Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1845-11-06
The Factory Girl.

One OF our New Hampshire Girls al
work IN the mills, who assures US thai
she has a few hundred in the Bank has
given us list of the prices which she
Was accustomed 10 receive for her labor in
other times. before factories were though,
Of. Ii is curious and worth contrasting
with the present order OF things, in this
respect. In 1906 she received the usual
price paid for female help. employed in
the old fashioned mode of spinning with
crooked spindIes,'' viz: one yard Of cloth
for a wetk's cork. As TO receiving
money. thai was out Of the question
What articles Of dress she needed, she
obtained by exchanging her cloth al the
stores. paying 10 cents a gard for
goUn Vhich may noW be had for nine.
pence--a dollar for cambria which now
commands a couple Of shWiags! She
then hired out 10 do house work and
sewing -receiuing So cents q aoe,k IN
fur, and living on t.poiaioes, bread and
pea coffee Determined 10 have cash,
if ii could be had, she engaged at another
place and was 10 receive one shilling
day in money. Bat soon. her employer
being unable to carry on, his engagement
she was 10 take eggs. thread, oats, rue.
cloth. 8-c.--risiag before light and a0ork,
ing till near midnight. p
Unable to- stand this, she went to
Massachusetts, in 1912, where she receiy-
ed ''nne shillidgs and presents besides,
as good as two dollars week. [. was
in the midst of the war. and times were
hard. Her employer had run out Of
money, and lost every thing bot flock of
$50 sheep. 1t occurred 10 him that he
might turn his wool to account, and he
accordingly set snr operative to spin
ming on many spindles," as she calls it,
Having acquired some skill in The busi.
ness, she then "hired out 10 a gentleman
now an extensive manufacturer in
Vermont-who Ia! introduced some lille
machinery.
She soon learned to work on this and
to manage the jenny and LOOMS" and
shortly after became the overseer Of the
establishment, receiving her dollar day.
She had charge Of his whole business,
was his banker. hired his girls and taught
them to work. They soon had cloth TO
sell, and this a0as The small beginning of
one Of our large manufacturing riAa-
gest
After the war was over, she returned 10
her parents. and afterwards, through the
influence Of some of the friends Of her last
employers and ,oho are concerned in
he Manchester Corporations, she came
10 Amoskeeg, and has been employed as
an operative by them ever since. Instead
NJ sleeping in garrett. and living from
nand TO mouth. as people were obliged to
do in old time. she says she ha, fine
and well ventilated room. the best Of food ),
aud high acages regularly IN cash
Now there Is volume in this simple
history Of factory girl, Her story il
that OF others. who having known villa, il
was TO work from fifteen TO sixteen hours
a day in years back, for mere p,.ance.
and that pa, able in any thing and every
thing. but that which commands all else
can feel the difference in their situation,
now that the enterprise of onr citizens
has given employment to their hands in
our manufacturing villages. Aud vet,
there are those among us who seek 10 IN
derrate the position of the operatives, 10
make them Disconnected with their places,
and who actually stgmalze them as
siares. for iaboring TO earn an honest and
respectable livelihood. The answers OF
the operatives themselves almost invaria-
bly, is-"Yon may talk, but, after all, roe
girls have feW hundred in the Bank"
=. Manchester On. H. american.
Commodore EHiofs Medal The
President of the Rhode island Historical
Society has returned. according 10 hi. in
structions, the medal prepared by Com.
modore Elliot in honor of James Fenni-
more Cooper. to the Hon. John Quincy
Adams, with request that the medal be
sent back To Commodore Elliot. II APP
pears by the following, that the worthy
ex-President Of the UDited States, will
not perform the part assigned him by the
Historical Society. Mr. Adams says in a
letter, dated Quincy, Mass, Sept. 90
II decline the Office requested Of me by
the Historical Society of Rhode Island,
and hold the medal and the copy Of their
resolution which thev request me to trans.
uflt w NolHiIUubfc EllitUt, 10 De uBllVCTeu
to any person whom they or yon by their
direction may authorize totreceive them.
| retain the copy Of the Resolutions of the
Society intended for myself"
"A New feature in Cattle Shows-At
the recent Agricultural fair in Burlington.
w., Mr. l.. Chase presented for premium
three pretty female children two and a
half years old. born at a birth. The com.
miltee on household manufacturers award
ed him $l4--whic!i was voluntarily con.
lribuled by the old Bachelors present, who
said they considered him legitimate OBJ.
ject of charity.
The Pennsylvania State Cert fcates
About 81 200. 009 Of Pennsylvania Ger
tlica.es of interest have been converted
into regular Five Per Gents since the pas
| sage of the law authorizing The changes;
| and il is probable large portion Of the
balance-now abou, $1,000. OOO-will fol-
| low suit. IF s3,OOO,OOO should be con