I just got a letter from my little brother. he can read and write pretty good, better than I can. he said that our parents took the money they got from making me become a chimney sweep and put him through school with it, and since he's 7, he can't go work in the factory. he says that school is easy, because all they say are important are facts. he says there's no room for singing or having fun and those that are found lollygaggin' are punished severely. doesn't sounds like anything i'd want to be gettin' myself into. at least up on the rooftops I can sing a quiet tune to myself every now and then.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
"What Was It like for Children Living in Victorian Britain?" Woodlands Junior School, Tonbridge, Kent UK. 2010. Web. 12 Apr. 2012. http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/homework/victorians/children/working.htm.
The Water-Babies." By Charles Kingsley. Search EText, Read Online, Study, Discuss. Web. 5 Apr. 2012. http://www.online-literature.com/charles-kingsley/water-babies/.
Sexton, Timothy. "The True Story of the Hard Life of Child Chimney Sweeps in Victorian England." Yahoo! Contributor Network. Yahoo! Voices, 21 July 2008. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. http://voices.yahoo.com/the-true-story-hard-life-child-chimney-sweeps-1670947.html.
Children in the victorian period were expected to work from the time they could walk. Child labor was more prevalent among the more lower class families in the victorian period, where the parents would sign away their child's life as a chimney sweep (which could have been considered a death sentence) or sending them to work in factories managing and repairing dangerous equipment. there was many advantages to the employers of children such as lower wages, and longer working hours. There were many dangers to the children as well. a child trying to repairing a machine while it was still running could get his/her hand caught in between moving parts, which usually resulted in serious injury or death. the factor floor was usually incredibly unsanitary as well, which imposed health problems on many children at a young age. this did not pose a problem for factory owners at first, since there were many orphanages during the victorian period, there were many children at hand and could be easily replaced in case of accidents. Child labor did not run rampant throughout the entirety or the victorian period, however. in 1833, the Factory Act was passed in parliament, which prohibited children under the age of 9 from working in textile factories.
this is a picture from a textile mill in the early 1800's.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
I just finished reading the book "The Water Babies" by Charles Kingsley. bunch of hogwash if you ask me, kids gettin' killed by their master and turning into sprites free of dirt, soot, and sins. That's just cruel, giving us kids hope for somethin' that doesn't exist. I've heard of master sweeps being cruel, but never killin' a child. I don't think they're as soulless as that.