An Extract from the Novel
By Silas Kitto Hocking (The Bluecoat Press)
Although a fictional account, Her Benny gives a vivid and accurate account of what life was like for Liverpool’s barefoot street children . The book makes several references to Joseph Cunningham’s chapel, which was open to all, and his Sunday School outings, although he is not named.
In Chapter ten, Benny and his sister, little Nell are taken out on a country walk by their protector, the night watchman, Joe Wrag. Benny has just fallen into a ditch and is covered in mud. During their outing they come across a Sunday school superintendent ( a fictionalised version of Joseph Cunningham) and he invites them to join in the races. This account gives an idea of those Cunningham sports days out in the country :
“Scrape off what yer can,” said Joe, “and let the rest dry, and it’ll rub off as clean as a new pin.”
Benny was rather ashamed of his appearance, however, when he got in to the wood again, he found himself in the midst of 200 or 300 Sunday school children – and their teachers, all nicely dressed, who had come out for a picnic. But when he saw them each with a small bun loaf and a cup of milk, he could not help drawing near, notwithstanding the rather disgraceful state of his legs. Nelly was also anxious to have a nearer view of all those happy-looking children.
Fortunately for Benny, the superintendent of the school was the gentleman that had invited him in to the chapel months before. Benny felt sure he knew them again, but whether he did or not, he invited all three to sit down with the rest, and give them each a bun and a cup of milk.
Joe was as delighted as the children with the kindness shown, and was soon quite at his ease.
After lunch, the children ran races for prizes, and Benny was invited to compete with the rest. This suited him exactly, and very soon after, with a dozen others, he was bounding up a broad avenue between the trees, in a well-matched and most exciting race.
For the first half of the distance, Benny dropped in to the rear, then he began gradually to gain upon the others. Now was his time, so putting on a spurt, for which he had saved his breath, he went bounding ahead of all the others, and amid loud hurrahs came first in to the goal.
Benny never felt so proud in his life before as when that first prize – a brand new sixpence – was put in to his hand. His success, however, disqualified him from competing again, so he had to content himself with watching the others run.
Image: The Bluecoat Press