The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1893-07-29

tives. Fortune brought me into the
home of what proved 10 be a rather i.
teliigent one. Ii was Saturday after
noon. and as tie mills close at noon tie
whole family including the father. w;i-
4; home. The home" was a tenement
n IA large double house. where three
other families besides the N ! inter
viewed were living. 1t was in the rear
OF u populous street which is the homo
OF Il large number Of the more thrifty
and sobei. operatives. This particular
tenement COZ listed of a large room il
the center. where the stove was placed
and where the cooking was done.
Around this room three bedrooms and .
sinkroom were grouped. The furniture
was better than ~ 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 to this country he had been quite in
terested iii c.lurch work. In token of his
interest, l 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
he could not buy clothes with which It
make a respectable appearance at church
and partly because 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 could get along
very well. She was quite willing Il
work and had lone SO. somewhat agains'
her husbands protest-a protest. how
ever. which was evidently hushed by tn,
necessity of the case. In order to worl
this good woman was obliged to hire
some one to care for her baby and to lei
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
ed. 1t seemed to me that three or four
things We're TO be noted:
Neither Of them had saved up thei,
earnings as they might have done pre-
vious to their marriage. True. in this
respect they We're like n~inery-nine hun
dredths of other young people. whatever
their work or station in life.
This family was at that stage where
there was but one old enough to work
unless the wife did precisely as this wife
did a part of the time-i. e.. hire ONE
to care for her baby while she went
ont to work. \. few Years later and TIL
children. who may go into the mills ~
IA. will be able to earn enough to make
the family entirely comfortable. In
deed many such families as this one
promises to I've in the course of a few
years can save enough from their earn
ings to buy a home for themselves afte.
awhile.
II seemed to me that 1t would u.
quite a practical thing for this family t.
combine with other families and start Il
kind of kindergarten. where not only
the baby. but all the children unl"r
public school age might be cared for at
far less expense than was now paid for
'minding The baby"
Such "A movement as this would
doubtless not only meet with the heartv
and practical support of well meanin-,
people in general, but it would he sup
ported by the officials of the mills.
was especially pleased to learn that
many of the corporations Of these Fall
River mills support "a bed in the local
hospital for the free use Of their opera
tiyes. The kindergarten would be "a
philanthropy along the same line.
I'LL l., --:&, a..tn.1 tks,>pr ., -,
some statistics of the earnings of this
family for the week previous. Those of
the man had been 80. 70: those of the wife
81. Deduct from this total $3.50 for
..minding the baby" and $l4.2s is left
as the net income of the household. For
rent they pay $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 out OF
debt" OF course to do this all the house
work must be- done after returning tired
from the mill al night. when both OF
them must work late and early in the
morning before going to the mill. As
the mills start 1T about half past 6 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 Or recreation.
Besides the wife has no time for her
needle. and the appearance Of the chill
dren must greatly suffer. The great re-
lief is found in the fact that, by the most
frugal living and by the strictest econ,
omy. this wife was not compelled to
work in the mill all the time. Still ii
seemed about impossible for the family,
with the strictest economy and sobriety,
to do better than vas being done unit!
the ''boys get big enough to work"
That visit enlightened my understand
ing, broadened my view and deepened my
sympathies. While there are many OF
the operatives who. like rs all. live far
below their privileges. still II many Of
us could study NE from their view point
our sympathies for the broadcast brother
hood would be deepened Boston Com.
~ouvoa1th