Reminiscences of Rotherham
by G. Gummer, J.P.
« « prevtaken. These reminiscences have been joyfully given in the hope that they would afford pleasant reading. They are mostly memory records, verified where necessary and although they may contain some inaccuracies, will be found to be a truthful record of the period they cover - a period when few of the amenities of to-day, such as the present methods of transport, were enjoyed, and when artisans used foot-lathes, working 54 hours per week, and when mass production was undreamt of, when candles and paraffin lamps were the chief illuminants, when St. Lubbocks, half-day holidays and early closing were unknown, and such things as typewriters and dictaphones did not exist, when electricity for power and light was in its infancy, and wireless unthought of, when pianos, instead of being in every house, were only possessed by the few, and pianolas and gramophones were unknown; when recreations were limited - there being no picture palaces or 'palais-de-danse', no golf, hockey, or football where thousands congregate as now, no evening papers or 'Early bird', and when quill pens had not been entirely superseded.
And so I could go on enumerating scores of other facilities of to-day that were not available when I was a boy. Yet life did not slip through our fingers unenjoyed. We perhaps did not look forward so eagerly as now to the day when this world’s treasures would mean everything. Nor did we cherish that dangerous materialism which preaches money as the great end, and that a man is a failure unless his life culminates in the possession of a huge bank balance, which later appears in Other People’s Money Column in the Press.
In the sixties and seventies men did not so readily sacrifice their health, peace and conscience in order that they could boast of possessing hundreds of thousands, nor did they confound excellence with pecuniary success. Thousands die rich in goods and reputation who are intellectually and morally bankrupt.
I said at the beginning of these reminiscences that each of us should choose his way of serving. Again, I would impress on the youth of the town to act well their part. Every one of us has a mission to perform in this world. Find out what is yours, and then throw all your energies into it. seeking its accomplishment and not your own glory. In conclusion, the following lines may not be, inappropriate:
Do not, then, stand idly waiting
For some greater work to do;
Fortune is a lazy goddess -
She will never come to you.
Go and toil in any vineyard.
Do not fear to do or dare;
If you want a field of labour
You can find It anywhere.
THE END
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