Health of Towns Commission, 1843. 69 



capacity for labour of those who are under the age of 

 fourteen. For the active recreations of childhood and 

 youth are necessary to the growth, the vigour, and the 

 right conformation of the human body. And we cannot 

 excuse ourselves on the present occasion from suggesting 

 to you, who are the guardians of the public weal, this 

 very important consideration : that the rising generation 

 shall not be debarred from all opportunities of instruction 

 at the only season of life in which they can be properly 

 improved.' 



The remark as to bathing the children occasionally 

 sounds as if it had been entirely neglected ; and even the 

 Doctor was not fully alive to its importance. 



Mr. Johnson here remarks : 



1 Had these men omitted the concluding paragraph 

 from their report, we should even then have considered 

 they had done the State good service, and conferred a 

 benefit on the cotton trade at a critical period of its exist- 

 ence. Its insertion gives no ordinary value to their work ; 

 the document assumes a prophetic character, its authors 

 seem to gaze into the far future, and to realise the times in 

 which we now live. 



' Here we have the bold outline of a complete Factory 

 Act, the necessity for legislation demonstrated, the direc- 

 tion and the extent clearly defined. 



' " Brave men lived before Agamemnon," and brave and 

 true men laboured in our profession for the best interests 

 both of rich and poor, long before the names of Oastler or 

 Ashley were heard amongst us.' 



Thus we see that in 1796 Manchester claimed to be, and 



