Page:Once a Week Jul - Dec 1859.pdf/360

 October 22,  1859.]  OUR  TAME  HEDGEHOG. 349

OUR TAME  HEDGEHOG.

to obtain  work  by  moderate  price  while  paying good wages  and  lessening  your  drudgery. But it is  not  just  that  you  should  put  into  your  pockets the earning  of  machines  that  you  have  neither devised nor  paid  for. If you  think  you  will  be better  off  in  this  factory  with  machines  than  in other  factories  without  machines,  I trust  we  shall go on  together  for  many  years.”

Away they  went  to  work,  and  competition  soon settled the  matter — the  piecemen  bringing  down the prices  to  the  fair  level  by  competition  with each other. They knew  that  workmen  of  many classes were  competent  to  their  work  when  aided by machinery,  and  that  by  the  machinery  their condition had  been  made  one  of  greater  comfort: there was  never  afterwards  any  talk  of  turning out. In fact,  they  got  spoiled  for  mere  laborious handicraft, and  were  unfitted  for  other  factories where the  ordinary  hand-labour  was  used.

Once, some  trade  delegates  came  to  interfere with the  hours  of  labour,  and  they  were  simply told to  take  away  with  them  all  the  men  who were dissatisfied,  and  who  could  be  replaced  from outsiders. They did  not  gain  a single  recruit. Every man  and  boy  in  the  factory  knew  that  their advancement depended  only  on  their  skill. A gardener or  a farm  labourer  entering  at  the  gate might become  a cinder-sifter,  or  an  engineer, fitter, or  viceman,  according  to  his  capacity. He who preferred  wood  to  iron,  or  vice  verad,  accord- ing to his  aptitude,  could  take  to  the  one  or  the other.

The usual  results  took  place. Other factories imitated the  machinery  by  degrees,  and  John  Smith had ever  after  the  satisfaction  of  hearing  that  men duly trained  in  his  factory  were  mostly  at  a premium in other  factories. The type  had  been  set  which  still exists and  multiplies. The earliest  wood  machinery in England  was  that  of  Sir  Samuel  Bentham, known as  Brunell’s  block  machinery  at  Portsmouth, Mr. Brunell  having  been  the  active  agent  in  the erection, but  it  did  not  get  beyond  the  sphere  of marine  work.

How little  was  done  in  wood  machinery  is proved  by  the  fact,  that  so  short  a time  has elapsed since  the  introduction  of  gun-stock machinery from  the  United  States,  where  the value of  skilled  labour  long  ago  forced  machines into use. Some of  the  earliest  wood  machines  in Woolwich  Arsenal,  now  one  of  our  Government wonders, were  devised  and  constructed  in  the factory of  John  Smith,  when  artillery  wheels  first ceased to  be  a handicraft  and  became  a process  of machinery.

The facility  of  obtaining  hand  labour  in  England has much  impeded  the  progress  of  machinery, which is  destined  finally  to  remove  from  us  all painful drudgery. The workmen’s  strikes  will force on  machinery,  and  the  time  will  come  when drudgery will  be  no  more. The inanimate  powers of nature  will  furnish  all  the  labour,  and  human beings will  only  be  needed  for  the  supervision. It will  be  & glorious  time  for  our  nation  when  the minds and  bodies  of  our  people  shall  be  equally developed by  mental  and  physical  gymnastics,  and there shall  be  no  brawny  arms  upon  thin  legs, and other  monstrous  and  unequal  developments.

W. Bridges  Adams.

It is  surprising,  even  amongst  persons  pretend- ing to some  fair  amount  of  educated  intelligence, how gross  is  the  general  ignorance  of  natural history, extending  even  to  the  animals  of  our households and  our  domesticated  pets.

For some  years  the  subject  of  this  article  has become important  among  the  first,  whether  it becomes  the  last  depends  mostly  on  the  knowledge to be  obtained  of  the  animal’s  instincts,  and  its capability of  being  tamed,  for  which  few  give  it credit.

From some  cause,  which  is  not  in  the  province of this  paper  to  explain,  London  houses  are  in- fested with beetles  and  cockroaches,  generally mice and  rats,  and  not  unfrequently  spiders  in abundance. Now, all  your  beetle-traps,  rat-traps, mouse ditto,  poisons,  or  infallible  insect  powders, are as  nothing  compared  to  the  services  of  a hedge- hog, who will  clear  the  kitchens  and  cellars  in  a very  short  space  of  time.

Londoners have  become  aware  of  the  serviceable nature of  this  creature,  but  when,  in  answer  to some  complaint  of  a neighbour  or  acquaintance about being  tormented  with  black  beetles,  we have  advised  the  keeping  of  a hedgehog,  we  have generally met  with  the  reply,  “But  we  never  can get one  to  live; they  always  die  in  a month.”

At first  this  used  to  perplex  us  greatly,  and when in  our  turn  we  also  began  to  suffer  under this beetle  grievance,  the  experience  of  our  neigh- bours deterred us  from  trying  our  own  remedy. At length  the  enemy  grew  so  bold,  and  increased so greatly  in  force,  that  one  day  in  pure  despera- tion we determined  to  provide  a hedgehog,  and bought one  accordingly  in  Leadenhall  Market.

When we  got  him  home  we  christened  him Peter, and  gave  him  a mansion  beneath  a disused kitchen copper,  with  plenty  of  hay,  a large  supply of water,  and  a good  supper  of  bread  and  milk, which we  had  always  been  told  was  amply  suffi- cient to satisfy  the  creature’s  appetite.

We soon  discovered  why  our  acquaintance could not  keep  their  hedgehogs  alive. Belonging to the  order  carnivora, these  animals  when  in  a domestic  state  rarely  have  any  meat  given  them. Many persons,  indeed,  have  a fixed  idea  that  the vermin they  destroy  is  enough  to  sustain  life,  or they  vaguely  attribute  to  the  hedgehog  the  fabled chameleon ability  of  living  on  air.

One of  our  family,  L— —, who  has  a passion for every  creature  belonging  to  animal  nature, undertook to  tame  Peter,  and  ascertain  his  habits, tastes, and  likings. Of course  she  fed  him,  that is the  first  key  to  animal  affection. He soon  came to recognise  the  hand  on  which  he  depended  for daily food. He makes  but  one  meal  per  diem, and that  about  nine  o’clock,  p.m.; and  if  the  hour goes by  without  his  food  being  placed,  he  utters  a peculiar  noise  resembling  a groan,  sneezes  fre- quently, with the  force  and  fervency  of  a cat,  and testifies much  uneasiness. He requires  meat pretty frequently,  and  is  very  partial  to  a bone with a good  deal  on  it. He unrolls  himself  at  the

touch of  L, and  places  his  bristles  down,  so

that she  can  stroke  him; he  will  even  play  occa- sionally, stretching out  his  paws — so  like  a