New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-20
BEATRICE POTTER.
A WEALTHY SOCIALIST.

From The London Queen.
The name of Miss Beatrice Potter has become
familiar to all those persons interested In Shat ss
seems, notwithstanding. TO absorb the attention Of
largo and ever-increasDg number OF peope-end not TO
them alone but 10 all interested in the greater que
lions of social reform such cooperation. the sweat
ing system, the housing OF the poor, etc Her name
has recently been prominent IN connection with
the publication Of her thoughtful and comprehensive
volume.on the Cooperative Movement"
Miss Beatrice Potter is the elghih ana only UNI
married daughter of Richard Potter. Of standish
Gloucesershire, once great magnate IN the railway
and financial world bat now a permanent invalid
and great friend Of the late John BrlgIt ana otnsr
o&n Lax Ro ods Oh 1 Se ME- Potter aashSgiy
declares that she derives her strong Democntic SYM
Radieal H. p lsr wSe1 Radea ". PS were scaSseS
than they are ~ present. Mrs Potter who died esht
years ago. woman Of great beauty ard sSiy,
who took active interest in current political affairs
In laJer life Mr. Potter became chairman 81 The Great
Trunk Railway of CahaGa besides being interested In
several OF the large financial enterprises OF MS Gay;
During these latter Years his daughter Beatrice acted
his private secretary and travelled with hum through
the United states and CaHada-a training wmch hs
given her wide knowledge OF Industrial affairs. But
0tier branches of education had not been neglected
Herbert spencer has always been close friend OF me
family and from her early childhood he assumed the
exceptionally well equipped for pdl.Soph!c feserc a,
Miss Potter, however, seemed destined az nrst 70
other worlds. After her mothers death and the mar
of her sisters, she naturally TOOK charge o.
her fathers house. and became for few years we'll
known member Of London society But life OF amnse
ment and social duties is apt TO pail somewhat npon
those trained to mental activity and Miss Potter soon
followed the example OF her sister, Mrs. Leonard
Fast End There She acted as agent for large blocks
OF artisans dwellings, coming into actual contact with
the daily lives, not only OF the respectable workmB
poor but also with that crowd OF oaeis ana scIn
criminals which intensfcs the difficulties OF the socA
From the years 1886 to 1850, Miss Potter
gagged in assisting Charles Booth iD the prepare
lion Of the first volume Of bis great WORK OF Ine
Life and Labor Of the People, 20 which she contio
II OPaOhc PngDter on the jewish community VI
the Tailoring tnde In order to obtain absolutely
correct Information on the latter subject Miss Potter
spent six weeks under mnster tailor training nclsn
rs a taor's fnsher She then disguised herself a.
ailor's hand and boldly sought employment In the
East End The poor, untidy dress and bonnet rDusn
hair twisted into knot and appearance Oh ests
only into the lowest sweaters dens, where ne w9Ih
was e%cesdngy e ana mesv sueny 70 as
twelve fourteen hours continuous seMlns OF
bad 10 insure her tOlerably frequent dsmssals arg
thus TO widen the field of her Investigation Ihai uUs
TO ms by an article which Miss Potter contributed %
THE Nineteenth Century of September 1885, entl!ied
Pages from "A Work Girls Diary In reading t1ls
the Student of psychology cannot fail 10 be struck by
the curious way In which tue feelngs OF the aet.l
work-glrl seemed to accompany the wearing OF her
trudge from shop 10 shop. the keen disappointment at
refusa and the anxious as ee s re ev
This won't do this work won't SUIT me- appear a %
have been as real as though her very Neh"o0u "AA
Having thus acquired practical acquaintance WIN
the problems to be dealt with by me select oon hiS
began its inquiry in 1855, Miss Potter was naturally
Of the principal Witnesses ana several q t Pc,
committee. An exhaustive ANALYSIS OF that report was
contributed by her to The Nineteenth Century nor or
june 1890 in which ANALYSIS she clearly explains ner
somewhat novel view Of the sweating problem az
P9 A and am be dGnrase Of Of e e reasoning We
would quote two passages in which sne cOnoas
prscco nj n1iddlpmpn. machinery.
labor and foreign imnigration," ahd In which she e
much upon what she considers the chief cause OF
the evil the absence Of the responsible employer. Il
contractor or employing middlcman. The sweater Is
men and women whose suferines have been laid 1lfe
by poo INC ~ NY b are a man b Se e % ys ont the
material on which they labor: by the shopkeeper who
sells them provisions credit, forces them under
the truck system by the landlord who eXacts, IN
return for the four walls Of a bedroom, or for the
undrained and unpayed backyard the double rent Of
woman and child who consume the product Of their
labor In the front rank Of this the most numerous
other trades. Hence, it is not the presence or tho
absence Of the which S causes inc
cannot. Therefore. be atttbted 10 the Introduction q
proiit.makinc middlemen machinery, subdivision OF
abor Since we owe to these same canses and TO far
higher degree the advantage Of the factory system.
il would be more plausible to affirm that these evils
originated In the absence OF respoDsble) middeman,
and in the imperfect Introduction Of machinery and
ta3de Of rcste2 deTeopmen In Simple %ors
il is the of0ld story Of new wine In old bottes-an
attempt to conduct wholesale manufacture In the eete
and decaying channels OF the home work and small
workshop system
Snce Of her investigations Just referred to- MISC
Potter has been engaged In the preparation critical
analysis of the cooperative movement This study fur
nised her with material for Of lectnres dclv-
cred last spring az University Hail. Gordon square and
at Essex Hall, strand, her information and views giving
rise 10 keen ana sustained discussion These lectures
have been ampfed and are now published by Nessra
swan SOnnenschen CO. as a volume Of their extremely
popular Social Science Series" This book confirms
original view of the cooperative movement with
reasoned condemnation Of prOitsharlng from the work
er's standpoint. Miss Potter writes as % The Times
reviewer recently put ii In appraclave crltlqne Of
her book, "witl strong social faith. also with pro-
found knowledge of the industrial movement Of her
time. with clear-sghted capacity 70 distinguish 81!
essence from It's accidents, and with firm grasp OF
economic principles
Miss Potter, IL be added. IS a strong Democrat
indeed, somewhat sOcialiStc In her vews-is an hon:
ord guest at the annual congresses Of cOoperatOs ara
~ tradeunloniStS. and Is an nm9e friend Of most 90
the leaders OF both these movements. Her bright
vivaciOns manner. charm Of conversation and pro
possessing appearance are sufficient 10 draw 20 her
many friends. But work Is 10 her tho most mnoriant
thing. and she now lives Uuiet almost secluded lh
that social distractions MAJ not interfere With her
studies and research. Her training has given her q
mind snglarly free from prciudice. aud her eNccP
tOna and varied experiences have fllcd her with o
true passion Of pity for suffering humanity