American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-11-27
Women Laborers in the Black COun.
try" in England.

Truly that is sad and shocking story
which has just been told the English pub
lie by one of the factory-insl ectors. He
frankly admits, too, that his story is not
q 1.-THE of the truth about the employment
of women and children; with tenderness
so unusual in the British official as to be
touching he refrains from the narrowing
details of what he knows, lest he should
rend the public heart in their recital. The
small part that he tells, however, is bad
enough in all conscience, and well merits
the serious attention of that vague power
which Dickens described collectively as
"my Lords and gentlemen and honorable
having led him into the manufacturing
district, gloomily but veraciously called
1.-THE Black Country" he found women
there hard at work upon nail and chain
manufacturing. This, it need scarcely be
told, is one OF the most exhausting and
physically difficult of human labors. The
toll spent on the forging of large nails re-
quires strong muscles and tough bodies.
But there in the Black Country young
women and old, women who are single
and women who are married, are bound
in a slavery which compels them TO this
work all day, and often into the night, for
the very lowest grade of wages.
Nor is this the worst. While the
women thus wear themselves out, their
husbands idle, and drink, and spend the
poor creatures desperately gained earn
ings in the taverns. The young men have
. way of looking out for strong, healthy
wives, with this very purpose IN view. If
they can win the heart of a likely girl"
by such rude Establishments as they are
masters OF, they are made for life. For
them are the tavern and the skittle-
ground, for their wives the merciless and
eternal forge. Then if children come
they must perforce be left to wander
ragged about the dinU foundeies, and
drift in grimy shoals on toward very
dark and dreary puberty. Ten hours u
day Is the ordinary time of labor for these
dollars week. But they have TO pur-
chase their own forging fuel and rent
their own stalls to work at these expenses
reduce their wages by three shillings.
Their net gain, therefore, is pitiful five
shillings q week-and this must suffice
for food, for lodging, for clothing, for
nurses, for doctors, and for the husbands
low comfort at the public-house.
These wretched slaves-for they are
surely not whit better-are " bossed " by
gangs of factors" and "foggers" who
would not for Q moment bear comparison
for gentleness with the very worst speci-
mems of Southern overseers in slave-hold-
ing days They are generally as hard as
the iron that Is forged into nails, and as
merciless as human machines paid to have
no hearts usually are. We have heard
much of the bad condition of English
factory operatives; but we are inclined to
think that the story of the female nail
makers Of the Black Country is the worst
yet told. It almost excites smile to see
The device of London paper for effecting
q reform in this state Of things No re-
lance is placed on the effect Of the har-
rowing story to rouse legislative indigna-
temen" are appealed to on the ground
that the women, being weak, make weak
chains and poor nails, which, used in the
chain cables and ships Of the Government,
are likely to produce loss and disaster.
Onlcial pity, this journal evidently thinks,
il not to be relied on; but the official
cheney may at least be trusted--Appletons'
Journal.