Fors Clavigera (Volume 3 of 8): Letters to the workmen and labourers of Great BritainRuskin, John
General
Fors Clavigera (Volume 3 of 8): Letters to the workmen and labourers of Great Britain
Ruskin, John
Aesthetics; Conduct of life; Great Britain -- Social conditions -- 19th century; Social problems; Working class -- Great Britain
Yes, that would be very fine and good, said Hansli; but where shall
I learn to make brooms?
Pardieu, [23] there's no such sorcery in the matter, said the
farmer. I'll take on me the teaching of you; many a year now I've
made all the brooms we use on the farm myself, and I'll back myself
to make as good as are made; [24] you'll want few tools, and may use
mine at first.
All which was accordingly done; and God's blessing came on the doing
of it. Hansli took a fancy to the work; and the farmer was enchanted
with Hansli.
Don't look so close; [25] put all in that is needful, do the thing
well, so as to show people they may put confidence in you. Once
get their trust, and your business is done, said always the farmer,
[26] and Hansli obeyed him.
In the beginning, naturally, things did not go very fast, nevertheless
he placed [27] what he could make; and as he became quicker in the
making, the sale increased in proportion. Soon, everybody said that
no one had such pretty brooms as the little merchant of Rychiswyl;
and the better he succeeded, the harder he worked. His mother visibly
recovered liking for life. Now the battle's won, said she; as soon
as one can gain one's bread honourably, one has the right to enjoy
oneself, and what can one want more! Always, from that time, she had,
every day, as much as she liked to eat; nay, even every day there
remained something over for the next: and she could have as much
bread as she liked. Indeed, Hansli very often brought her even a
little white bread back from the town, whereupon [28] how happy did
she not feel herself! and how she thanked God for having kept so many
good things for her old days.
On the contrary, now for a little while, Hansli was looking cross and
provoked. Soon he began actually to grumble. 'Things could not go on
much longer that way; he could not put up with it.' When the farmer
at last set himself to find out what that meant, Hansli declared to
him that he had too many brooms to carry, and could not carry them;
and that even when the miller took them on his cart, it was very
inconvenient, and that he absolutely wanted a cart of his own, but he
hadn't any money to buy one, and didn't know anybody who was likely
to lend him any. You are a gaby, [29] said the peasant. Look you,
I won't have you become one of those people who think a thing's done
as soon as they've dreamt it. That's the way one spends one's money
to make the fish go into other people's nets. You want to buy a cart,
do you? why don't you make one yourself.
Hansli put himself, [30] to stare at the farmer with his mouth open,
and great eyes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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