THE WALK CONTINUED. 37 



He went to Maidenhead, and there began 

 to mend watches belonging to his mates, and 

 becoming proficient at his trade, and possessing 

 a musical ear, he returned to his old village 

 as a maker of musical clocks. He had 

 entirely educated himself whilst acquiring a 

 skilled handicraft, and by exercising thrift 

 has saved a little money. He never, however, 

 desires other children of the poor to endure 

 the same hardships as he has fought through. 

 It struck me that if one man, a mechanical 

 genius, had managed to live through so many 

 hardships, how many that we wot not of have 

 gone under in the struggle for existence — 

 left to rot in cottages impregnated with 

 disease, where children have not sufficient food 

 on which to develop into strong men and into 

 mothers of an Imperial race. 



At Pewsey, the largest town in this vale of 

 the Avon (with the exception of Salisbury), I 

 heard of numerous interviews being made 

 with the County Council land-agents, but the 

 opposition of the large farmers stifled any 

 inclination that may have been felt on the 

 part of the owners to let part of their large 

 farms as small holdings. The vale here was 

 murmurous with discontent, and one could 



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