The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-11-14
THE CANAL FOLK
OF England, Their Personality and
VI How They Live.
GEORGE SMITH, OF COALYlLLE,
And Ills Great Work for Humanity.
How Iic Rescued Thousands of
Children from Life Worse than
Slavcry...Wakcman's Letter.
tcorYRIour, 1901
Special Correspondence Of he h'slliaortr.

miles OF sunny way from the noble
school.town OF Rugby, lives one OF the
most noted and certainly one OF tho
worthicst men OF England. l am his
friend and guest.
It's an humble abode, three three
century old cabins merged into one,
with gablcd roof, huge ireplaces. low
ceilings, tiny-windows, and all manner
OF mysterious cubby-holcs, hooks and
passages; and with three OF the sweetest
women in England, mother and two
lovely madens, to give tho quaint old
place unceasing light and glow.
1t is not the first time | have been
here nj Brick. 1t is my only home.spot
in foreign land. When tired OF wall
dering up and down the face OF Britain,
here is where come for rest. There
are both rest and delight in old, old
Crick; rest, because it is one OF the few
OF English villages which stands Just as
it always stood; where the roar OF the
workaGay worlds activities never
comes; where tho old parish church,
the graveyard, the decayed manor
houses, the huge stone doye-cotes
which house 500 families OF doves, the
matched :arm laborers' cottages, the
ivics and messy walls. and the simple
village folk, all invite to reposc; and
OF dclighG because, with my host and
friend, George Smith OF Coalville, sage,
philosopher and philanthropist. We
wander among English lanes, find old
paths over English fields, hunt out
English antiquities, visit English battle
grounds, talk OF and visit the Gipsies
and all the other lowly we both know
and love; and altogether lead life, Tor
the few days we are happily together,
unmiXcd with envy, untainted by am
bition and idylIic in the lofticst friend.
slip and humblest content.
All good men and women who believe
in the lettering oil the world through
the saving OF its man-forsaken and al-
most God.iorsaken children, should
know something OF this man, George
Smith OF Coalville, as he is everywhere
in England called. No other English
man, perhaps no other man. ever ac-
complished SO much for helpless child
rem. lie was born to brickworkcr's
life in 1881. His father before him was
brickworkcr. The boy grew up in the
misery and drudgery OF the English
brickyards. While still lad OF seven
years, his labor like thousands OF other
brickyard 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 lie
had Travelled nearly four times the dis
lance around the earth in the same toll
He realized the brutality and misery
which he suffered, and with which all
brickyard children were surrounded,
with 4 purpose. With every cuff, kick
and oath administered was again
clinched 4 determination to emancipatc
himself and his kind. From the extra
fee secured by watching the brick-kins
two nights OF each week, lie got four
years OF night schooling and Il few
books. When he had reached mans
estate he became the George Smith OF
Coalvlle," whose name all England
now knows almost rs 4 household word
by securing the management oil small
red-brlck yard at that place. lie made
the owners rich, but eventually lost his
position through his ceascless agitation
: on behalf OF the brickyard children. 1t
is 4 long, heartbreaking story, that OF
his starvation, suffering, contumelv,
and sacrifices, until he made all Eng
land hear him. His grand battle for
these helpless ones was made all lines
in marvellous and sympathetic simplic-
ity, but with tho tremendous force OF
personal conviction from personal sui-
fering. He will carry to his grave the
scars oil hurt and wrong that the chill
dren for whom he pleaded were cndur-
ing. He had somethin" to tell OF ongo-
inss in English brici-fclds and brick
yards; and he "bulked it out" rs he
himself says In his work, "The Cry OF
the Children from the BriclyarIs OF
England" in all Its larscness and
shame"
CHILD SLAVES.
In brief, he found, as lad OF seven
years, thirty thousand girls and boys,
many more youthful than himself, in Il
condition OF abuse, horrible slavery, vice,
ignorance and misery impossible for the
pen of even genius to describe. He
worked, starved and battled thirty years
for these children, and finally on the
10th OF August, 1871 heard the voice OF
the speaker OF the House Of Commons
ring out, "The Ayes have it," on the
passage OF bill, which became the fifth
clause OF the Factory and Workshops
Amendment Act" gave him the en-
thusiastic congratulations OF the greatest
men OF England; led Lord Salisbury
to exclaim, "Bless God for his grace on
your Efforts" and had achieved for
him the first great victory OF his life.
Alone and unaidcd one brickyard grad
uate had rescued thirty thousand fel-
lows from the slavery and degradation
OF this inconccivably brutal and blight
ing form OF child labor; while tho &c.
tual result was TO send, on January |,
1872, 10000 half naked children out OF
tho brick and tile yards 10 school, and
forever prohibiting girls under sixteen
being employed in this form OF labor.
But George Smith, OF Coalvillc, had
only begun. His second crusade was in
behalf OF the canal-boat children. Asa
boy slave he had toiled in brickyards
abutting the canals. In these boats and
barges he saw thousands more children
employed in n drudgery equally MUIR
derous, and living in condition inf
nitcly more degrading. Perhaps l25, 900
persons, men, women and children, were
employed in navigating some $4,000
boats, over nearly 5000 miles OF canals
and navigable rivers i'll England They
did not throng railway stations. They
were in secluded places; and even liter
{ aturc had woven poetic glamor about
them. Their poor children had drop
ped out OF sight. They were growing
!. LIZ, n tho stnffm cnlnins nlnnnst lila Mill