The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-05-30

and sallow faces are met with but IT is the
exception, not the rule. In behavior the
operatives are polite, mannerly and cour
teous. They all work with snap.vim ano
"SOme time ago | was In a cotton mil
school. There were eighty pupils In the
school, whose ages ran from six TO ffteer
yenrs, the girls out numbering the boys
Every child that / saw looked fresh and
clean. The girls had their hair rombed ant
curled. The boys We're as full of life as yopne
cnlves. There was not a child but what mac
| the glow OF life in bis or her face. They had
plenty of books and were comfortable. The
school building was attractive within and
without. The seats were of the most improv
ed style, have seen no country school house
that would surpass that factory school build
Ing" -. o.,,oo, WAN. ,,,o .,, hanna, ~
| the operatives. At the first place stopped
| found a wife and mother cleaning the house
ard preparing dinner. There were three
room ami Kitchen combined. In the bed
room there was a handsome oak suit consist.
ing of he'd, bureau and wash stand, besides
there was baby cradle and very pretty
clock. There were pictures on the wall. The
bed was well furnished and the linen was as
clean IN any hotel would have. The room
had been put in ship shape. AS the lady OF
the house kneaded the dough. two happy
about the houEe. The youngest member OF
the family. an innocent looking infant was
wrapped snugly in the cradle. The woman
looked 10 be ABOUT twenty-six years old. For
mill, but prior to that time OF her marriage
she was a mill hand. She likes the life
around the cotton mill and Is perfectly salts
fled.
"Oue the teachers In the Atherton cotton
mil school at Charlotte said to me few days
ago: Il teach about twenty five children.
They come from the mill settlement. l have
visited the homes of every pupil In my room
and found cleanliness, comfort and happiness
everywhere. Last week was at the homes
OF five OF my patrons. Pine parents at each
home can read we'll and all but one can write.
In three Of the homes saw organs and in the
other two pianos. On the floors OF three
saw carpets and rugs, and in all clocks, tables.
from three to four nice beds\and abundant
OF musical instruments and pictures. In
several places j saw quite variety OF pot
flowers and in many front yards flower plants
and fruit trees. There were twenty-siX chill
houses. Their ages ran from three to sixteen
years. All were well and cheerful. The
Atherton mill school is we'll attended, the
interest grows all the time. On Sunday the
men. women and children 60 to church, and
most Of them to sunday school,
."Iu passing through a mill settlement some
weeks ago, stopped ut the home ofn middle.
aged man who had five children working in
the mill. He lives In Six room, two-story
house. I met him some distance from his
bouse: said: Il want to see how you people
live. would like to 20 in some home where
several children Iive ae !re started IN my
house I have five children, but they are in
the mill Entering the house from the rear
Wa went through the dinning room into a |
bed room and then into the parlor. The old
threw back the window curtains and pointed |
TO the large pictures on the wall. They were
paintings from photographs of his children. |
The tipor OF the room was carpeted and in
From Kitchen
TO garret the house was clean. When mine
host had seen me to the door he said: Il
farmed on rented land before ] came here. |
but could not feed my family there now. l
like the life here. The mill hands do not
change from mill to mill as they do in some
places. It is difficult TO secure work. in this
class people as operatives. like my employ
era. They treatus we'll five behave in like
them. If we mlsbehave they |
slfDsans spntsand get others In our stead.
Wh4n fmoved here the superintendent
warhed me against drinking. He said that
be would have none but sober help. He |
meant what he said, for / have not seen q |
drunken man on the hill since ! came here
two years ago. Every week my family con-
sisting of two boys, and three girls, make an
average Of So My children are In good
health and seem satisfied. We are all con.
Tented. All of US belong TO the church and
attend regularly
II went from house to house and heard the
same story. Indeed, there is no problem at
the best mills between capital and labor for
the mill owners and operatives dwell In
harmony. The problem was solved when the
first help was secured.
The various religious denominations in thei
mill sections are doing a great deal for the
factory element in the South. Preachers call
on the operatives and their families at their
homes. Churches are built and preaching
and Sunday school conducted at nearly every
mill. Within the last five years In the South
much has been done for the betterment Of the
Of the cotton mill help. The work
Is still going on.
"No one who knows the facts, as any one
can learn by going to the mills, can doubt
th at the people who work in the cotton mills
Of the South are far better of In every way
thap ever before.
"North Carolina has 5000 operatives"