Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-03-15


Of his own unfeeling philosophy as TO venture
TO make a suggestion
"Isn't It just possible that this complaining
you wish to gag has some occasionr
A dozen craned their sleek wise necks, TO
stare at the man who talked so wildly
"Why, ray kind hearted young friend, re
piled the philosopher, glad of an excuse Il
vent his practical wisdom, "don't you see the
poor will complain until the whole vast dis
tance between US and them Is bridged over.
We have got to protect ourselves, you won't
deny that. / climb to heights on another
body. Everybody knows life is only fight
the weakest goes to the wall ThepOor are
the weakest in this case"
Could the mill owners son dispute such
plain propositions An odd silence pervaded
the company. The gentlemen in the windows
stopped talking to look at this curious young
man, who seemed disposed to question the
plainest axioms of his class. His father
hitched uneasily in his chair and rustled a
bundle of papers to attract Philips attention.
What had got into the boyl
But of what possible account was his
opinion. Mr.. Breton rose to his feet, and all
eyes were turned toward the mill owner, on
the course of whose ideas hung the fate of a
whole village. The clock struck 10.
Gentlemen, you pronounce yourselves
satisfied he waited. His lawyer smiled
complacently, the paymaster and his clerks
began piling up the books. swell, then,
there are one or two formalities, my lawyer
informs me-What is that noise"
1t was like rising north wind, not little
like the breaking of the angry sea on a rock
bound shore. From the entrance to all the
mills swarmed jostling human forms. A
thousand heads turning at frequent intervals
to catch courage from their numbers, gave
an unpleasant snake like effect to the sway
ing columns which united as they swept on
toward the mill yard gates. Philip Breton
hurried back from the hall and threw open
the office door. Within all was still as death.
The complacent smile had died on the law
yer's lips. The clerks stood like statues,
while the ruddy color slowly faded from his
fathers face, giving place to underlined dreN
of danger that had elements no huran arl
could control. Kings and armies before BIN
had trembled at the murmur of mobs till
they learned how short lived was the mad
fury of the people, no matter how terrible
their wrongs, until they learned how certain
was the disunion which made patient victims
SO soon again out of the fierce avengers OF
blood.
'Do you ask what the noise isg' cried
Philip from the doorway. sit is strike at
last, see for yourself"
The sight of the mill hands in open revolt,
untouched by tho motives that commonly re-
strained them, at once awed Philip, and de-
termined him to oppose their violence with
his life if need be. The mill yard gates were
hastily unlocked by the frightened janitor,
and as the first excited throngs, like nation
escaping out of bondage, swept through them,
only one man stood calmly watching from
the counting room piazza. In the front rank
ran some little children, whose faces, that
should have been rosy in the first bloom of
life, were pinched and wan instead Play
hours and merry sports were unknown to
them. What their baby fingers could earn
was the merest triie, but it cost them the
only hours that could ever be free from care.
A number of them were deformed from
neglected infancy; they had to learn to be
still because it hurt them to fall-tenderer
lessons there was no time for. Then came
the girls, chattering, and nervously pull
ing their shawls about their shoulders,
as if it were winter. One and all
seemed to wear the plaid shawl-badge of
their vocation-and there was the same dull
yellow hue on their cheeks, the same lines of
weariness on every face. Few of them looked
well; girls ought to be petted little; but the
dreary monotony of their i'll paid work had
frowned on their childhood as it cursed them
now. And instead of resting while they
might ripen into healthful, happy women and
blessed mothers, their unlimited frames and
| Al,a.-.
fathers and brothers. 1t is only the women
of the rich whom the sentiment of chivalry
is for. In every eye was the dullneSs that
!! comes when hope goes, and the vague, delic
ious dreaming, the eternal privilege of girl
hood, is broken rudely upon, when love has
no more of its ideal glory, and all the beauty
Of purity and refinement is lost in the gross
struggle for something to eat. The gentle,
poetical grace of womanhood was gone, those
budding, awkward creatures were only
weaker men.
But Mr.. BRETON had pushed his chair to one
side and was making his way through the
group of his friends with hardly a word. The
rest tried to smile, but he was far too angry
"Don't CO." urged his lawyer, impcra-
lively laying his hand on his shoulder,
"don't think of it, you can do no kind of
good, and they will only insult you"
"Insult mc9" he repeated between his
teeth. Then he stopped, and suddenly faced
about. He frowned fiercely on the cautious
business men, whom he knew full well had
decided to give him the lurch. "If l had a
pair Of horses who behaved badly, they are
stronger than l, but would whip them and
starve them till they forgot it." If he could
subdue his own rebelious factory hands, and
turn them back to their work like whipped
beasts, he knew these timid counselors would
COMO bac!: i:to s Office end put Their names
10 l..j corporate. schema, il hot lie bi55
his lip and pushed on out of tho door. His
help had never dared think of mutiny be-
fore; he had fancied they were afraid of
him. Five minutes moro would prove
whether they were on not
In moment more he stood beside his son,
who watched, pale and stern, from the
counting room piazza; behind him his law
yer, whose face, deserted by smiles at last,
looked almost unfamiliar; and still further
back a few Of the boldest of his visitors
"For Gods sake-go inside" whispered
Philip between his set teeth, "you will only
pake them angrier."
"Truckle to my own help, shall IP' re-
peated his father in his harsh, grating mill
tones.
The mill owner threw back his head and
shoulders, and looked commandingly at the
crowd. He could not understand why they
were not afraid of him. Had he not been
the dispenser of bread, almost of life or
death to them, for twenty yearsl They were
Al. L. r.. IL.