Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-11-14
WAKEMAN'S WANDERINCS
eNoLlsn Canals ANo oANAL OF.
With an Account Of the Remarkable Man
Who, Alone aud unaidsd. Has Buiiled
Briti.h Conservation Iuto Measure. Of
iemsf Tor Ensia,ed Engil.h children.

hemst for Eusis,sd Ensil.h children.
Copyright, RAJ. BY Edgar IA wakeman.l
CgicK, England, Nov. a-fIerc In this
nttlo ancient English village. six miles OF
sunny way from the noble school town 81
Rugby. lives one al the most noted, and
certainly ono Of the worthiest. men Ol
England. am his frieud and guest
f. q an humble abode, three thtec.ccn.
tury-old cabins merged into one, with
Fablsd roof. huge iireplaces. low ceilings,
tiny PANIED Windows, and all manner Of
mysterious cuhby holes, hooks aud pas
tagcs, aud with three 81 the sweetest WON.
en- In England, mother aud two lovely
maideus, 10 give the quaint old place un'
coasing light aud Joy.
Il Is not the first time have been here
at Crick. 1t Is my only home spot ina Tor.
sien land0 When tired Of wandering mp
aud down the face Of Britain here i where
come for rest. Thee are both rest and
delight In old. old Criek, rcst. because u IL
ono Of the few English villages which
stands Just a. Il always stood where the
roar Of the workaday worlds activities
never comes. where the old parish church,
the graveyard, the decayed manor houses,
the huge stone doyocDtes which house ~
famille, Of doves, the tbntohcd farm labor.
.rs' cottages. the lvies aud NOISY walls,
and the simple village folk all invite 10 re.
nose; aud OF delight because. with my host
aud friend, George Smith OF Coalyille.
sage, philosopher and phllanthroplst, we
wander Rmoug English lanes, ind old
paths over English fields, hunt out Eng.
iish antiquities, visit English battle
grounds. talk u and visit the Kip.
slei and all the other lowiy We both know
and love, and altogether lead life. for the
few days W. are happily together, unmixed
with envy, untalnted by ambition and
idyllic Ia the lolilest Friendship aud hum.
blcst content
All good men aud women who believe In
the lettering Of the world through tho
saving Of it, man fornken aud almost
God forsaksn children. should know some.
thing Of this man, George Smith Of Coal.
willie, NJ he is everywhere In England
called. No other Englishman, perhaps no
other man. ever accomplished 40 much for
helpless children. lie was born To u brick.
workers life In 1881. His father before
him was briokworker. The boy grow up
In the misery and drudgcry Of the English
brickyards. While stu lad OF seven
years his labor, like thousands Of other
NIlAhNAFN tnlluFfNf NAA ~ NNNAAHhNNNf
carry forty pounds Of clay on his head
FROM the brick pills TO the table on which
the bricks were made. Before his father
had reached eighteen years OF age he had
Travelled nearly four times the distance
around Oh. earth Ia the same toll.
", realized the brutality aud misery
which he suffered, aud with which all
brloSyard children were surrounded, with
purpose. with every Gun. kick aud oath
administered was again oliuehed deter
mutation 10 emanoipsts himself aud his
kind. from tho extra fec secured By
watching the brick kilns two nights Of
each week, no secured four ycari' night
schooling aud few books. When he had
reached mans estate he became tho
"utOrrc Smith Of coalylllc," Whose name
all England now knows almost Us a house.
hold word. by securing the management
81 D small red briekyArd nj that place. iis
made the owners rich. but eventually los,
his position through his ocaselcss aglta
ton la behalf Of the bflekyard children
II Is q long, heart breaking story. that OF
his starvation, suffering, contumely and
sacrifices. until no made all England hear
him. His grand battle for these helpless
ones was made along all lines In marvel
Gus and pathetic simplicity. but with the
tremendous force Of personal conviction
from personal suffering He will carry "a
biz grave the scars Of burt aud wrong that
the ohlliTen for which he pleaded were en-
during lie had Something % toll Of on
golugs In English btiokhclds aud brick
yards, and he "bulked II out" a. he him
self says Ia his work, "rhe Cry Of tue Chill
drca from tho Brlckyarls of England,n In
all 'it lsrgrnoas aud Hhamn."
IL. IrIaF as F.ttNN - a. IuI % a.ssas, V.a.ss.
5000 girls aud boys. many more youthful
than himself, In a condition u abuse, hor
rIhlc slavery, vice. Ignorance aud mlscrl
impossible for tho pen OF even genius L
describe He worked. starved and battle,
thirty years for these children, aud finally
on the 10Th Of August, 1871 hunui the yolc
OF the speaker VI the house OF common
ring out, The ayes have iti' on The pas
kagc 0t a hlh which became thr nth claus
OF the Factory and workshops amend
mcnt act" gave him the enthusiastic con
CALCULATIONS OF the greatest men of Eng
land; led Lord Shattesbury 10 exolAiui
"Illoss God for his grace on your efforts,
aud had achieved for himself the fr,
grrat victory Of his life, The actual result
WINS TO send, on Jan. I. 1874 5000 hal
naked children out OF the brick nnd ~
yardsto school. aud forever prohibit girl
under sixteen being employed la TIL. fora
" labor.
Hut George Smith OF Coalville had oni
begun. His second crusade was In behal
OF the csnalboat children. A. n boy slay
he had tollsd in briokyards ahutting N
canals. In these lost, and harges he sa'
thousands more children employed In
drndgey equally mutderuus aud living 4
condition Infinitely mora degrading
Perhaps lei,0oO persons-men, women an
ehildrrn-were employed Ia navlgatin
some 5000 boats over nearly 400 miles q
canals aud navigable river, In Englant
They were In secluded places, aud even III
etAture Ind woven poetic glanor nbou
them. Their poor children had droppe
out Of sight They were growing up
the stuGy cabins almost like wild beas.
1hnvhed, Kicked. beaten with rope
sticks aud heavy iron boots, many BEGAN
~ stupid as the asses which they dr0y
Blnsphemy, drunkenness, thiaylng, inuc
aud inooneeiyable degradation among the,
folk we're universal This ohlldren's frleu
determined ~ rescue these lost heathens
he had rescued the backyard children.
lie wrote Thousands OF letters and olrcl
lars, tramped hundrcdi of miles alou
canal banks, stormed the Newspapers al
beslegei parliament; and all the viii
himfelf and family wefn numbcrlc,s tim
suffering for bread. Finally, In 1875.
managed % publish his book, "Our Can
Population" With this he made EnglAu
stand sllll and listen ngaln In 1870 he hl
succeeded In enlistlng the government
far an To Institute official Inquiries M
take evidence, and then heM asked
frame bill. This was blocked In all ma
ner NJ ways In committee, aud for a tin
tho measure seemed lost, but on tho TN