Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1883-03-14
4 Model CORPORATION.


of the model Institutions OF the country,
and is approaching, in point of care for
the operatives, the well known Cheneys
of Manchester, Conn. By invitation of
President Barrows of the company, a
special train was placed at the disposal of
the senior class of Yale college and the
students in the scientific and law schools.
The visit was made on Wednesday, Feb.
q, and the following extracts are from
the New York 1ribune's account.
They searched among 10000 humming
spindles; walked over acres of floors thrill
ing with the life of busy industry; peeped
into the library, school.room and stores of
the tariff built fraud" down across the
tumbling cataracts ofthe Willimanto river
up to 1.-The Oaks" where two scores of
pretty cottages with gabled roofs told of
the hahitations of II small fraction of the
families employed by the company, and
further on, up the hills that skirt the old
borough on the west, saw the snow glitter.
ing in The grove set apart for the summer
merrymaking of the Wilimantic COM
pany's work-people. But they found no
forgotten man, woman or child. They
found instead wonderfully cheerful, con
tented, healthy looking industrial cotn-
munity.
Out of the senior class, numbering
149, 1870 were present; out of the scientific
school, of 40, 32. and the law students
numbered rs. They were taken at once
to the packing room of one of the mills,
where they took luncheon of oysters,
salads, sandwiches. fruits, cakes, ice.crpa
and coffee. While they were eating half
a dozen young women in the employ of
| tho n III hita 1n1naJ
with Yale blue distributed souvenirs
among them. The tavors were neat boxes,
each containing spool of Willimantic
thread. and bearing q label: with the
compliments of the tariff built fraud.''
buttons of the young men with blue rib
bons. Thus decorated the whole party
was divided into squads of about twenty,
employees of the company the tour of the
mills was begun. The "Dynamibs" plung-
ed at once into the machihery, took indita-
tor cards of the action of the Corliss
engines, and, under the direction of Col.
Barrows, himself a master mechanic,
examined the details of the picking. card
ing, spinning and rowing machines with
evident interest and profit.
The Academies" seemed to pursue
different course that free trade was mere
theory, and protection a tangible, substan-
tlal and generous fact they knew the
moment they found the lunch room. The
remainder of their inquiries seemed mostly
into the lustrousness of the eyes of some of
the young women operatives and the
prettihess of their teeth. One would have
thought that the only interesting machines
in the mills were those whose fair tenders
had clustering bangs" bright eyes, clear
complexions and pretty smiles; and they
were not few. 1t was very entertain
way of studying political economy-so all
admitted.
Aside from the comparative advantages
of protection or free trade, this visit of the
students showed them the workings of an
interesting experiment in the treatment
of mill operatives by their employers.
Through Il policy for which Colonel Bar
rows claims nothing more than that it is
the wisest, most economical and most
profitable to the company, the physical,
mental and moral health of !. 600 operatives
is being watched over day and night. 1t |
is an effort on a large scale 10 solve the
problem of the relation between employer
and laborer. Colonel Barrows has gone
at it in practical, business like manner,
bringing to the task the knowledge of the
mechanic and the sympathy which the
requirement Of that knowledge at the
mechanics s lathe brought him. A college
professors son, and man of refinement
and culture, be served his apprenticeship
in the Lowell Machine shop. worked at
his trade and learned the thoughts and
feelings of laboring men by association
with them in n corporation boarding house. |
The result of this comprehensive training
Is seen in the theories of mill government
which he has formed, and the manner in |
which he works them out. He believes
that the saner the bodies, minds and morals |
of his work people, the better will be their
work. His policy is the policy of the
Willimantic company, but it has been
enlarged so that it cah said that 1t extends
beneficial influence in the borough |
through every channel usually occupied |
by philanthropy and charity. The best |
illustration of the methods used to this end |
was found to day in the more recent i'm
provements made by tho company to its
property. A new mill built in 1870 with |
room on single floor for $4,000 spindles,
and now working $4,000 was found in full |
activity. Most OF the operatives were
women, all of whom were tidily dressed.
and contented and healthy in appearance.
fringe of growing plants surrounded the
room, over 800 feet long and III feet wide
Into the cloak rooms the light fell through |
stained glass and sent bands of color across
beds of tropical and rare plants all labell-
ed with their names Here in the forenoon
for half an hour sixty children, under IA
years ofage, employed in the MILL romped |
and ate lunch of milk and crackers. The
floor, covered with the vast multitude of
machines, thrilled under their pulsations,
but did not shake, for wise foresight had
put the large pulleys and shafts which |
conveyed the power frcti the engines into
a cement floor in the basement. 1t is
better thus for the women" said Colonel
Barrows; at keeps them well, and they
make better thread"
Across the hill stand 40 cottages built |
by the company. They are of four styles,
front winding road, and for the sake of |
beauty, and to cultivate love and appre-
citation for it, fences are abolished, they |
are painted in neutral colors; no two |
alike, either in architecture or color, are |
put side by side, and each has its flower |
garden in 'front.' In summer the growing |
of flowers Is encouraged by the awarding |
of premiums for the best three gardens by |
the company. "lf they like flowers they
will make better thread" says Colonel
Barrows. Near one of the old mills
stands Durham hall, handsome wooden
gothic bnilding, containing a model store
and millinery shop, the presidents office,
a schoolroom and library. In the
schoolroom classes are taught free four
nights each week, the teacher being on
the pay roll of the company. 1--WE must
have intelligence says the president
latter July lst all our work people must
be able to read and write. Then the
thread they make will be evener and
stronger and better" Once a week there
is a singing school, and once a week also
a drawing school, and the company, which
pays one-third the taxes of the town of
Windham and nearly one-ha.f the taxes
of the borough of Wilmantic. supports a
circulating library that has 400 volumes,
out among the laborers all the time. while
the borough library is open two days
week 1--WE work Our ppOnlp siytv Eours