Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1869-02-05
LOWELL.
How the Fac tory Girls Live-white
slavery.

| LOW ELI.
How the Fac tory Girls Live-whit,
slavery.
Mr.. Jerome B. Stillson, a CORES.
pondent of the World, (better known
as ~. B. sly has been flirting 0
trifie with the Lowell factory girls,
of which he publishes an account in
Saturdays World, from which We
learn the following interesting facts
Lowell has o population of thirty.
two thousand females and fifteen
thousand males, comprising six thous.
and four hundred families. Sixteen
thousand of the population are bach.
elors, maids, orphans land people dis.
connected from home.u About 25,.
600 men, women and children are
employed about the cotton, woolen
and iron mills, of which there are
forty-eight Of large size, run by water
of 10000 horse power. Fourteen
millions of dollars of capital stool,
are used here; the mills have 500, ,OO(
spindles and 5000 looms, 2,25O, 600 Of
yards OF cotton goods, 10000 yards Of
woolen goods, 35, 900 yards of carpets,
25,W shawls, and 5000 dozen pairs OF
hose are manufactured every week.
The female 1aborers work from
50 go to 3 rs per week; the male from
$40 to $500 per day, and board them
selves. The Merrimac Manufacture
ing COmpany's mills are the most ex.
tensive, and employ capital of two
and half millions of dollars. Near
ly all the manufacturing corporations
here own land adjacent to the mills,
upon which dwelling and boarding
houses are erected at the companies
cost. The dwelling houses are le ased
to landlords orlandladies, with whom
the companies arrange for the board
OF a certain number of operatives, or
for the price Of board of each opera
tive. The price of board is determin-
ed between the companies agents
and the landlords and landladies, as,
also, are the variations of the price
which may result from the stringency
or the case of the times. The opera
tives have, therefore, no bargaining
to do in the matter. They simply
pay the price which may be establish
ed, a price the most economical that
can be maintained. The keepers OF
the boarding houses are held to a
are established, according to which
none of the girls are suffered to be
out after a certain hour in the even
ing, and the houses are closed at 10
O'Clock p. m. On the grounds of this
company watchman is detailed
whose duty it is to report any viola
tlons of these rules or any Irregular
tiles that may come under his notice.
Their meals have to be on the table
ut just such n minute. Breakfast at
six o'clock, so they can be in the mills
and at work at half past six. The
first bell rings at half past four in the
morning; the second bell at half past
five, and the bell for them to go to
the factory, at twenty minutes past
six. They have thirty-five minutes
to eat their dinner in. The bell rings
at noon, and they must commence
work at quarter to one. They stop
at half-past six in the afternoon, ex-
cept saturdays, when they let them
out at five.
These boarding houses have q very
nice parlor and sitting room in which
the girls huddle together during the
winter evenings, as they can not af-
ford to have fire in their rooms.
"A gossiping landlady showed the
correspondent to some of the girls
rooms, and entertained him with the
following discourse
"Gou can't expect to find Brussels
carpets and fine chimney ornaments
everywhere" she proceeded, with n
shrewd, sad smile. "This is how
girls live who have to work for it,
and who may thank their stars and
me that things are kept clean, any
way. There's specimen wardrobe,
hanging against the wall. Look for
yourself-dresses, night gowns, un-
derclothes, and all. Not many fine
dresses, you say. Well, If that little
trunk over there was unlocked and
thrown open, you'd be astonished to
see what is in it. Trust me; there
amt many girls who don't keep one
nice suit slowed away to wear on
Sundays and at parties, or when u
gentleman comes to take them to a
lecture. There are some who don't,
to be sure. pve got some girls who
haven't been out of the house after
they came home from work since
can remember"
They get too tired, l suppose?"
"Tired! Tired is no name for it. I've
seen girls come in here at night
trembling all over like leaves, with
no more appetite than as if they
hadn't stomachs. All they wanted
to do was to crawl up stairs and fall
down on their beds and groan.n
The correspondent expressing de-
sire to have n conversation with some
of the girls, was invited to call in the
evening, which he did, and was
shown into parlor, where to him
"reflecting upon the number and va
riety of fiirtations which had been
carried on in that very parlor,"
presently appeared "three dignified
young women of repressed demean-
or, who curtesied extremely low"
After quite lengthy conversation,
! portions of which are detailed and
show that their tittle-tattle was no
more or no less insipid than that OF
an accomplished boarding-sch miss
but which, nevertheless, jenkins in
forms us, "scrved, from first to last
to strengthen the fibre of his respect
for the young women who granted
him ther presence" He left them to
indulge the following evidently very
appropriate and just reflections:
Their pride did not suffer them to
complain, or reveal one-half the
straits of their condition they de-
! Tended what was suggested rs cruel
or unfortunate and palliated what
was indefensiblc. 1t was easy enough
to see that they toiled and lived un.
| der system Of slavery as absolute