MANY years ago, there might have been seen standing at the door of a small chapel in Surrey, a little chimney-sweeper, apparently about nine years of age, watching the children going to the Sunday-school. At that time it was considered rather degrading to send your children to a Sunday-school, so that none but the poorer classes attended. The writer is thankful that he has lived to see the day when the rich as well as the poor avail themselves of this privilege. After some time the boy ventured to put his head inside the door, and began peeping and listening to what was going on. This at last attracted the attention of the teachers, and one of them went to him and inquired what he wanted.
“Please, sir, will you let me come to school?” inquired the little sweep, “I should like to know how to read.”
“But,” replied the teacher, “we cannot have you in those sooty clothes; have you no others?”
“No, sir, but I will ask mother to buy me some, if you will let me come to school; and I will give her all my soot money to help to pay for them.”
“What is your name?” said the teacher, “and where do you live?”
The boy replied that his name was Dick Morton, that his father who had been dead more than a year had been a sweep before him, and had taught him to go up chimneys when he was a very little boy; that he now lived with his mother, and continued to sweep chimneys, sometimes earning five or six shillings per day, and sometimes only one; that he gave his mother all the money, and she let him have the soot for himself, which he sold, and so got generally from a shilling to eighteen-pence a week.
“And what do you do with the money?” asked the teacher.
“I spend it in tops and marbles, apples and gingerbread,” said the poor little sweep; “but I should like to buy books, if I could read them.”
“Well,” replied the teacher, “if you will buy some soap and a comb, and make yourself perfectly clean, you may come next Sunday.”
Accordingly Dick made his appearance on the following Lord’s-day, as soon as the doors were opened for school, dressed in corduroy jacket and trousers, and with tolerably clean hands and face. It was found that he scarcely knew his letters; but such was his desire to learn, that on the second Sunday he knew every one of them, and could put many together. He had no desire for Christ or the gospel of his grace; his whole ambition was to be able to read. He knew there was a God, but had never heard of a Saviour. He was regular in his attendance, and always in good time, and the writer has been told that he would spend an hour every Saturday evening, washing and scrubbing himself, that he might appear like the other boys. When he had been twelve months in the school he could manage to read a chapter in the Bible, and expressed a wish to have a Bible and hymn-book of his own, that he might keep them at home to read to his mother. He said he could pay for it with his soot money, and could give two pence a week to the missionary box as well.
And now, through the grace of God, he began to inquire about the Lord Jesus Christ, and the way of salvation, often saying to his teacher, “Will you pray for me, sir? I don’t know how to, I am so wicked; I never prayed in my life.” All the money he could get, he saved, and gave to his teacher to buy suitable books with, and, by the time he had been about four years in the school, had given evidence that he was indeed a new creature in Christ Jesus. Poor Dick often expressed a wish to do something cleaner for his living than sweeping chimneys, and having heard of a grocer who wanted a boy to clean the shop and carry out parcels, he said if any of the gentlemen would speak for him he thought he could get the place. On application, it was found that as the whole of his time would not be required., three shillings per week was all that would be given, but his mother could not afford to keep him for that sum. On the teacher calling upon her to see what could be done, she stated that he now brought her from twelve to fifteen shillings per week; and as he was a steady, good lad, she thought he had far better stick to his business. His father, she said, had always been a sweep, and had made a good living, and she did not see why Dick should not do as his father had done before him. So poor Dick was obliged to go on sweeping a little longer. At length a gentleman offered to take him into his house, upon the recommendation of the superintendent of the school, to work under the gardener, clean knives, etc. Dick wished to know if he could be spared to attend the Sunday-school, and the gentleman told him if he attended to his duty during the week and rose early in the morning he certainly should do so. Accordingly Dick was installed in his new place of servitude, where we shall leave him for the present, he being then about sixteen years of age and having been in the school nearly seven years.
Soon after this the writer left England, and was away more than twenty-five years. On his return he visited the school where he had been a teacher in his youth. Of course very great changes had taken place in that time, and on the occasion of his visit a middle-aged gentleman, who was one of the teachers, was addressing the children from 2 Kings 5. He first told them who and what Naaman was, and explained what was meant by a leper. Then he spoke of the leprosy of sin, and the depravity of the human heart, and was very particular in pointing to the Lord Jesus as the only way in which the sinner could be saved. He then drew their attention to the little maid who was taken captive, torn from her country and relatives, and made a slave. Here he especially addressed those who were likely to become domestic servants, calling their attention to the kind concern she showed for her master, as also the interest which the other servants took in him. The teacher referred to several passages of Scripture to prove that this is well-pleasing to God, and then spoke of Gehazi, and the sin of lying, prevarication, covetousness, etc., enlarging very much on the judgment of God, and closing with a suitable prayer. He appeared to forget nothing that was desirable both for teachers and children. The writer had not the least idea who he was at the time he was speaking; nor, till he was told, could he possibly recognize him as Dick the chimney-sweeper. Yet such he proved to be.
He had remained in his situation several years, giving full satisfaction to his master, and, from working under the gardener, was led to turn his attention to the study of botany. In course of years he became head gardener, and remained thus till the death of his employer. He then married a pious young woman, who was also a teacher in the Sunday-school, and subsequently opened a seed shop. By strict attention to business and steady industry he prospered greatly, and when the writer again saw him was the owner of a large nursery ground. He had never left the school in all those years and changes, but had proved himself a most useful and active teacher. Several Ragged-schools owed their origin to him; and mindful of poor little Dick, the chimney-sweeper, he ceased not while he lived to take an active part in them. Thus serving the Lord with all readiness of mind, he sought to make some slight return for all his goodness to him, an example in himself of the value of Christian labors among the young. Who shall tell how many children were blessed by God’s grace under his teaching, and by means of the schools he was instrumental in founding?
Sunday-school teachers, “be not weary in well-doing, for in due season ye shall reap if ye faint not.”
Contributed.