Ragged John

John Pounds is the man credited with inventing Ragged schools, yet few people outside his hometown of Portsmouth, England know much about him. He has been honored as a local hero and named “Man of the Millennium.”

In 1803 he established a Ragged school in Portsmouth, inspiring others to open similar establishments throughout Britain. Additionally, he helped found a free training home for girls in his home town.

Early Life and Education

John was born in Portsmouth, England and worked as a ship builder apprentice. Unfortunately, during his early youth he fell into a dry dock and sustained a serious injury which rendered him unable to walk.

He then taught himself how to read and write, eventually setting up his own business in 1803 out of two very small rooms. Additionally, he began tutoring street children.

After his passing, his ideas and principles were passed on to others, leading to the growth of this movement throughout the nation. By 1870 there were 350 ragged schools operating under the auspices of the Education Act.

Lord Shaftesbury and other key figures in the reforming conservative movement saw ragged schooling as a counterweight to popular secularism and radical working classism. However, with passage of the Education Act in 1965, their justification for such practices had to be revised.

Achievements and Honors

Ragged John is an African-American businessman and philanthropist best known for his leadership role in the publishing industry. Throughout his career, he has received numerous honors and accolades; one of his most significant accomplishments being founding and establishing Ebony magazine.

Johnson founded the first magazine publishing company and it remains a model for other publishers to follow. Aside from his incredible contributions to the magazine industry, Johnson also served in several significant national missions. He is renowned for his dedication to expanding social and economic opportunities for African Americans; this commitment earned him the Spingarn Medal in 1966. Johnson’s accomplishments serve as an inspiration to many African Americans who strive for success both professionally and personally.

Personal Life

John the Rough had a difficult childhood. His mother Margaret lost her husband two years before his birth and had to support herself and her three sons on her own, working all day in the fields for money to provide for their upkeep.

Once he turned 15 years old, he worked as a blacksmith, waiter, pin-boy at a bowling alley, and shoemaker. Though he tried his best to live a good life by going to church regularly, his inner peace never materialized.

He had many narrow escapes from death, such as falling into a creek and nearly drowning, and he began to fear for himself. But then something amazing occurred – The Master summoned him to help a group of rowdy boys.

Net Worth

Net worth is the sum of all assets (cash savings, investment accounts, real estate) minus what you owe. It serves as a good measure of your financial stability and can be beneficial to people from all income levels.

To increase your net worth, the most important step you can take is to reduce liabilities. This involves repaying debt, saving regularly and investing.

Thankfully, it’s a breeze! Use our Empower Personal DashboardTM to view all your debts in one place and create a strategy for repayment.

Assets refer to cash in checking and savings accounts, retirement funds, investment accounts and property that you can sell if needed. Liabilities refer to any debt owed to others such as credit card debt, student loans or mortgages.