New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-16
FRIEND JACOB BRIGHT.


"FRIEND JACOB BRIGHT.
oyc,vN1xc LIFE AS A WEAVER AND DYING GREAT
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES THE WELFARE AND
1NrERRsr OF HIS EMPLOYEES HIS owN-ANEC-
NOTES ILLUSTRATING HIS STURDY PHILAN-
rupopIc NATURE - THE LESSON HIS LIFE
TEACHES.
Tn travelling east by north from Liverpool
nm y1ur way TO the great centres of the wooen trade IN
Yorkshire and 10 The beautiful old city OF YORK, you
strke sort of black hill" country where by reason
of the cold the blossoms nger on the hawthOrns lar
away into Summers and may pick the last primrose
there Of the year. 1t the back bone OF northern
England and, on its slope, the starting point
OF those daes spoke the other Sunday evening"
while on the slope IL Is the hill country Oh n
cashire the most enerprsDg and progressive ehre III
kipedOm-the Massachusetts as one may say as man
ehester Is the Boston, the Rlens which the streams
have cut through the heart OF these hli'' you NJ"
OF of cotton on the western Slope
and voolen on the Eastern, ana swarfnihg PoPu'@i
of the old strong northern type, wearing shOes WIZ
voodeu soles we'll bound with iron ana very cle'l "
their use in Q fight radical in their THINKING resO"to
and prompt In their acton not so supersuuous "s he
neirhbors are who till the land, aud who aode III u"e
lugs black with age the upper reaches OF the Mus
And inst where this wild rough land begins TO DINO"
ND on the western slope from warm, sweet meauo"s
and gardens you come to town 10 whlch you are III
stsnty attracted by superb building IL Is VI te
tower and spre lifted against the sOmDre sky' eeS
with GOLD It lie a town hail. and as you are ~a'ehins
this In wonder the guard calls out " KOchuae' al"
then YOU are aware that TINS town IS the nome VI Io
Bright the very nobitst Englishman' to my mun' now
an the earth. AND l remember when say this that
Gladstone lie alive, and Tennyson and many man DC
side, whose name VIII DC mehuoneu Win P4 "
thousand years. 49,
That snlpIe sturdy dwelling, standing among those
trees on the slope the BILL Is John Brgbps mousse IL
ia only of two Stories but OF most ample breauth auu
deepueEs like its master. And like its MUSTER Hso'
IL stands fair sun, with the cearest OF all VIII
dOvs TO drink in the light. You would get the impress
sion yourself that 1t must be the bone OF quaker
tbere IA such broad brlmne svergray look about H.
whale YOU would not envy the Prince who coud not no
eopteDt 10 live In radiant with the hoine'Se
look. -
Down in the town you find simple old Westinghouse
,tandine quietly apart with grass plot In front anu
Pow Grave, beautifully kept like a garden This is the
meeting house where John Bright sits On First Day. WIN
friends in the silent meetug for silent meetings. am
told are the rule there Aud John seldom or never speaks
except in meetings for busness nor is u though ne can
ypeak TO much purpose by sOme OF his own race TOT
when his daughter OF her sons to hear hn AT
ereat meeting in Birmingham, and there happened to
be n rough passage between two friends before JOhh
rose to speak, little fellow said he Thought thes"
were far better speakers than his grand'ather 'cy
made the fire fash to some purpose Ihere John biRnt
Worship as nlR I0tneT Wcul DOl'IO HiHi' "hN
heped bud the place In 1905 The Church OF England,
Charles the Sc cond said the only church for gentle
man hut IL may be Bright never heard OF the say
ing or does not think Charles good authority or does
not mind whether such Charles say he Is gen
tenau or no. He stands the old deep heart OF hlS
peoples aud the fighter In England with brain and
tongue loves nothing better than the silence
Jacob Bright the father OF John, came to this town
81 Rochdale about 1885, young man OF .tWeniyonc'
His father and mother died when he was stu child.
and left him alone on the EARTH but they were members
Of the Society Of Friends and they are always to such
children in Gods stead They allow no child OF their
kind to be fateress and moherless so far as hey can
,aa m tbem And so they sent small fellow across
the wild hills side, first TO be educated IN ono
of their great schools and then TO learn the art o
weaving with Of that craft, who was also paf'
farmer and could you ont on the land when your
cheek grew pale and your chest hollow and so take care
that the craft did dvOur the man. rs 1t does now So
fatally in towns like Lawrence and Lancashire
over there The result: OF this blended life OF the land
and the loom was fine sturdy youth who, when ne was
free set out to seek his fortune. with iar education
aleyel head and kindly heart as the sequel Shows
strong resolution to rsc In the world, and about
dollar I'm money. But those who hear me can horoN
imagine what II was for such youth carve his way
tn GOOD place and Il fair fortune. He began his HE a'
a iUurneyman weaver at six shillings weeK "a doia
and half OF money! for lodging, food' c'oth'hg
hooks and whatever beside he wanted Aud this was II
the dear times OF tnc Ou fTcncu war; S''' '"N'N ~
hardly been no way discovered of keeping young maj
down who can write tbs C.'s at the emf OF hi
naIne--cOurage capacity and conduct And so Freh'
Blight rose through this threefOld quality and IN IL
long time became bdOkkcepcr to the son OF Ills on
master who had into this region, started afacory
found the young man driving away at the lOOm ah
had come to the conclusion that the trusty appentc
Of the old days the 70 have about you In IN
so thought his quiet Quaker sister also, it seems
40 there was in time wedding; and then the grea
6oe OF death for she was taken and he was lett
DE BECOMES An EMPLOYER OF LABOR.
Bnt It seems Jacob Bright found what we all find
that after our faith God there is surer help for on
sorrow than to do what our hands find to do with on
might. 30 the bereaven young man STOOD steaolIy
his post with the quiet inward sorrow Tor DIS mate
which was to away in some three years ana CIV
plnce TO another Joy. IL Jacobs business now to
10 Manchester; he the manager and rght-han
man But the way home from Manchester, via BOJtoI
Is by the bow and the string. SO II ever Friends
gossip think they had their turn until 1t came out
due time that there to he an addition to tho men
bership Of the MeetinS-for Friend Martha also was
Quaker and beautiful even among those to whom
Quet her IT brought such rare gifts OF beauty Blu
f9repd Bright could not be content to serve now
Was looking out for chance to employ and create An
Won may feel pretty that when Young man has
in him 10 do this TO good purpose, there are thos
.omewhere who will lend him lift. Jacob got his III
In Manchester where few gentlemen with money an
brains had been watching him as he did business wit
Them One or perhaps two, factories had been starte
In the valley OF the Roche which now so full OF then
and one Of theso waiting for Friend Bright; ana
he became an employer OfabOr, ana DIS business III th
world was to spin honest cotton thread
Now there were two ways open to Friend Brignt-a
there arc to most conducting this bushes
The one was that they should together each ber
wholly on his own interests. bat with no regard oeyon
this for the interests Of the otber conclude SORT
armed truce which each side might break at it's own col
yenence the employer getting much work as he ca
mt OF each Tor the least he will take III
employed giving the least his part aud getting II
most and each going his way when the workshop o