The National tribune., 1883-09-06
THE BLACK COUNTRY.
A Trip to Birmingham-HOw the saiI-Hakers
Live.


Special Correspondence National Tribune.
BIRMINGHAM, Eng August IS
Since | last wrote I have tTaversed England
from suany Kent to the smoky Black country,
and | write now from this stirring city in
among mines and forges. Here the sky is dark
ened by overhanging clouds of smoke; fields
that should be Of richest green or golden with
heavy grain are buried beneath mountains of
Stag from the mines below, and the country
throughout circuit of ten miles from Biz
mingham is so crowded with villages of miners,
nail and chain makers and great brick works,
that 1t Is not easy to discover the point at
which the city ends
/ had read accounts of the hardships endured
by women and children in the Black country,
and of the factory acts for the prevention OF
atrocious cruelty praeticed upon child-wOrkers.
had learned in Loadon something of the
workings of the school boards and the local
government board in relation to the work of
children, and 1t was. therefore, with keen in
terest that | went, yesterday morning, to
Halesoen, q nail-makers' village, six or seven
miles from Birmingham.
1t was a gray day, but in spite Of the ab-
seuce of sunlight the drive to Eaiesoeu was
beautiful The road, like all English reads, is
fine, and the views of hill and valley were
broad and varied. Nature has been lavish in
her gifts to the Midland counties of England.
Wherever the fields are free from the encroach-
ing hills of waste, they are carpeted with grass
of the richest green and bordered with noble
trees. The hedges, though ill-cared for grow
willingly. The air is braoing even in these mid
die days of August, and If nature could insure
the conditions OF happiness, the neghborhood
OF Birmingham wouid be region of the con-
sei0us enjoyment Of life. But the overhanging
smoke and the hills OF Stag are obtEusive- re-
minders that nature furnishes only part Of
the conditions of human life, and that indus
trial and social conditions must be carefully
studied before any estimate is made of the ad-
yantages actually enjoyed by the dwellers in
the Black country.
On entering Halesoen, we asked where we
could see nail-makers at work. =" Everywhere"
was the prompt reply. :" Look there: there's
one." We looked and saw small brick pen
tile-roofed, and lighted by three small unglazed
windows. 1t was occupied by three men, of
whom one acted as spokesman, going swiftly
on with his work while he answered our ques-
tions. How much can I make? Three shil-
lings a day if l make ffty-six pounds of
wrought nails in a day, and / generally do.
But its hard work comm on, since the ma
chinery's been eatin' up were work" As he
talked, he pushed long slender iron rod into
a covered heap of glowing Goals ON the raised
hearth that filed the center of the dark little
workshop, and quickly withdrawing another
rod, hammered this slightly, to fit it for
metal mold. Deity breaking off the glowing
end as he placed it in the mold, he replaced
| the rod on the hearth and pounded the future
nail in its mold, alternately with a treadle-
| hammer and small hand-hammer until the
nail grew cool and became possessed of a head.
| Three shillings tseventy-hye cents day for
| fifty-six pounds Of such nails seemed poor pay
enough, but this was not the precise form OF
| hardship Of which we were in search, and We
cfr ed on