78 THE AGRICULTURAL CLUB 



if His Majesty would confer an honour on some agricultural 

 labourer. 1 



If schools cannot be brought nearer, the means of transit can 

 be such in these days that children can be brought to the school. 

 More can be done in the village school. Let the school be 

 for the education of the child. Let the schoolmaster be a 

 free man, not tied to sect or party. He to a great extent, if he 

 is the right type of man and these can be found ! could do 

 much in saying what would be the best teaching for certain 

 children. He would first study the child. 



On the same occasion Mr. Haman Porter described the 

 manner in which he served his apprenticeship in Agriculture. 

 He said : 



Some of my earliest recollections were starting to school in 

 some clothes which mother had made out of some of my brother's 

 old clothes and how proud I felt when I got my first pair of 

 boots : these used to be made straight, so that we could reverse 

 them every day, right foot to-day, left to-morrow, so that we 

 should keep them upright. If we got a good harvest, and 

 were able to earn more money fagging the corn, and had a 

 fine autumn, so that we could do plenty of " Leasing," that 

 is " Gleaning," we got a new pair of boots each year ; if not, 

 well we got them some time. But this stipulation was always 

 made, that they should be made big enough so as to allow for 

 growth of foot, that they might wear as long as possible. Imagine, 

 if you can, the feeling of the plough-boy, having to walk on the 

 rough clods all day when his toes wanted to push through his 

 boots. 



I started work at the age of 10 years and 2 weeks, getting 5^. 

 per day, with breakfast at the farm on Sunday morning ; this 

 breakfast I shall never forget, I didn't imagine that the world 

 possessed such things as were on that breakfast table. My 

 father was having los. per week, working on the next farm, 

 my brother, 8 years older than myself, having 75. My mother 

 took all she could spare from this, and often the whole of her 

 own part, and gave to my eldest sister's children, while their 

 mother was too ill to look after them herself (in this case man, 

 wife and 4 children ; wages, I2s. per week of 7 days). And 

 let me say here, that while I do not believe that poverty is 

 a crime, I know it is a curse. And of this thing I am certain, 

 that so far as the agricultural workers of England are con- 



1 Shortly afterwards Mr. George Edwards and Mr. George Nicholls 

 received the honour of O.B.E. 



