2: The Birth of Paul, and Another Battle

1 (p. 35) safe working: The term refers to a coal stall in which dangerous gases were not present. In safe workings miners could use green or yellow candles, which threw light that was much stronger than that of the safety lamps they used when combustible gases were present.

2 (p. 38) wedding at Cana: In a miracle recounted in the Bible, John 2:1-11, Christ and his disciples attend a wedding at Cana in Galilee at which Christ turns water into wine.

3 (p. 41) Joseph: This figure from Genesis in the Old Testament of the Bible was the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. When his ten older brothers sold him into Egyptian slavery, Joseph gained the favor of the pharaoh by interpreting the pharaoh’s dream of seven lean cattle swallowing seven fat cattle and seven lean ears of corn swallowing seven fat ears of corn. In time, Joseph became food administrator and saved his family from famine.

4 (p. 47) “The Child’s Own”: The Sunday School Union published this monthly magazine from 1852 to 1923.

Chapter 3: The Casting Off of Morel-The Taking On of William

1 (p. 55) barm-man: Barm is the fermented froth produced in brewing alcoholic beverages and used to leaven bread or to ferment beer; a barm-man was a salesman who distributed barm to households, going from door to door.

2 (p. 55) cobbler: Seashells or horse chestnuts were threaded on a string to make a cobbler, a tool in a boy’s game that a player won by breaking an opponent’s cobbler, or conker, by hitting it with his own.

3 (p. 58) Women’s Guild: An offshoot of the Co-operative Wholesale Society (see note 4 below), the Guild was a national organization that grew into its own during the 1890s. It supplied the early feminist movement with many influential leaders. Due in part to the vocal efforts of groups like this, women thirty years and older received the right to vote in 1918 and women twenty-one and older in 1928.

4 (p. 58) Co-operative Wholesale Society: Founded in 1863 on the principles of social reformer Robert Owen, the CWS provided discounts to members on goods bought and a dividend on all purchases. The CWS began manufacturing products in 1873 and was also involved in insurance, banking, publishing, and education; it is still a powerful organization in Britain.

5 (p. 59) Mechanic’s Hall: Started in the 1820s, this foundation offered artisans and skilled workers the opportunity for self-education.

6 (p. 61) Board school... Nottingham: In 1870 the Elementary Education Act put the national system of board schooling in place. Board schools were state-run and free to all children aged five to thirteen. High schools were private schools that sometimes offered scholarships to children of the lower classes.

7 (p. 63) as rich as Croesus: The last king of Lydia (560-546 B.C.) and conqueror of western Asia Minor, Croesus acquired great wealth through trade.

8 (p. 63) Lafayette: The Marquis de Lafayette, Marie Joseph (1757-1834), was well known in England in the early 1900s. He was a statesman and officer and friend to George Washington. Lafayette fought on the colonists’ side during the American Revolution, was commander of the National Guard during the French Revolution, and was instrumental in bringing about the adoption of the tricolored French flag.

9 . (p. 63) transpires: Originally this term meant “to exhale, to pass in a state of vapor” from the Latin roots tran, “across,” and spirare, “to breathe.” Around 1810 the term began to appear in American usage with the meaning “to occur.” Though this meaning was initially considered to be incorrect in Britain usage, it slowly came into common use.

Chapter 4: The Young Life of Paul

1 (p. 66) Band of Hope: This Christian youth society was founded in 1847 to teach working-class children the virtues of thrift, cleanliness, hard work, and self-control, as well as the “evils” of drink.

2 (p. 75) kicking against the pricks: The meaning here is “rebelling.” The phrase is a reference to the Bible, Acts 9:5, in which Saul, on the road to Damascus, falls to the ground and hears the voice of Christ say, “It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.”

3 (p. 76) knits the sleep: This is a reference to Macbeth (act 2, scene 2), by William Shakespeare. Macbeth refers to “the innocent sleep, sleep that knits up the ravell’d sleeve of care, the death of each day’s life.”

4 (p. 86) And he thought ... that the moon should be turned