Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1906-01-29
Candle Molder's Apprentice.

vious canvas
Candle MOlder's Apprentice.
John Burns was born in Battersea in
1853. His parents were from Ayrshire.
Scotland, and it is said that he is dis
family related to Robert Burns, the
poet. John, as he is Familiarity called
by everybody, was taken out of school
at the age of ten and, like Ben Frank
lin, was apprenticed to candle
molder. He next went into n boiler
factory and finally became a stationary
engineer. His father having died ear
ly, the boy was compelled to help keep
his mother While still youth he ran
an engine in the Niger river country.
i'll Africa. While here lie dug q copy
of Adam Smiths wealth of Nations
out of the sand. The reading of this
book started him to studying social
questions. Returning to England, he
began reading all the advanced and
Socialist literature that he could pro-
cure and soon made himself Il power in
workingmen's organizations. He spoke
on the streets and in the parks and
brought the denunciations of conserva-
tives on his head for being ''dema-
gogue" and "disturber.'' At one time
lie was arrested, but secured liberty
for himself and his companions by an
eloquent plea. at a later time he at
tempted to hold a meeting i'll Trafal-
gar square, for which he was arrested
and served a short Jail sentence. He
organized numerous strikes and led
them, the most famous of the list being
the great dock laborerS' strike in Lon
don. Then for almost week John
Burns scarcely ate or slept, and his
straw hat became the "orifiamme of
war; These things made him not
only the most conspicuous labor leader
of the world, but brought down on his
head the hatred of the nobility and
moneyed classes of nearly all England.
For all that Burns was elected
member of the first London county
council, a position that he has held
ever since. As such he has labored in
cessantly for the proper housing of
London's poor and has made his ma
tive Battersea model for all cities.
Notwithstanding his hard life and
rough surroundings, John Burns has
artistic tastes, which are in evidence
in his municipal reform work
A Most Effective Orator.
Perhaps it was his success in being
elected to the county council that sug-
Gested his running for parliament At
any rate, he made the race and was
'lccessful, and he has been returned
every parliament since. He is rec
Snized as one of the most effective
orators in England, and his speeches
are always packed with fncts a. While
he has educated himself, he. has done
the job thoroughly. He never speaks
i'll parliament to empty benches, for
it is realized that when he is up he has
something to say and that he will fur
nish new information on the subject at
issue. His presidency of the local gov
eminent board gives him control of all
the municipalities of Great Britain, a
responsibility for which his service
in the London county council has pecul-
iarly fitted him.
Until made n member of the cabinet
John Burns never received a penny
was given a meager $3.50 a year from
q labor organization. On this he lived
very modestly in few small rooms in
mode Of life since he tecame a minis
ter. He married girl he had known
as playmate, and they have one son.
Burns has had innumerable offers of
money, but has spurned them all. One
man wrote to him Offering a bride, and
Burns answered with the statement
that it was well the offender was not
in reach of his boots. Money! / hate
it." he has said often and has proved
it by his life.
Free In Speaking His Mind.
John Burns is utterly fearless in his
denunciations. No man in England
took more decided stand against the
Boer war. When he was in America
several years ago he created a small
furore by his freedom in speaking his
mind. Morgan he termed "the Barnum
~ tho financial xuorl1 CI;ooo<, ho