Arizona republican., 1892-11-23
rpE FACTORY LASSES
.-cuss OF THEIR LIVES IN THE cpFAT LANCASHIRE MILLS.

for the Recreation of Their
 ,o,ees--Hcw the Girls Dress and
 .,oct ThemsrlVeS
 ,..tbe recreation of their hands mills .rs no provision whatever-as a rule,
 ;s There are a few exceptions.
 II' I,r,y A few, Unique certainly are 'I'ovford 'D' mills at Ashton-under-Lyne,
 -' ,,Dnsction with which the late Mir. a,h Mason founded little colony. Huor S's oontdoor sports there is large play s~ s-,rd with swings, etc., and a bowl gVrr ',,ssn attached. When the weather I5 I5,5fsyorable the hands can go to the .otion rooms. On the ground floor n V 9tSsse is reading room literally sup vrsJ with newspapers and periodicals, p,S having a library of 700 volumes.
 'DI 4 coffee room leads off it, and from .,,, arain the baths are reached. Up ...i,s .. is A large lecture room fitted with @ ,.sE. and with a platform at the end. prs,s of great men are on pedestals I,nn8 the walls. Scott and Burns are a niche together, as is fitting, and
 ,or them are Homer, Shakespeare, N,nte and Milton. Michael Angelo ','E, st Raphael, Bright and Golden. y.rtop and Watt, Franklin and Wash ..ston-all are there; and at intervals Ssre are also hung portraits of in. r.rtors and improyers of cotton ma .S;rsry. In connection with these rooms bsre is a good brass band. Sewing and .,bsr classes, too, are held, while during ,bs winter months concerts and lec- ,rrps are of frequent occurrence. Of all tbis it should be noted Messrs. Tbomas Mason & Son defray the ex- pnses.
 grom other portions of the district we ,Es the following. The secretary of a rotton operative spinners' association is ested to have said;
 aAny girl who wants work can have ain tbe mills. That labor market is rsysr overstocked. At the present time, 5srticularly in the spinning department, sns firms are shorthanded. Nowadays many girls in Manchester do not care to 70 into the mills; they would rather work in the warehouses and shops"
 There has been an improvement in he lot of the factory workersy" asked heinteryiewer.
 Yes, replied the secretary, "in every rsy: wages are higher, hours shorter. But mind you, hands have to work hsrler while they are at it, because the machinery runs faster and they have blook after more of it. Why, in my young days a weaver tended only two looms, now she tends four.
 ThrOstle spinners, the writer adds, work with as little clothing as possible md generally in their bare feet, though Sne wear slippers. Cardroom hands wear straight pinafores, cut away at the reck and with short sleeves. The dis tnctiys parts of the mill girls dress are dogs on the feet and small shawl handkerchief. they are called-on the hOulders
 Weavers, though there is nothing pe- cUllar about their dress, can generally s distinguished from ether factory grlS They have personal trade mark their front teeth are often bad, and beSdes many of them have at times peculiar gesture. Drawing in the breath Dnek weft through a shuttle causes be teeth to decay. The mannerism is Enilsrly explained.
 Ina weaving shed the noise is deafen- ng, You cannot hear your own voice. So the weayers attract one another's at- YHtOn by a shrill Whooi" and con T,rss by means of signs and by watch Ing the movements of the lips. They r 30 proficient in labiomancy that they aH follow private conversation any Ehsre if they can see the speakers faces. This circumstance explains a common 'oervaton that is otherwise enigmati- z Mind what tha'rt sayin'" one gosip will remark to another, glancing AiPciousy at the object of their talk. 'oosa wayver."
 Some mill girls never do any house. 'oFs; their ignorance in which branch q female education is consequently @kssal Hundreds cannot make a pud- '1g or pie for the life of them, and ne writer has heard of a lass putting a s0oIi in dish whole and making a GaSl for 1t with suet. There are factory Ers On the other hand-and these are Ne maJOrity-who take their full Aaie Of cleaning, cookery, needlework. EC
 &arule, too, the lasses are in every 'ay respectable. When a factory lass 'll her sweetheart go off on trip or @s week at Blackpool or Southport or as Isle of Man, as often as not she pays -s expenses, She it is who in due course S!' tne furniture-aye, and perhaps ~s nng and all the rest. Whether she 'I stand treat in this or not, the four "'l weaver need never remain single. SSllong S factory girls she corresponds to ~ 'e'ress of ordinary life, and as such -l, S! no difficulty in obtaining a husband.
 When offsprings become old enough .@! Tesent to the mill, as their parents , Sas before them. The typical Lanca- Sls I woman does not like the idea of I -.l aiming higher. As they soon re- 5, s"v good wages their parents are rap .! placed in comfortable circumstances " Io'e comfortable than they ever knew FlQdrS Tnig g4,to ;s tho footo,,, o,,or