The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1868-08-15
TIM tIeHT HOUR Law.
The Tessamony Of W0rkingmen aud the
Result OF their Labors.

Result OF their Labors.
The following accounts Of the operation
OF the Eight Hour Law, at the Brooklyn
navy yard, where it has been in operation
for the past Eve weeks. win doubtless prove
Of interest to our readers. and cannot be too
widely circulated. They are the best refu-
tation Of the prediction Of those who insist
cd that such change would prove detrimen-
tai both 70 the interests Of The employer and
employed;
TN; a ship joiner, has worked seven
wears at the yard He lived in confined
tenement house, q mile and-a-half from bis
work. Rose at balf-past i've, hurried on BIZ
81 othes, did but little washing, breakfasted
At A Quarter to six, and soon after, without
reading q paper, started of and walked 70
the scene OF his daily labor, reaching there
At n quarter to seven While waiting till
seven Tor the gate to open, be sometimes
houpht a Sun, which be read for quarter
Of an hour, adding a williamsburgh Times
for evening perusal. Worked five hours I'M
iii noon and rested during the dinner hour
tall one, when be again labored five hours,
until six. and walked home. After washing
his hands and face, be took supper at seven.
Feeling to5 fatigued to walk out to visit
with bis family, be would not change bis
clothes, but read his two papers, talked
little, snlit little wood, and went to bed az
nine. Sometimes be str0lled iato neigh
BORING bar-room for conversation, feeling
that to be the only place be could frequent
in bis working dress. Under the eight hour
rule. be has lately taken cottage vita
small garden, on the outskirts OF Brooklyn,
AZ a lower Ient than be paid in the tenement
house. He rises, as before, at half-p five,
takes a more thorough wash, and breakfasts
at half past six, three-quarters o. an hour
| later than before. Previous to breakfast be
works in bis garden, or does any repairing
I In the house that his wife requires, and
| which had formerly o. be paid for. Leaves
home about seven, and reaches the yard, on
foot, before eight. Ills work closing az five
\ in the afternoon, be arrives at home before
six, works IN the garden or at repairs, wash
( es. and takes supper at seven. Feels no Ia
tigue finishes his two Tapers, and adds
magaziue and an agricultural Journal 70 MS
reading. At times be dresses and makes a
visit with his wife. Goes % bed between
balf-past nine and ten, oftcner at the latter
hour. He finds that be accompishes a.
much work 10 eight hours as he formerly did
/ IN ten. inasmach as he works more rapidly
and with greater will. He feels pleasant
l Iv towards the government, and is disposed
Ia i've il the worth Of lis money. This be
| finds the invarIable sentiment among him
companions. TIE steamer Wampanosg,
! now laid 10 in the yard, was lately housed
over under the eighl-hour law ia precisely
the same number Of days, and with the same
number Of men, as the Madawaska under the
ten-hour rule
Another ship joiner stated that for years
be had lived three miles from the yard in a
cottage with a garden. lie rose regularly
al i've, breakfasted at half past, and started
for his work at SIX, reaching the yard on
foot by seven. lie read no paper in the
morning. Leaving again al six, be arrived
at home, very tired by seven. Washed and
supped at half-past, and, after reading a
while, went to bed at nine. Did little TO
bis garden, and nothing 10 house repairs
/ paid for its being doue. lie now breakfasts
at half-pas six, and has a little more time
for both remaining in bed and woI1ing in
bis garden. Buys a paper in the nei, Dor
hood, and glances ut it after breakfast.
Leaves for the yard soon after seven, and
reaches there before eight. Enjoys bis noon
hour without fatigue, and reads his paper
Arrives at home al quarter to six. Washes,
works 10 the garden, aids his wife in diff-r-
ent matters, or reads until a suarter to seven,
When be sits down to supper. Having been
always fond OF reading, be adds to bis stock
of weeklies, and subseribes to a circulating
library. Formerly his fatigue rendered him
unwilling TO change his clothes and 20 out
with bis wife Or grown daughter. Now be
often does so, particularly with the latter,
and takes her to lectures or places Of amuse-
ment. He feels that be has taken the lease
Of new life, and hears the same remark
from those around him.
Similar experiences were given by mar
ried men in the other departments OF The
ward. Among the single men there were
many Of srudious habits, who found the ex-
ira hour, in both morning and evening, D
great aid TO their mental culture. Some
lived a considerable distance from theiI
work, and, Il disposed TO attend lectures
meetings, or places of amusement in New
York, had not time, after reaching home and
taking supper, TO IS and arrive at ths
proper hour. Now they can do so, and 9
number attend debating societies, where for.
merly they were content ~ loange little in
the street before bedtime or look in at /
bar-rt ON for an aequAintanee or Tor CONVEX
sation. Those single men Who have hither-
TO been fond Of baf-room l0laging and tax
ing drinks, still pursue thag course in q
measure but even among this class It is oh.
served that they oitener visit places Of
amusement, which IL NO intellectual step II
advance, and more often visit lady Gequalnt-
anees. The uniform testimony Of every man
addI eesed was, that there bad been les;
drinking in his range OF observation, under
the eight hour law, than before. Among
" the less educated laborers, good results were
similarly shown. The lass hour OF then
7boyelling, under the ten hour rule, was iel'
to be hard work. They now 20 home unia-
ugued, and have more time for smoke
and for aiding their wives in household mat
tiers. They have somewhat increased theiI
newspaper reading, though not largely, bu'
their spirits are lighter, and they give more
time to talking at home and play ing with
their children In this department., as IN AL
the others, excessive labor rendered mer
d,sguslsd with work, and they would ire
qnently lose day or two in the week. Al
present, it IL rarely that n man does MOI
work the entire sax days.