Son Philip

Philip Hexton wants his education to make working lives safer. Home from Germany at twenty, he tells his parents that he hopes to improve conditions in coal mines. His father, a mine manager and partner who began as a poor pit worker, has imagined a different future for him. His mother fears the risks she already knows through her husband's work. Philip sees his studies in chemistry as preparation for preventing the accidents that bring grief to mining families.

George Manville Fenn places this story for younger readers between a comfortable family home and the hard work underground. Affectionate teasing at the breakfast table gives way to arguments about practical knowledge, safety and resistance to new methods. One miner's angry threats show the hostility Philip faces, while his father's private reflections reveal growing respect for his purpose. Readers interested in industrial life will find a young reformer's ambitions tested by established habits and family expectations.