Canal Adventures by Moonlight Author:George Smith General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1881 Original Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where yo... more »u can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: "Mother dear, 0 ! can you tell me Why it is we're living so 1 Father, mother, sisters, brothers, Nine in all, as well you know, Ever floating on the water, Midst the curse of wicked men, Wretched, cruel, fierce, and drunken : Could I never sail again ! " Can you tell to me, dear mother, Why to school we cannot go, Why our books and lovely pictures We are never taught to know? Oh ! I wish that I could read them : How delighted I should be ! Oh that someone would deliver, Make me happy, make me free ! " Surely England soon will listen To the boatman's children's cry : See them scattered o'er the nation, -- Can the nation let them die ? Die to all that's good and useful, Die in everlasting shame 1 Train them for God and country, History then will speak thy fame !" PAET HE. THE BOAT CHILDREN'S CET STILL GOING UPWAED. A FTEE completing my journey, I began to consider what -£j- plans I should adopt to cause the local authorities to take steps for enforcing the provisions of the Act, and the regulations of the Local Government Board. I tried the " oracle," with the hope of finding out a more easy, less boring, and troublesome way than writing letters to the press and my big friends. It is not pleasant to be always trespassing upon the good nature and forbearance of those you love and respect; but, with the results contrary to my hopes and wishes, I could see nothing upon the disc of fate but painted in large capitals, " Letters," " Letters." The same familiar face was to be seen with which I have been acquainted for so ...« less