SEED-TIME FOR REVOLT. 23 



The drinking water was supplied by the village brook 

 and exposed wells, into which oozed the filth from open 

 sewers. The labourer at that time had one privilege as a 

 citizen ; he could vote at a vestry meeting, which was then 

 the body to elect guardians, waywardens, and overseers. 

 But Canon Girdlestone states that he never saw a labourer 

 at a vestry or any other meeting. 



When Girdlestone began his campaign the farmers of 

 Halberton did not appear to be overflowing with the milk 

 of human kindness. The Canon relates an incident of a 

 carter who was crushed by a restive horse in his master's 

 stable through no fault of the man. 



" Through his injury he was laid up and his wages were 

 immediately stopped by his master, who refused to give him any 

 sort of assistance. This was not all. The man occupied a 

 cottage belonging to his master, and being a carter he held his 

 cottage rent free as part of the wages. During the whole of the 

 time he was disabled he was not merely refused a single penny 

 of his wages, but the rent of the cottage was charged to him, and 

 the amount was deducted each week from the wages of his son, 

 who worked for the same farmer." 1 



Other cases of callousness on the employer's part are 

 related by the Canon, but I will cite only one of them. 



A wagoner had his ribs broken by courageously rushing 

 at a horse's head when the animal had taken fright. For 

 two months he was confined to his bed. His employer, 

 the farmer, refused to give him one sixpence of wages. 



But apparently farmers in those days were not supposed 

 to pay their men when they were injured, even when they 

 were injured in doing dangerous and skilful work for their 

 employer. One comes across such a case in W. H. Hud- 

 son's A Shepherd's Life. Caleb, the shepherd, in relating 

 the incident to Mr. Hudson and it must have taken place 

 at about this period did not feel at all resentful that the 

 farmer paid him not a penny piece during the six weeks he 

 was laid up after having his system poisoned by dipping 

 sheep. His resentment was only against another, who was 

 secretary of a benefit village club which Caleb had sub- 



1 British Rural -Life and Labour, by F. G. Heath. 



