Josiah's
letters are read. And what a nice thing it was in the children in
America, to take that little fellow out of the cinders and soot of the
blacksmith's shop, and send him to school for two years!

Now many a little boy and girl of our school-room circle has contributed
half a dime towards Josiah's education. I would ask that little boy or
girl what he or she would sell out all right and title to the pleasure
and consequence of that act for? What would you take in money down for
your share in the work of expanding that little fellow's mind, and
filling it with such new ideas as he expresses in his letters? What a
new world he has lived in since he returned from school to his little
wayside smithy, the roof of which can hardly be seen over the hedge!
Think of it--but you cannot think of it as it is, unless you could see
that nailer's shop and cottage. But think of what he was, when you took
him from the anvil and sent him to school. Then he could not tell a
letter of the alphabet, and never would have read a verse in the Bible,
if it had not been for your half dimes. Now see with what delight he
searches the scriptures, and marks and commits to memory choice verses
in that Holy Book. He has taught his father to read it too, and is
teaching his sisters, and the children of the neighbors to read it, and
all good books. A great many young boys and girls in England have heard
what you did for him, and some of them are beginning to write to him,
and he answers them, and gives them good advice. The last steamer from
England brought us a nice lot of letters from him, some directed to you,
some to me, and one or two to others, I will read them to you in the
order in which they are written.

BROMSGROVE LICKEY, Dec. 4, 1849.

My Dear Sir:

I thought that when I wrote to you again I
should have a few subscribers for the Citizen. I
will tell you the reason why I have not got them;
they are most all primitive methodists. They have
been trying to scheme them a chapel for this last
twelve months. They are having tea parties and
missionary meetings every two or three weeks, so
they have put me off a little longer. I had a good
deal on my mind through reading the Citizen. I
opened my bible at the forty-first chapter of Isaiah
and at the sixth and seventh verses. There I read
the following words: 'They helped everyone his
neighbor, and every one said to his brother, be of
good cour