The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-05-28
"And yet that man could make good
Life Among the Mill People Of n Mnnu.
t acturing Centre.


The atlantic MonA4y for June contains an
article entitled a study Of a New England
factory town, supposed to be Fall River.
The writer spent some time observing the
operative population, their work in the
mills, their manner Of life out OF them,
their morals and attachments, their rela-
tons to their employers, and their EN-
ployers themselves. EIe found the Eng
lish, IRISH; Scotch and French Canadians
constituting a large portion Of the opera
tive class, but still many native American
girls and youths. The. work in cotton
mills, as is well known, requires close at
%tention and great activity, rather than
feats Of strength; it is nervous strain, un.
dergone at a high temperature. The con.
slant standing and movement upon the
feet, as well as the change Of, temperature
in going into the open air, imperil
the health Of women, but this observer
thought the confined Dir. Of their living
rooms and the frying Of food more iniuri-
Gus to the health OF the community as a
whole. He saw the girls and women often
familiarized with indecent language by
their male associates, but very justly says
that this fact indicates a low grade OF pc.
~litencss rather than unchastity, and he be.
lievcs that the girls, as a rule, 'know how
to take care'of themselves, to use their
own expression-that is, know the nature
and consequences Of social vice and avoid
II. They are occupied by their daily round
of duties, and the sweat OF the brow
providentially acts Us a kind OF moral sa-
Unity and purifier 10 humble life. The
cooking Of houses is bad, and enough
nourishment is thrown out to the dogs in
bones to keep all the hungry in the city.
New York story papers arc vastly con
sumed, apparently without injury, which
could hardly be said OF a fragrant so.
Cialist journal, which was read by
the more discontinued Of the operative
class. The Atlantic writer was much struck
by the poverty OF amusement OF the city,
He found numerous music halls or beer
saloons, frequented by a few operatives o
both sexes in the evening, where some one
sung songs of o platform. The place wa!
usually kept by an operative out Of work
who had begun with peddling outa key o.
lager and gradually worked up to gain {
miserable livelihood at the expense OF hi!
comrades. There was one iiquor shoE
licensed to every twenty volers. In onl
Of these the reporter curiously picked up
a genuine negro minstrel who sung hi
own words and music and wa abstainint
from public appearance for q year on &c
counto OF the death Of his mother His Ser
vor" on the platform was quite as nicl
morally as that dealt out subsequently O
THE ACADEMY of Music" when 9TH
house was filled with well.dressed peopl
OF both sexes" not OF the operative class
This was what happened:
a rather pretty girl came out in spang
led tights, and sang half a dozen stanIa
with this refrain:- rif4 4ll
$50, boys keep away from the girls say,
AID give them plenty ofroom;
For when you are wed they WIu'bang you I'LL you'll
ii With the bald.headel end Of broom"
This was received with great enthusiasm
as the play.bills said it would be, and wa
encored again and again. I looked aroun
over the applauding multitude; the mi
people were not there.
I Although the mills were all running 0
, full time, there were a good many unen
Iployed at hand, people who showed Vei
> little disposition 10 do otherwise than sta
and starve, or live on their comrades al
the city. The need Of some organize
- force to agltate and d OFF this stagnaI
surplus Of labor was evident. The Cathol