The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-12-30
TERMS OF SUBSCRIPTION.

BENToNS ACCOUNT OF NEW ENGLAND.-ID
n recent address in New York, Mr. Benton
told what he saw among the Yankees, and
gives the following account of their factories
and girls: 1s -s
have gone through their factories from
top to bottom, End have been aStonished at
the perfection Of their machinery. | have
sometimes asked, them whether they did not
get theft machinery from Old England-know-
ing | was putting them on their mettle, for
they send their inventions to old England in
stead of borrowing from them-and they
would answer:-"No, sir, we do all this our
selves" But there was something which as
'tonished me more even than the perfection
of their machinery. 1t was the cleanliness
which pervaded every department. 1t was
the ample, well ventilated room in summer,
and we'll warmed in winter. 1t was the neat
and comely appearance of the operatives both
male and female. It was that which struck
me. 1t was my business to converse with
all l convcrsed with the young women who
are engaged in the factories (some laughter),
and | found them attractive and comely,
modest without being bashful, of easy con-
fi1ence without assurance ready in cOnversa-
tion without fnrwardness, and of great inteIli-
gence. l went to their boarding houses, and
there all my ideas were reversed; for had
before me the picture Of the operatives as they
arc in England, living in small, narrow con-
fined, uncomfortable buildings, stinted for food
and clothing. On the contrary found these
-operatives-I think may say without dispar-
agemcnt to anybody here-as comfortably and
handsomely situated as members of Congress
are in Washington city. (Laughter.) They
live in large, stately, elegant houses, and you
enter in the same manner as you enter parlor
in Washington. You ring the bell and wait
till the girl comes and opens it. You are
shown into the parlor, where you see the same
kind of furniture as you will find in a Con
gressman's boarding house in Washington city
You sit down and inquire for whom you want
1t was near dinner hour when | went up tc
one of these houses, and carried my curiosi
'ty so far as to ask the mistress of the house tt
take me into the cooking department anc
show me how she cooked. (Laughter) She
said she was taken unawares and was not pre-
pared for it. | said that was exactly thu
thing wanted; wanted to see it as it wa
every day. Without more ado she opened th
door and led me in, and there was cooking go
ing on in room so neat that lady might 81
there and carry on her sewing or ornamental
work. This was the condition in which
found the houses of the operatives; and to al
these comforts, they add the leisure to rea
and cultivate the mind. dwell upon that
fellow-citizens, as one of the circumstance
which struck me in my visit to New England
And now | have to say to you, that, not satia
ted with my visit of thirty days-traveln
ever day and speaking every night am t.
return there when the winter is still, furthe
advanced. l have to address the students Z
Yale University and of Cambridge and whe
l return to the great West, l shall be able
bear my testimony-and will bear it cheer
fully-to the fact that in all the extended dc
mnions of this wide Union, there is no plac
where the hearts Of the people speak of tn
great masses, of the overpowerng numbers
where the hearts of the people are more 10y;
to the union of these States, than in Ne
England. cloud and continued applause