The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1846-01-13
THE GALAXY.
MIDDLEBURY. VT.
Tuesday, Jan. Is, 1916.
FACTORY OPERATIVES.

FACTORY OPERATIVES.
Inc Locofoco papers at the South are en-
deavoring to make it appear that the c, ndi-
ton OF the factory laborers at the north is one
of degrading serviiuie aud iucessant toll. de-
picting them as low, os cooped up in rens,
and working under the lash of the drivers and
task-masters. Brth donbly testabie it is
to find the Lowell Patriot. Morning News,
New Hampshire Patriot and other Northern
papers, copying from the Union. the Polk or
gan, these base misrepresentation, and even
manufacturing them OH their own hook mere
ly TO crafty their Southern leaders.
II is well known that in no other part of
the world is the labor of females SO fully and
fairly paid, or where they are so asrecably
employed, so well educated and so truly indie
pendent as in the manufacturing districts Of
our country. There is not indeed more
virtuous. religious, temperate and intelligent
class ofpeople in the world than the OF era
lives OF Lowell. Many of them have obtain
ed not merely support but handsome com.
potency, and even own very considerable a.
mount of the stock Of the mills in which they
operate.
And yet not few Locofoco editors in New
England have The brazen effroniery to brand
and blacken the character of this portion of
our population by representing them as
slaves, and their employers tyrants, task mas-
tiers and slave drivers, and in a condition of
abject vassalage, as sordid as that of the
Southern negroes or the serGs of Russia.
AS on illustration Of our remarks, let our
readers peruse the following article which we
clip from the Manchester New Hampshire)
American:
lNTELLlGENCEASD INDusTRY OF OUR Fac
| TORY GIRLs.-The reader will remember the
little incident which we published. few dlays
since, IN relation To the contemplated marriage
between wealthy SOutherner and a Beauty
in one Of the Lowell Factories. The gentle
mrn from whom we had the incident, is wri-
ting series of letters from the Nor,h to the
Richmond Wing, one Of which we published
in our last number. We find in another nf
the series the incident related in his own
way. That relation subjoin, together
with a few sentences Of interest in relation to-
other matters.
The operatives al Lowell, male and female,
get higher wages than any persons of their
class in the United States, or the world
Their intelligence is greater, and their morals
better likewise. They have finale and fe-
malel $780, 900 worth OF stock in the various
companies, which they have purchased by
their earnings in the mills. Thirty thousand
dollars in Railroad stock, pretty large a.
mount IN Bank stocks. and 5000, 900 deposi-
ted in the Savings Bank. This money they
have made by Iheir labor in the mills Man
oil Them have fine houses. A large number
OF families are dependent upon the earnings
Of their daughters in these factories. Two
nieces Of Daniel Webster. and two Of Edward
Evereii's are graduates ofihese palaces Of the
poor. The girls publish periodical of orig
NAL matter aud written entirely by the opera
tives.
There was singular incident which took
place here, in which bore part. Ii isa
little too good 10 lose. On my arrival here, I
found gentleman from South Carolina, no
had made the place a visit to see the facro-
ries. soon made myself known to him, and
he, myself and friend from Virginia, made
a visit TO some ofIhe mills. He was deadly
opposed TO the Manufacturing System-went
ter talk, until | got him pretty well round.-
AT this slate Of the case we went into a GER
tain mill where be beheld a very beaufifut
girl. He had no sooner laid bis ewes on her,
than he began to think that the Tariff and
Factories were not so bad after all, and be-
fore the night closed he was a strait out Tar
if Wing, and heels over head in love. He is
now engaged to the young lady. ard will be
married in few days. and when left him.
he wds firing off salutes with a couple Of pis-
ols near the mills in honor of the occasion.
he is going to take his betrothed TO Europe.
md when he comes back, intends going into
Ii is the greatest adventure
ever engaged in, in my life. This is the
bird Lowell female operative who is mar
led to wealthy young men Of South CareIi-
Ia. Four Of them are married to native
ieorgians. There are some fifteen or twen-
y in other Southern States in the same fix.
Ire these rhite SLdres? What say your CD
1mniators! Over two hundred young Ia
les, who were operatives in these factories.
nd who here earued the money to educate
lemselves, are now instructors OF youth, and
ONE in the highest Female Seminaries.