The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-08-03
AN OPERATIVES LIFE
= VISIT 10 THE HONE OF 4 FALL
RiVER MILL EMPLOYEE,

feoVhe =" marry sehhS anu ina I1"m.
selves In Debt In "a Few Year- -H",. ia.
wife Helps Her Husband to Add to the
Family Iuco"e-The Children.
Being III Fall River the other dav, |
sought some facts concerning the opera.
tives. Fortune thought me into the
home of what proved to be "a rather il.
telligent one. It was Saturday after
noon. and as the mills close at noon the
whole family. including the father. was
at home. The home" was a tenement
II a large double house. where three
other families besides the one | inter-
viewed We're living. II was in the rear
Of a %pOpulous street which, is the home
Of a large number Of the more thrifty
and sober operatives. This particular
tenement consisted Of a large room in
the center. where the stove was placed
and where the cooking was done.
Around this room three bedrooms and .
sinkr"om were grouped. The furniture
was better Ii one might expect To see,
though it was by no means luxurious.
Entering into conversation with the
man. ! found that he had formerly at.
tended the English church while in Eng
land and that for some time after COM
ing 20 this country he had been quite in
terested in church work. In token Of his
interest. ! learned. one of his children
bore the name Of a clergyman of the
Episcopal church. AT the time OF my
visit. however. he said that he was not
attending church at all. partly because
ho ..,,11 ,,t l,,,. .1a.l,.. ,,sI ,.l.,t. -
make "A re- iectable appearance AT church
and partly hecause he felt that the clergy
were inclined to side with the mill owner
as against the mill operative.
His wife. as women usually are. was
more hopeful and content and explained
that she thought they conld get along
very well. She was quite willing tt
work and had done so. somewhat agains,
her husbands protest-a protest. how
ever. which was evidently h;,shel hy til,
necessity Of the case. In order to work
this good woman was obliged to hire
some one IT, care for her baby and to LET
the other three ''shift for themselves.
chiefly in the street."
The longer ! talked with these people
the more interested | became. and the
more confidence was mutually manifest
Ell. II seemed to me- that three or four
things We're II I've noted:
Neither of them had saved up their
earnings "A, they might have done PR
vions to their marriage. True. in this
respect they We're like ninety-nine hun
dre'lths Of other young people. whatever
their work or station in life.
This family was at that stage where
there was bur II old enough to work
unless the wife did precisely as this wife
did a part Of the time. e.. hire some
one I" care for her baby while she went
out to work. \ few years later and the
children. who may 80 into the mills ut
IA. will be able to earn enough TO make
III" family entirely comfortable. In
deed many such families as thi. one
promises 10 I've in the course of a few
years can save enough from their earn
ing> 10 b'r II hoIne for themselves after
awhile.
II seemed Ia ne that il would i~
quite Il practical thing for this family to
with other families and start "a
Kind of Kindergarten. wher. not only
.he baby. Int all tlra children undo,
public school age might be cared for at
tar less EXPENSE than was now paid for
"minding the baby"
Snch "a movement a. this would
doubtless not only meet with the hearty
and practical support Of we'll meaning
in general. but it would be sup
by the officials Of the mills. |
was especially pleased to learn that
of the corporations of these Fall
mills support a bed in the local
for the free use of their opera
The kindergarten would he a
philanthropy along the same line.
1t will be quite = practical thing togive
some statistics of the earnings Of this
for the week previous. Those If
the man had been %. 70: those Of the wife
y. Deduct from this total *a.50 for
''minding the baby" and *l4.2a is left
- the net income of the household. For
rent they pay $3.50 per month, and a
barrel of -four lasted seven weeks.
The wife explained that she was only
working for a spell to help them OF Of
OF ours to do this all the house
must be done after returning tired
rom the mill at night, when both o.
must work late and early in the
morning before going to the mill. As
the mills start at about half past 8 in the
morning it will be seen that very early
rising is necessary.
Nor is this all. 1t makes life a tread
Mill with no evenings for recreation.
the wife has no time for her
,aaI1. md Aha - 81. Ill
lren must greatly suffer. The great re-
lief Is found in the fact that. by the mos,
living and by the strictest econ-
this wife was not compelled /,
work in the mill all the time. Still it
'eemed about impossible for the family,
the strictest economy and sobriety,
do better than was being done until
The boys get big enough to work"
That visit enlightened my understand
lnX, broadened my view and deepened nv