Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1842-11-24
" 7 soc U u A.N Wo
BOZ At LOWELL.

some eiSh' or more thousand females are en-
ployed IN the Cotton mills. Ills account O
the factory girls is full of interest. I. is a.
mong the best things in the book. He saws.
81 happened TO arrive at the first factory
just as the dinner hour was over, and the Girls
were returning to their work indeed. the
STAIRS oil the mill were thronycG with them rs
] assembled. They were all well dressed. bu,
not, 10 my thinking, above their condition
Tor : ,'se 10 see the humber classes of socie-
" ceselul OF their dress and appearance, and
even, II they please, decorated with such little
lIinkets as come within the compass of their
means. Surprising it confined within reason
able limits, would always encourage this
KIND OF PRIDE, as worthy element of self-res-
pect, IN any person employed, and should no
more be deferred from doing so because some
wreichcd female referred her fall to love of
dress, than | would allow my construction of
the real intent and meaning of the Sabbath to
be influenced by any warning to the well dis
posed, founded on his backsldings on that
particular day. which might emanale from the
rather doubtful authority of murderer in
Newgate
"These girls, as | have said. were all we'll
dressed, and dat phrase. necessarily includes
extreme cleanliness. They had servceable
oonnets, good warm cloaks, and shawls: and
were not above clogs and pattens. Moreover.
there were places IN the mill in which they
could deposile these things wiihoutiniurv. and
thcrc were convenences for washing. They
were healthy in appearance, many of them re-
markably so, and had the manners and dcport-
ment OF young women; not Of DEGRADED brutes
OF burden. If had seen one of those pirls.
(but did not, though | looked for some;hinr
oil TINS Kind with sharp cye,) the most lisp
ing mlncing, affected, and ridiculous vouno
creature that my imagination could suggest,
should have thought of the careless, mopinr.
slalternly degraded, dull reverse. Il have seen
that and should have been still well pleased
10 look upon her
Inc rooms IN which they worked were as
well ordered as themselves. In the windows
oil some there were green plants, which were
turned TO shade the glass in all there was as
much fresh air, cleanliness, ard comfort as the
nature OF the occupation would possibly admit
OF. Out OF so large a number of females.
many OF whom were just only then vcrgng
upon womanhood, 1t may be reasonably sup
posed chat some were delicate and fragile in
appearance; no doubt there were. But ]
sole'nnly declare, that from all the crowd
saw IN the different factories lhat day. can
not recall separate one young face that gave
me painful impression; not one young Girl
whom; assuming it to be matter of necessity
that she should gain daily bread by the labor
OF her hands. would have removed from
those works if had the power.
''They reside in various BOARDING. bouses
near at land. The owners of the mills are
particularly careful to allow no persons TO en-
fhn x~f,
characters have not undergone the most search
ing and thorough inquiry. Any complaint
that Is made against them by the boarders. or
by any one else, is fully investigated and if
good ground ofcomplaint be shown to exist
against them, they are removed, and their oc-
cupaton is handed over to some more DESERT
ing person"
After stating the astounding fact, that in
July, lS4l, nine hundred and sevenly-eight
of these giils were depositors i'm the Lowell
Savings Bank, to the amount jointly of one
hundred thousand dollars, or twenty thousand
pounds, ut Is posSlbleo Mr.. Dickens goes on
to say:
81 am now going TO state three facts, which
Will starile large class of readers on This side
OF the Atlantic very much. Firstly, there is
Jo'nt-stock piano i'll greatmany Of the board
ing houses Secondly, nearly all these young
ladies subscribe 10 circulating libraries Third
~, they have got up among themselves q pc
rlod'cdl called '1he Lol0eN Offering, re-
PoslIory of original articles, written exclusive
ly by females ACTIVITY employed in the mills
which Is duly printed, published, and sold :;
and whereof brought away from Lowell four
hundred good solid pages which have read
from beginning to end
1.-The large class ofreaders, startled By these
facts, will exclaim with one voice, How very
prePos;crous? On my deGereniiaIly inouiring
why, they will answer, these things are above
their station In reply TO that observation. |
would beg to ask what their station is Ii is
their station TO work, and they do work.
lhey labor IN these mills, upon an average.
twelve hours day, which is unquestiona6ly
work, ard pretty tight work too. Perhaps il
Is ABOVE Their station to indulge i'll such a
musernents on any terms. Are we quite sure
thal we In England have not formed our ideas
OF the station of working people from accus-
tomIng ourselves to- the contemplation of that
class as they are, and not as they might be
thlnK that If we examine our own feelings
we shat! think that the pianos, and the circll-
IatIng Libraries, and even the Lowell Offering
Starue us by their novelty, and not bv then
bearing upon any abstract question of right OF
wrong
"For myself, know no station in which
the occupation Of to-day cheeT(uIly done, ant
the occupation of Tomorrow checrfully look
ed to, any one Of these pursuits is not mos
humanizing and iaudble. know no station
which is rendered more eudurable to lie per.
son IN 1t, or more safe to the person ont of it
| by having ignorance for lis associate. know