The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1889-01-24
YANKEE MILL GIRLS,
The Kind Of Young Women Who Watched
tho L00ms Forty Years Ago,

Tho Ifihd Of Young Women WHO Watched
tho Looms Forty Years Ago
Wheh, at tho beginning OF tho century, tho
cotton business arose II afforded tho giTh of
Nov England tho AFst opportunity 10 find
occupation outside their homes sufficiently
important 10 Affect the destiny Of any large
number Of theln, 1hoy rushed into tho nov
opaning not dreaming that they wore pro.
elpitating thelr seI Into tho maalstrom Of
modern Industry, o. that they were merely
tho advance guard Of a great army Of female
workers., whose disadvantages attitude
towards economic forces Is ono u tho moat
fruitful sources Of suffering Ia our social
body,
10 was not tho stupid girl who Ia that early
day broke away from tho monptOny Of farm
life, or tho sin worse helplesness VI exist
en0s with parents TOO poor 10 BIO farmera II
was tho bright, eager young women who
went 10 tho mills 10 earn money aud FREQ
themselves from tho fomiberyltude engen'
dered by dependence GA RELATIVES, Tho story
has often been told of tho Lowell factory girls
who published . paper, and Ia time settled 10
40 meaner ayOeation than that Of author or
social refOrmer
There arc legends also Of a generation Of
YANKEES mill girls who sent 10 Preston r.
Brooks tho suggestive tribute Of thirty pieces
OF silver, after hts assault upan Charles Sum
nor, Hut tho careers concerning which these
stories arc related belong 10 late period IN
the history Of tho Americans connection with
tho manual part Of cotton manufacture, and
some Of them were exceptionally striking
stu, such inoidents Indicate something
which II "a important ~ understand, and
that 10 that tho nice girls OF New England
Tor many yeais became mill operatives or
course, / do not mean that such labor WA
ever ariatoeratie, but that II passed a certain
social sanction which II does not now CON
mand, A consideration Of tho average for
tunes Ut tho native help Leads 10 tho same
conclusion,
Tho mili gifl had worldly supeFiors then
aa tho dreamaLer, tho typewriter, tho tele'
graph operator, tho common school teacher,
has now, but she was from exactly tho same
stock and was herself just tho aarne sort Of
girl ~ ara tho onea who now follow these diff
ferent yOeationa bha malntaineN her dig
nifty while Ia mo mill, and II ahe loft II before
she grew old II was because fho wanted 10
NNANN " NNNANNN N'HNNNNHH EAANNN ANAiA WHY
wanted % marry her Her marriage wa
generally sensible, and sometimes brilliant
IN studying tho traditions of the whole period,
ono finds occasional hints Of that romance
which attaches 10 all history, Nd amid tho
hom6ly details ono catches now aud then n
glimpse OF ldel beauty, and ONE upon do
trace Of ONO girl whose loyelineHa attracted
a fato quito different from that Of hor village
comrades II ID happily duo 10 tho purity OF
Now England ethioa that this fato Ia moro
often found TO be Joyful than md
suppose II would bo lmpoalhlo 10 obtain
Statistics which would toll Va much either u
tho lilo Of tho Americans who were opera
tlyoa or Of tho attor fat0 Of their descendants
Dutoyory parson who has boon long familiar
with tho native roaidenta In tho Older manu-
featuring towns 10 necessarily acquainted
with many family histories, which reveal tho
essential features Of TINT former time, when
factories were ANAL and owners and worl,op
were often not only nolghborb but frlenda
They wore an subjected 10 tho ancient Now
England village tradition o. substantial
equality, They were Of ono blood, they held
10 ono religion, aud called each other very
generally by their Christian names "Of
that early time writes a lady now moro
| than NO Year, old, ~ have many rooollOoiiona,
| when tho wlfo Of Mr. E. mot tho wives Of
ovoroorp, not only IN her church work or At
prayer mootinga, but In Goolal equality w.
Atlantic Monthly.