Laws for Me

In the words of Baden-Powell, from "Lessons on the 'Varsity of Life."

As a youngster of course I wanted to be an engine driver, as is the ambition of 99 percent of boys, I suppose. But I had the additional reason for it seeing that my godfather was Robert Stephenson, the engineer. Funny to think that within a lifetime the idea of railways was laughed at! 

When I was only eight I became a reformer, and a red-hot socialist. I wrote Laws for me when I am old.

“I will have the poor people to be as rich as we are (which was not saying much). Also they ought by right to be as happy as we are. All who go across the crossings shall give the poor crossing-sweepers some money, and you ought to thank God for what he has given us. He has made the poor people to be poor, and the rich people to be rich, and I can tell you how to be good.  Now I will tell it to you. You must pray to God whenever you can but you cannot be good with only praying, but you must also try very hard to be good. 26th February, 1865.”  

(I wonder what experience would have induced him to write that? Interesting to think that when he was so young he was already thinking up "laws" for himself.)