The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1875-01-28
$CHIMNEY-swEErS.

AsAAA ~
/ Twenty Of thirty years ago, it was
common thing in New York to see
mites of boys following their masters
in the street, or issuing fro'n the
chimney-tops with their peculiar
vail. Some Of them were not more
than ten years Of age, and they look
sd so.wretched that when a child was
I'll, behaved iitamothersor nurse would
threaten to give it to the chimney
sweeps.
In Germany and France, small
boys are1stilI employed in cleaning
chimneys. In Great Britain a law
has been passed forbidding the prac-
tice; but less than fifteen years ago
the sweeps, or climbing boys were
very numerous and I can remem-
Der seeing bit Of a lad crawling out
of one Of the tallest chimneys in Lon
don.
Until the reign Of James the First,
the houses were built only one story
high, and the chimneys were swept
from the floor. The Scotch fashion
of multiplying the stories then came
in, and twice or three times a year
boys were sent up to sweep down the
SCOT. .,;
There was once a famous highway
man who had been climbing boy"
and think he was the only one of
the tribe who ever became notorious.
At all events, we do not hear more
about them in history from the tt me
of James the First until about the
middle of the last century, when
Jonas Hanway called public atten.
ton to their condition. Hanway,
you must know, was one Of the great
philanthropists Of his day, and fas
tho man who first carried an umbrel.
Ia in London, a performance which
exposed him to the jeers of all the i'm
pudent little bakers and butchers
boys IN the city. No doubt he look
ed rather queer as he trotted along
in the rain with the new tangled
thing over his head, and some folk,
thought him utterly crazy. But h'
was a wise and good man, living .
life that most Of us might initiate t.
advantage.
When a "climbing boy" came t.
his house, one day, Hanway wa
struck with the poor fellows wofa
face, and asked him how and VIII er
he lived. The answers that " err
made excited the philanthropist'
sympathy, and, through public print
and the benevolent societies Will
which he was connected, he drew at
tention to one of the worst kinds o
slavery that ever existed. TIL
"climbing boys were mostly tn
children Of dissolute parents, VIII
sold them to the men chimney:sweep
for few sovereigns or in Amer
can money, fifteen or twenty dollar
The novices had the greatest drea'
Of ascending the chimney for the frs
time, and there are several instances
of undoubted truth, in which the I'LL
tie fellows were violently thrust i
by their masters and driven up by
fire lig hted under them. This se EN-
too horrible for belief, but it ha
sworn to by q master chimney-swee
before a committee of the BIRTHS
House of Commons. The same ma
declared that he did not use his ow
apprentices in that manner, and tha
! when the chimney was small and ith
boy hesitated about ascending, b
simply used a stick or his fist i
Sometimes the beginner was .ir
structed at the house of his maste
before real duty was required of hin
An older boy would follow him up
chimney and teach him how to elm
. by pressing the knees and elbow
against the sides of the fue. It Wa
a most painful operation, and ,th
" skin would be torn from the child
arms and feet before he had nearl
reached the top. By striving yer
hard he would probably succeed, bu
not until he had tumbled~ down se1
eral times and 'alighted on the shou
ders of his stouter companion, VII
always kept himself firmly fixed i
expectation of such mishap. Ever
time he fell he had to begin anew
and, no matter how sore he was, Ihi
master forced him to reach the TOD.
: A story is told, that "a very ,,srA a.
boy, not more than four years of ag!
was once sent up a chimney id
country house at Bridlington, Yorl
shire, and that he tumbled down: IN
hurt himself SO severely that |th
;: young ladies of the house took Iii
from his master and nursed him tn en-
selves. Some food was brought t
him, and, seeing silver fork, he: vs.
+ quite delighted, exclaiming, "Pap
: had such forks as those" He, ais
; said that the carpet in the DRAWN