30 Josiah Wedgwood CHAP, m 



hands of strangers. But it must be remembered that 

 at the time when Thomas Wedgwood succeeded to his 

 father's business the pottery trade of Staffordshire was 

 an insignificant manufacture compared with what it 

 became during Josiah's lifetime. 



Nor was it any fault of Thomas Wedgwood's that 

 he could not look into the future and foretell the value 

 of his brother's abilities, or foresee the rising tide of 

 success in the pottery trade. He knew the modest but 

 fairly sure lines upon which his ancestors had worked, 

 and he was doubtless influenced by older relatives in 

 the determination he arrived at, not to risk in uncertain 

 ventures the slender provision left to help so large a 

 family out into the world. Josiah was, therefore, in- 

 formed that he must take his speculative schemes 

 elsewhere, as the family property was not to be placed 

 by him in any sort of jeopardy. 



