"It is about some poor people in England who were shut up in prisons. They were not wicked. They had not stolen nor done any other dreadful deed. Yet the prison doors were tightly locked upon them and they were shut out from the beauty of this great world. "You shall hear why these people were not free. They owed money and were not able to pay it back. In the old days in England there were many poor people. It was hard to earn a living. Some of those who tried the hardest, could get no work. Then, of course, they did not have money. Yet they needed food and clothing for their families the same as ever. They could not let them starve. "It is no wonder they got into debt. If the debt was not soon paid, they were taken from their homes. 'Stay in prison till you pay what you owe.' This was the cruel law." "But how _could_ they earn any money while they were in prison?" cried Joe. "It was impossible, of course. That is why the law was such a bad one. By and by a very good man went to visit the prisons. His name was James Oglethorpe. "He saw the poor debtors and pitied their sad case. He wished to help them. He thought of America. It had already given homes to many unhappy people. He went to the king of England and said: "'Will you let the debtors come out of prison and go with me to America? They can have a fresh start and make a new home for themselves there. You will then have no more trouble with them.' "The king listened kindly to Oglethorpe's plan. It seemed a good one. He promised to give land in America to these people and said that Oglethorpe should be their governor. "Not long afterwards, the debtors were set free. How glad they were to be with their own families once more! How thankful they must have been to James Oglethorpe who had done so much for them! "When they left England for America, their good friend went too, so that he might give them his wise help. Their new home was farther south than that of any other English people in this country at that time. It lay next to Florida. The Spaniards were their neighbors. "The new colony was given the name of Georgia, in honor of George, the king of England. "The first day in the new home was given up to prayer. All gave thanks to God for bringing them here in safety. Then came weeks of good hard work. Houses were built, a wall was made around the village, and a fort stood ready in case of an attack by enemies, red or white. "General Oglethorpe was a wise governor. He made just laws for his people. He drilled the men every day in order to make them good soldiers in case they needed to fight. "He treated the Indians so kindly they did not wish to make war upon his people. There was one chief whose name was Tomachichi. He loved General Oglethorpe very dearly. One day he brought a present for the governor. It was the skin of a buffalo with the feathers of an eagle painted on it.