Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-02-06
A SAVIOR OF CHILDREN.

watches the current of events, as de-
scribed in the columns of the news
papers of the day, why any one need
90 elsewhere for stories of noble
human effort and beautiful self-saori-
fees and heroism. No classic pages
contain a more inspiring recital than
+he account given in a recent number
Of the Pail Mall Gazette of the labors
If George Smith in behalf of the hard
worked infant slaves of Great Britain.
The degradation and misery of the
children. who, until George Smith APP
neared as their savior, toiled from ear
ijest history in the brickyards and on
the canals of Great Britain, can never
be appreciated by those who have not
seen it. What the. child's life in. the
brickyards really mean may be i'm
arjned family from the fact that it was
mo rare thing to seq a little child toll
mo under the weight of forty pounds
Of clav, which it was the duty of the
children to carry to the table where the
tricks are made. These mere babes
some Of them only four or five years
pld-would do such work as this for
Thirteen or fourteen hours a day, and
work nights in addition. George
Smith was the son Of q poor brick
LAYER. and began his life as one of the
little serfs of the brickyard. For sin
pence a day he would carry these heavy
weights of clay, walking the equivalent
of fourteen miles, and on every night
Of extra work, carrying weight which
mounted up to a total load of five tons.
His sixpences he spent in books. The
vitality that gave him a margin of
energy above that needed for the
Blrudgery of his daily tasks pushed him
rp into the position of manager of a
brickyard, but his personal success did
hot deaden his sympathy with the cruel
victims of the system from which he
had escaped. He set himself at work
TO tighten their loads and ease their
lot. and as a result lost his situation.
Thenceforward he gave his whole
life-body, soul and mind-to the cause
of the poor children in whose behalf he
had sacrificed himself. There were
1000 children living in the bondage of
the brickyards, and in, their behalf this
no%ble-hcarted though imperfectly
equipped philanthropist laid siege to
he public and the Legislature, and by
The mere dint of enthusiasm, and hard
work, and what the unjust Judge in
the parable called continual coming"
compelled the country to listen, and
succeeded in obtaining three acts OF
Parliament. His first achievement was
the Brickyards act of 1871, by which
these 80, 1000 children were taken out Of
heir pens and sem to school. When
be had done this for the sc 1000 brick
ard children he turned to the rescue Of
1000 children who lived on the canal
Poats of Great Britain in an ignorance,
egradation and brutality even worse
ban that of the brickyard children.
b 1877, six years after the passage of
is Backyard act, he got from Parlia-
lent the Canalboat act, bywhich these
$1,000 children, too, were allowed to
scape from the little six-feet square
abins of the canalboats into school.
he Canalboats act as it came out of
parllament was not all that was needed,
nd this indefatigable mar set himself
o work to have it amended. This took
even years more, but at the end of
hat time the work was done, and,
hanks to the unsellish heroism of
George Smith, 10000 brickyard chill
rem and 10000 canalboat children are
bow given through education an escape
nto the life of a real humanity which,
put for him, they never would have
Prcathed the air of.
While George Smith was doing this
or others he was doing nothing for
lmself, and to-day he is awhite-haired
nan, too old to obtain employment,
lniitted by his peculiar occupation for
he last twenty years from doing
manual work, penniless, and with
family living in distress and poverty.
us mission is not ended. The gypsy
children of England are still to be
escued. and he had set his heart upon
olng that work before he shut his
yes. Tie has recently had a grant
rom the Royal Bounty Fund of one
Plousand five hundred dollars to a
I'M from immediate restitution, but
his makes no permanent provision for
m The nation which spends three
lllllon a year for the support Of its
oyal oilers should not be willing to
&c the man who has done the royal
York accomplished by George Smith
pahdoned to actual want and COM
slleG to cease his philanthropic efforts.
ne a NaU Gazette well says the re-
ara OF philanthropy such as his
ioula certainly not be literally star
al,on, and 81 nan Of his DISTINGUISHED
i.nuslasm and capacity for philan-
proplc work should at least be al
Pweu his rations. Even convicts have
much as that. 1t is worth passing
otace that this magnificent philan-
proPy IS not the fruit of any profess
oaal labor agitation nor of any use
me great power and wealth of the
aues unions, but of the simple, unas-
s'ed' individual self-sacritice of one
an. Communism, Socialism, trades
nohlsm never spoke a word or lifted
'lhser IN behalf of the ninety thou
kno children whom George Smith
Is given his life to CHICAGO
Ia "A surgeon reports to Nature tho
sule OF Investigations as to the rea-
40 why the tropical man is black.