeslcrsIirc, tells these sol stories g.
In the mills md iorges boys Of all age,
from cight nRd gpwar9. may be iopnd' amid
the labyii NTH OF machin,Sy aHa hc coils OF
bsaied iron, engaged hy day ar night IN tug
ging long red hot seeiaiug hats. Their &c
liyi'y is very great, owing TO the polu'e Of
their work, which rcopirs rapidiiy Of move
mcul, mud %eonlrss's strangely wi,h their other
wise jadci aud worn Appearance. In addition
- the labor Of dragging along tho iron, each
vi thcse liiie lellovs has to Ian an short sjuges
II disianrp OF more than eleven niles livery
day, 10 an oppressive atmosphere. thick with
do I and steam. OWING 10 The quick aud an
certain movements OF tlt hot non bars in their
passage through successive rois b,fnc having
time to cool, the occupation vi these boys is
attended with some danger, y serious burn be-
lag al =aa'asi cvary drY osctrrebee.
'Stondisg in tie midst Of ~ extensive forge
y lcw years ogo | was alarmed by a cry Of ter.
ser ut The Iurthcr cnd nj i,e works Tlctr
was u general rush To the spot, aud | shall
vcycr ipttc' q e hOri lille aud sickcuing sight
that met our view. a urge r,I OF scc' hing
IGN IN cGmiug icom the rolls had somrwhow
twisted asidr, and had literally pLrccj Trough
TIL body ofn little fellow some ten years Old.
Ecy o wi;'@ Tho roar Of ,te ms-lipc5y was
su.luA i uud Two or Ihrcc btawuy puldl,rs
carried the lsple 5 %cycaiure home. but whn
the first Thrill Of horror hal passed away Tx
wheels Ye'c ogoin set ~ ~ lic4 qnd all veut
~ pa AcIorc,
aflic lives Of rlrss boys are nimui' m'ircly
g cnt in The lorgcs, except the Lours nIlo,lrl
to s!c,r. They cat lLcrc, aud in II suu'che,
ol leisure It is lhcir play ground III most Of
tie works is Tie arm or basin of O canal, the
water OF which is kept in u slate Of CHRONIC
fever, aud in which, despite iis iuky color
'hey delight 10 kaihc both in yigler and
summer. So cons'uu' IRE they in ricir nblu-
lious that they Often cowc opt I@rboicd, like
II wash %rwomgg's l-umb. Some Of the pro-
yrin'ors ~ these wo'k. lave provided eight
schools for tie instruction u the caillWn u
llcir employ; but, qs . RULE, lA"y arc in Ilind
nud body Wi.te n@cgISicd, nnd he deusc,l ig
numuce prevails. They have no home truiu-
mr, mos, ol their houses being locked up all
day, the PARENTS and Children hciug cut AT
work; aud returning home faligucd at rigrl,
nothing bpt bed Gr a eqrqgsal in the Fox and
D.ogon is pcScrtabG.
"lIc urring home Into, one evening, I saw
two little ehildeeu, a boy and girl, lying asleep
upon u doorstep, which proved 20 lie thut OF
their own home. On waking them they told
me tlcy were waiting iOi their mothcr iq cciuc
out OF The neighboriug tavern qn4 open the
door. They hal 10 lnlhcr, ss,d he'd been hard
at work all day. The buy worked in n forge,
the girl IN Q I%ounlry, nnd the mother in n ia
panning r1riory, aud though thus separated
all day, there seemed NJ bond UC nl c,iun 70
bind tham wltn they met together.
"WCst Of Dudley Is e strn9ge, will region.
kntNa as tic mailing district, composed el
scattered %halnlels, to all the houses Of which ia
attached VIA; gppccrs 10 the stranger q blRck.
smiths shop. The munulectUrc Of wrought
nails is, Nnd he's been i9r II Nentyry or Earc,
the great s'uple industry OF the district. 1t
is csIried on 10y the n%lilcrs 10 their owu houses.
In lev trades TT the district ,d5ts the .cmpluyS
ment oI women md young children assume u
more Of 'clionable form than in this, The
women seem to huye lost oil trace Of the
modcsiy o( their Eek, and from childhood nro
addicted 10 swearing, smoking -ycscmbling q'
far aq possible The otlEr sc% IN their habits
aud department, even TO the wearing Of lheii
crqrsc 0'pucl Jackets. They mostly marry
very young, oTlm nj fourteen, and scld II
l"t'r than eighteen or twenty. With sucl
women for mother. il is not d nicult TO judge
OF their children. From tcndercst ngos, offer
from five TO six years, they are 'riincd To thai
/ roppd Of labor, in which their lives IRE @oonrS
10 h2 spCut, Tho &rSt siege il blowing til,
h%ellovsF NM ncTt Ih"y are taught Y ,orge tn
smaller kiGls Of pals.
'Thc hours Of la'or are dreadfully pro
longcd, oltcr exceeding sixteen hours per day
the rate Of remuneration is very low, an,
the homes are consequently wretchcdly poor
Catering QUE Ct them laIcly, J saw the (athe'
mother, ana cigiA soma and ,aaVgh,eA, al
toiling In an il-vertilatcd, dirty hpyel.
vas growing lac in the evening and | inquire
is it not lime TO cease your days work. oh
noa, MASTER 'cjoiucd the mother; 'we'vc
motifs work alore us yet, or thcrell 'ye II
bread o. the lopf p SpuGSy.' II was Fridl.
night eQa il taaG, us learnt, a practice +
work from Friday Morning uutil SFtprdP.
afternoon, without having Wora than shor
snatehes Of rest for mails. While | lingerd,
little fellow. who could not have been NOR
c than eight, lell from hr work apparently OK