The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-07-14

ing Sold sou instaIlments. None but workers
wanted. Western Eook Agency. ST. Paul, Mimi
of clay and in doing 1t had to walk ii
miles. Manis made of clay, but these
children were unmade with clay.
From the fifth or sixth year to his
eighteenth year, George Smith Travelled
over $4,000 miles to and at and from MIS-
work-mOre than three times around
the world His sufferings lighted him
the fires OF passionate resolve to save
others.
He began to agitate. to write letters to
the press. to plead with such influential
men as he could reach. He had edu
Gated himself by the light of the kiln
fires he watched at night. His Cry of
the Children" and other appeals by pen
and speech caught the ear OF the publ;
and the public compelled parliament 10
act.
Laws were passed bringing the slaves
Of the brickyards under the protection
of the awakened social conscience, and
new source Of wealth. fuller man
.
children-was opened in England. The
old political economy had been unable
to see the financial folly of burning out
the red of the cheeks of it's children to
burn 1t into the red OF the bricks and
tiles.
| While he was working for others
with such wonderful energy and suc-
cess, Smith had been faithful and sue
cessful in his own work He had risen
to be the manager Of an important con-
Germ in the brick business where he
was making a large profit for his en-
ployers. He had a beautiful home with
| green lawns, avenues of trees, gardens
| full Of fruit, porters lodge; he had
his horse, carriage and coachman He
did not rest with his victory for the
| brickyard children, but turned at once
to rescue another large class of children
the miserable boys and girls of the
| canal-boat population-beaten, over
/ worked, wandering up and down with
! the canal boats over the thousands OF
miles of English canals, sleeping in The
!; cubby- holes Of the boats; uneducated.
i foriorn. The sorrows of these children
had entered into his soul and he pledged
himself to set them, too, free. But the
/ spirit of vested interests reused itself
to strike him down His employers one
dark night called him before them and
demanded that he give up his work for
the children or his position. Il cannot
stop my work for the children" he said,
and they discharged him.
| George Smith went out of his hand
some house and beautiful grounds, and
step by step, descended through every
grade Of poverty. He was made bank
rupt. He had to take his family to
wretched howell which could not keep
out rain or cold. His children had no
shoes to go to school. They suffered
for food and were glad to get red her.
ring for Sunday dinner. Scandals,
lies, persecution. temptation, aching
head, sleepless nights, insults, snubs,
| hunger fatigue, sobs and poverty
these were the ransom he and his family
had to pay for his devotion to the cause
of the human wreckage of the canals
| But he kept on with the devotion OF
! the religious enthusiast he was-an
, apostle of a right to work. that shall
| be worship. not PROCLAMATION. In his
diary for the last day of 1876 he said:
| Made a bankrupt; got commission to
| inquire into the canal question" Here
again he was successful, and after six
years hard work lecturing, writing, lob
bying constantly in the house of COM
mons, his bill was passed and the canal
| boat waits were brought under the same
| legal shelter he had got for the brick
yard children.
But there was more work to do He
| had rescued thousands of little children
from cruel bondage in the brickyards;
| he had made education and a decent
| life possible for tens Of thousands of
| children in canal boats; and now he
! turned to bring into the tent of civiliza-
ton the children of the gypsies and
| travelling vans and shows who were
growing up into the very scum of the
| earth. In this work he died. poor but
| famous and beloved: known throughout
the length Of England and beyond; lis
| tened to by parliament the press, The
| public honored by testimonials in which
| the queen, men and women of title and
commoners were all glad to unite. His
| only title was that by which he was
known up and down the midland coun-
ties where he had gone on his missions
| of emancipation-"The Children's
| Friend" He sprang from the poor; he
| lived and labored, night and day, among
the poor; and he died and made his
grave with the poor
Ito be continued next issue)