A Rally 
“Then ’ten’t no use to teach ye,’’ was the answer, 
or the gist of it. 
I gathered that in his boyhood John Smith 
had a positive distaste for his father’s trade. 
He “‘ didn’t like the smell of it. . . . There was 
an earthy smell, and a leady smell.’”’ Perhaps 
also the lead disturbed him in another way. At 
any rate | heard once more how his father’s hands 
were twisted up and useless as a result of the use 
of the lead, and—although this could not have 
affected his decision at that early date—he now 
surmised that lead poisoning had undermined the 
health both of his father and brother and brought 
about their death long before they were as full 
of years as himself. Still, in spite of his dislike, 
he did learn a little of the trade, and was able to 
“set a square”’—that is, to place the pots in 
the proper order, according to trade requirements 
for counting and pricing. 
There followed many details about the Farn- 
borough pottery—I think they have all been 
gathered into the earlier volume (William Smith) ; 
and this too: ‘‘ You never see now any of that 
Staffordshire yellow ware,” all “streaked” and 
“‘ ornamented with roses.’’ And since this had 
of old been brought into Farnborough in little 
low coster-carts drawn by dogs, it naturally led 
to talk about dog-traction, whence we branched 
off to many other matters. 
151 
