The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-08-22
THE FIRST UMBRELLA.
Jonas Hanway the First Person 1T
 London to Garry One.

London to Garry One.
 We have it on good authority that Jonas Hanway, the eccentric philan- thropist, was the first person who walk ed about the streets of London with an umbrella over his head. He was a man who did not want courage, as we know from other deeds which he did of a more dangerous sort. Being a Quaker, he was not afraid of sneers or jeering remarks, which Quakers have always had to encounter, Very likely he was both insulted and pelted when he ap- peared with his umbrella in some streets, for the constahles of the reign of George III. did not keep order so well as our modern policemen do. Proba- ply good MT. Hanway's original um- brella was even larger thalf those to which, in allusion to one of Dickens tales, the popular game of gamps." is often given by way of joke. The Geor- gian umbrellas are described to us as being made of green oiled canvas, with cane ribs which would not bear a strong gust of wind Cowper, the poet, | in his Task" mentions the umbrella as an article which people used to pro- 1 tect them from the sun, because it was the fashion then to cut down many of l the fine old trees of parks and groves, so that perhaps this was Hanways first idea about it, that it made good sun shade Evidently, the umbrella came to us from the east, where it is employ ed for that purpose, but theFrench had it before us, This was one thing which made people dislike 1t. for French fash ions were thought silly. Macdonald, writing in A. D. IT'S, says that the Lon don idlers and the hackney coachmen shouted after him when he carried an umbrella, and called him a "minching Frenchman." His sister was out walk ing with him one day, and she was so much insulted that he had to take ref uge in a shop.
 But I must say something about Jonas Hanway, for ,he is worthy to be remembered He was born at Ports- mouth in A. D. TIP, and travelled about the world good deal, and published a book giving an account of his travels | In Persia. With some other gentlemen, he founded the Marine society in 1756, which was intended to benefit beggar boys and orphans, by giving them an outfit and starting them as sailors upon trading ships. He was himself Rus sian merchant Then he was one of the early friends of Sunday schools, though the schools which he helped to start were different to those we have now. they were the means of tanning children who were like young savages. They heard the truths of the Bible and were taught to read. It was not till this cen tury that a machine for sweeping chim- neys was invented, and the custom of employing boys as climbing sweepers gradually ceased but before that Jonas Hanway did what he could to protect these poor little fellows. They had of- ten to go up chimneys on bitter cold mornings; sometimes they stuck fast and died, often they got bad bruises 1 and sores from this dangerous work Some of the timid ones, too, were al- l ways afraid of meeting bogies in the chimneys. Even at the age of six oi seven, children were so employed, be- cause, when small, they could climb UT narrow chimneys better, and little girls were actually sent up sometimes. MT. Hanway obliged the masters to feed these young sweepers properly, to have them washed after thier work, and to give them beds, not dirty sacks, to sleer upon; also he got their hours shorten ed. When he was i'll London, Hanway lived during many years in house ir Red Lion Square, Holborn and he had