The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1901-08-21
The "Grit, Bare-Legged Laddie."

The "Grit, Bare-Legged Laddie."
The story of boy who refused to allow his pow
erty to stand in the way of his desire for knowledge
is related by an exchange
Nearly hundred years ago. stout, freckle-faced,
awkward boy of eighteen years. dressed in a ragged
wastcoat and short breeches, without stockings
shoes, raped evening at the door of an humble
cottage in northern England, and asked to see the
village schoolmaster. When that person appeared
the boy said very modestly:
II would like to attend your evening school, sir"
"And what do you wish to study?" asked the
teacher, roughly.
81 want to learn to read and write sir" answered
the lad.
The schoomaster glanced over the boys homely
face and rough Clothes scornfully, and said Every
well, you attend but grit bare-legged laddie
like you would better be doing something else than
learning his letters" Then he closed the door in the
lads face.
"A If that grit, bareegged laddie' had said to the
ehoolmaster, mean to r,eroyr+es1 great<Ap4Nsas
to be friend of rich and powerful men, to hold CON
versation with kings and to write my name among
the great ones of the EARTH" it is likely he would
have called the boy a fool to cherish such wild
dreams. Yet this poor, ignorant lad who did not
know the alphabet at eighteen, accomplished all these
things before he died.
He did it by hard work and because he made up
his mind to do the best he could. He kept pegging
away. His ignorance misfortune and not
fault His parents too poor to send him 70
school He was the son of the fireman of a pumping
engine in Northumberland coery. His birthplace
hovel with clay floor, mud walls and bare
rafters. When he was five years old he began to
work for his living by herding in the day time
and barring up the gates at night AS he grew older
he set to picking stones from the COAL and after
that to driving horse which drew coal from the pit
He went hal-fed and half-clothed but for ga that
he had mans brave soul in his sturdy little body
For several years he assistant fireman to his
father; then he made fireman himself Suisse
quently at the age of seventeen he was plugman of
pumping engine, post superior to his fathers
But all this time, though ignorant of books, he had
been studying his engine. Gradually he acquired so
complete knowledge of his machine that he was able
to take it apart and make any ordinary repairs. The
grit, bare-egged laddie' was smarter than he
seemed, and this fact the teacher was not long in
finding out after he began to teach him
At the end of two years. by attending evening
school he had learned all that the village school
master could teach him This brought his school life
to an end but ne still kept on studying He bought
books engineering and mechanics and spent his
leisure in learning what they taught and in expert
menng. AT last he began to think about making bet
ter engines than those around him
Meanwhile he had secured the appointment of en-
gnewrght at of the great colleries of northern
England. and he gradually applied his plans for an
improved locomotive He was not entirely success
ful at first, but he not discouraged He saw his