New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-01-21
INDUSTRIAL ENGLAND.
BY ROBERT p PORTER, MEMBER OF THE LATE
TARIFF COMMISSION.

SOCIETY AND MANUFACTURES AT PAISLEY
JrRoM SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE Ihi THE oo
PAISLEY Scotland, Dec 70
r,o claimants are beautifully mixed in this
section of Scotland. BY the elements 90
NOT allude to the weather nor to the
characteristics of the people, but to the eie-
mepts that GO to make up the country and It's sur
Ioundings II is not exactly farming country, 1or
within radius of ten miles CT Glasgow IS Coat
bridge, the centre of great iron region, ana TINS
ty.with nearly 60 900 population chiefly engaged
In textile manufacturing; but to reach
either of these points from Glasgow you
pass through widespread, fertile plains. or
a charming farming country agreeably dlvers'-
fed by gentle risngs, by woods, by water
by rocky ravines and IN short by all the constitu-
ents of the soft the beautiful and the grand hele'
Midst natures widest grandeur,
By rocky dens and woody glens,
are planted especially i'll the Coatbridge district
uupoetical blast-furnaces, the lurid flames from
which at night add to the wildness of the scene.
So rich is the land that the very Stag around me
pit's mouth looks green, and the dinginess ehus
with the works and the verdure OF the
fields begins. l was attracted IN one lh-
stance by neat farmhouse. with dozen STACKS
of grain in the barnyard, and on the other sac
few rods from the garden, a falr-szed piast iui-
mace This indeed was bringing manufacture cloSe
along The lines of agriculture. as the political
economists say On misty morning the tan chln-
news of the lron-minng villages in tho Coatbri ige
Il strict seem 10 peer I'D from the fields and en-
veoped in their own smoke, they look more IKE
nbantoms than the dreary realities with such black
landscapes as ono sees in tho North of England re-
IRONS or in the Black Country. And the same IS true
of the cities YOu plunge out OF tne
country as 1t were, into the centre OF Glasgow lou
leave Elders great shipping yard, and to the west
is the country l might almost say TO the south
alsc
AtPaislev Won are more confused than ever. AT
one erd of the town is Clarks enormous thread
factory, capable of empl yipg over 1000 opera
tiyes On tho one side it seems to be In the mlds'
Of busv CITY; turn around and you see the rolling
hills and pleasant meadows OF Scotch landscape
Walk across the town for about two miles and you
enter Coatss mill; leave 1t on the south
aide and you step into the green fields.
Jook at this region for moment
from a historical point of view, and the strange
m,xture of tin ancient and the modern presents IT.
self-the traditions of the past and the possibilities
of the future: in short the closters and the DusV
mart seem so iumbled together that even pracu-
CA chron.ler hesitates whether to begin with the
social condition of the mill operatives, or with lew
medItations Oh Paisley Abbey.
Perbaps rather more of truth clusters around
the early history of Paisley than OF
that of Glasgow. At any rate all historians
seem 70 agree that the beeinlng Gifts manufacturing
greatness may be traced TO young person VINO was
certainly guilty of a terrible crime. The story goes
that in 1897 A daughter of the Laird of Bargarrrn
named Christlana Shaw, preferred charge OF be-
,v,tch,ne her against servant girl with whom she
had ouarrelled and nineteen alleged cOnfederat 8,
soven of whom were condemned and six OF the
nnmber actually burned on Gallow-green Paisley.
The jncter to this act of supersitious cruelty IS
said TO have subsequently acquired great skill IN
summing fine yarn. Her first productions were
sold at Batn to the lace makers. Stimulated by
this. Mistress Shaw extended her transactions
IN Holland. The demand for this thread
COON became great and the most extensive manufac-
tures that arose in Scotland at that period
acknowledged "the bewitched lady, as their origi-
nator. II has been truly said that for variety OF
tcxtie manufactures and for the perseveriDg inge-
nuitv with which her traders followed and even
controlled the caprces of fashion, Paisley deserves
the very highest credit. While weaving and its
allied occupations have como from many causes 10
occupy merely a secondary ositIon in Glasgow the
town of Paisleys yet it has been now for nearly
two centuries principal centre of one or other Oh
the numerous leading forms of textile manufacture
Fashions have changed fabrics of numberless kinds
have come irtO use ana dled out, out IaisIey has
always been found equal 10 the occasion; AT
one time by the very excellence aud beauty OF
her fabrics compelling fashion to accept The prod
nets of her LOOMS ard again when the hckle dame
must have change, the Paisley weavers bowed 10
The necessity and adapted their looms to the vary
inc reouirements OF different periods Much of this
must be- due 10 the intelligence and adaptsbiiy OF
I 6 operatives, as illustration OF which story Is
told of man who had great ropc-walk near Glas-
COW. Having quarrelled with his workmen, they
ali left. A few weeks later he was astonished to
find them all sitting on fine lawn-looms at Paisley.
Refore the invention of machinery spinning and
weaving were carried nearly ali the little
farm bouses of this beautiful part of Scotland. In
the winter evenings the females with their rocks
and spi ,des or spinning wheels, assembled in each
others houses and q song. story and joke eniyened
the circle, while they spun their stint of tow"
The inventions of Hargeaves, Arkwright and
Crompton gave in the last quarter of the egh-
te-nth century, the death-blow to the occupation
of Scottish spinsters, who were inevitably sup
planted by the factory operatives OF the present
day About the end of the last century weavers
were the best paid and most highly respectable
class in the west of Scotland. From the best paid
they gradually declined through variety of causes
10 the worst, and the unfortunate weavers fell
into an abject and miserable condition, indescrib
ably sad and bitter almost beyond endurance to
those who could recall the days of their prosperity
Moral social and physical degradation ensued until
the condition of the weavers became question for
Parliamentary inquiry The result OF this inquiry
brought out the following EXTRAORDINARY ueciihe III
earnings:
1906 15d. per ell. ...........32s. Cd. per week
lsIo...... I2lad. per ell- 2G, ga per week.