io8 



MINISTRY AT WARRINGTON. [Chap. IV. 



binders were assembled ; in another, a dozen tailors ; in another, 

 a dozen shoemakers ; in another, paper bags were made for 

 grocers. At regular periods, these attended the school, and 

 another set took their places at the workshop. The lads who 

 came in tattered clothes, and could not afford to get them 

 mended, visited the tailoring and shoemending rooms in turns, 

 and came out well patched, and darned, and 6 crapped.' All 

 the pieces of old carpet we could muster were made into 

 slippers ; and the torn books from the cottages were brought to 

 the bookbinder's shop, and, having been 'fettled,' they made 

 the commencement of many a good library. 



" ' But what has this to do with the Oberlin Press ? ' It 

 happened, dear reader, that in the midst of these bad times 

 an unexpected bonus was announced on some railway shares. 

 Whereupon we thought what an excellent thing it would be to 

 set some of these youths to printing; that they might learn 

 to spell, and also print useful things to distribute among the 

 scholars. Accordingly, our bonus was invested in a press, 

 type, and furniture. And well we remember the delight with 

 which we took the composing-stick in hand for the first time, 

 and set up those beautiful lines : — 



• I slept, and dreamed that life was Beauty. 

 I woke, and found that life was Duty. 

 Was thy dream then a shadowy lie ? 

 Toil on, sad heart, courageously, 

 And thou shalt find thy dream to be 

 A noonday light and truth to thee.' * 



Our press was a rickety old wooden instrument, and our type 

 was worn, and none of us understood our business. How- 

 ever, the neighbouring printers were very kind in resolving 

 our difficulties; and by dint of pains we managed to print 

 many a useful paper, and even ventured on a book of " Songs 

 of Progress and Affection for the People,"! the first edition of 

 which was sold off very speedily. By the time that the factories 

 got to work again, and the school closed, one of our young men 



* These lines were the heading of his printed letter, p. 106. 

 f To this he soon added a Supplement and ' ' Songs of Health and 

 Temperance," which at one time were much used by Bands of Hope, etc. 



