Daily Yellowstone journal., 1891-11-15
WAKEMAN'S WANDERINGS
ENGLISH CANALS AND CANAL FOLK.

Who, Alone aud Unaided. Has BuHies
British Conservatism Into Measures %
Relief for EnsIaved English Children.
Copyright, 1891. by Edgar L. wakeman.l
CRICK, England, Nov. 2-Here in thi,
little ancient English village, six miles O.
sunny way from the noble school town Of
Rugby, lives one Of the most noted, and
certainly one of the worthiest, men Of
England. am his friend and guest.
IL is an humble abode, three three-cen.
tury-old cabins merged into one, with
gabled roof, huge fireplaces, low ceilings.
tiny paned windows, and all manner OF
mysterious cubby holes. hooks and pas
sages, and with three Of the sweetest won.
en- in England, mother and two lovely
maidens, to give the quaint old place un.
ceasing light and joy.
IL is not the first time I have been here
at Crick. 1t is my only home spot in a for.
eign land. When tired Of wandering NJ
and down the face Of Britain here is where
l come for rest. There are both rest and
delight in old, old Crick; rest, because il j.
one Of the few English villages which
stands just as 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 dovecOtes which house SOC
families Of doves, the matched farm labor
ers' cottages, the ivies aud messy walls.
and the simple village folk all invite 10 re.
pose; and Of delight because, with my host
n friend, George smith OF Coalvile.
sage, philosopher and philanthropist, we
wander among English lanes, find old
paths over English fields, huut out Eng.
NHEL Am-na - 1870
grounds, talk OF and visit the gin
sizes aud all the other lowly we both know
and love, and altogether lead a life. for the
few days we are happily together. unmixed
with envy, untainted by ambition and
idyllic in the ioftiest friendship and hum
blest content.
All good men and women who believe in
the betuering Of the world through the
saving Of rs man fOrsaken and almost
God fOrsaken children. should know some
thing of this man, George Smith Of Coal
vile, as he is everywhere in England
called. No other Englishmau. perhaps no
other man, ever accomplished so much for
helpless children. He was born TO a brick
worker life in 1881. His father before
him was "a brickworker. The boy grew M
in the misery and drudgery Of the English
brickyards. While still "A lad Of seven
gFaAN Ia AANDEa IKE NUDA-ALNls Oh other u
brckyard children, was TO continually
carry forty pounds Of clay on his head
from the brick pile 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 the earth in the same toll.
lie realized the brutality aud misery
which he suffered, and with which ali
brickyard children were surrounded, with
a purpose. With every cuff, kick and oath
administered was again clinched a deter
mination TO emancipate himself aud bis
kind. From the extra fee secured by
watching the brick kilns two nights OF
each week, he secured four years night
schooling and a few books. When he had
reached mans estate he became the
George Smith Of Coalville, A." whose name
all England now knows almost as a house
hold word. By securing the management
OF a small red ~brickyard &C that place. He
made the owners rich, but eventually lost
his position through his ceaseless agita-
ton in behalf Of the ~brickyard children.
II Is long, heart breaking story, that Of
his starvation, suffering, contumely and
sacrifices, until he made all England near
him. His grand battle for these helpless
ones was made along all lines in marvel
aud pathetic simplicity, but with the
tremendous force Of personal conviction
personal suffering He will carry to
lis grave the scars Of hurt and wrong that
he children for which he pleaded were en-
Turing. lie had something TO tell Of on
yoings in English brickfelds and brick
and he "bulked IL out" a. he him
elf says In his work, The Cry Of the Chill
Iren from the Brickyards Of England" in !
its largeness and shame" a
In hrraf ha FunuN "a q. Id - 49,
O,OOO girls and boys. many more youthful J
han himself, in a condition Of abuse. hor- {
ible slavery, vice, ignorance and misery q
impossible for the pen Of even genius TO q
escribe. He worked, starved and battled [
hirty years for these children, and finally. 1
n the 10th Of August, 1871, heard the voice d
Z the speaker Of the house Of I
out, The ayes nave itr' on the pas- I
age Of a bill which became the fifth clause
{ the Factory and workshops amend q
tent act" gave him the enthusiastic con- a
r%atulations Of the greatest men Of Eng o
md; led Lord Shaftesbury 70 exclaim. O
Bless God for his grace on your efforts" c
nd had achieved for himself the first z
1eat victory Of his life. The actual result II
AS 10 send, on Jan. /, 1872. 10000 half II
lked children ont Of the brick and tile il
irds TO school, and forever prohibit girls a
~ rAAEAalN "a IA AnAr ADAAl ~
labor. n
But George Smith Of CoalviIle had only a
His second crusade was in behalf W
the canalbOat children. As a boy slave n
had toiled in b~rickyards abutting the s.
mails. In these boats and barges he saw A
ousands more children employed IN a a
udgery equally murderOus and living in 7
condition infinitely more degrading. d
'rhaps $4,000 persons-men, women and b
employed in navigating ID
me 5000 boats over nearly 5000 miles Of th
mails and navigable rivers In Earfnnd. 81
icy were in secluded places, and even lit
had woven a poetic glamor about th
Their poor children had dropped do
{ Of sight. They were growing up IN o
E stuffy cabins almost like wild beasts. Is
kicked. beaten with ropes. Is
cks and heavy iron boots, many became of
stupid A. the asses which they drove. as
asphemy, drunkenness, thieving, incest nc
q inconceivable degradation among these ey
4 were universal This children's friend IN
'ermined 70 rescue these lost heathens a. ar
had escued the ~brickyard children. Ar
fe wrote thousands Of letters and ciruu- pr
tramped hundreds of miles along IN