The news & observer., 1900-12-08

| FACTORY operatives have to labor, anu u0-
| clared that it was the duty of the state
to establish an eight-hour system
| "Often l hear those looms banging an
| hour before day, and then again long al
ter night has settled down. AS / hear
| this, l sometimes feel that human hesh
and blood is being ground into paste 10
make greenbacks.'
| Mr. Smith told Of the work that had
| been accomplished by his little churcn
| in West Durham, and added that there
was but one man in it not directly de-
pendent on the factory for living, and
| he's a school teacher out of JOB.
Il tell you we can accomplish great
good if only we are willing to go down
on the old factory hill and do it. Some
| times I'm asked why I do not go out
| into a larger field. What larger field
can a follower of Christ ask than these
thousands of men, women and children
who stand by the loom and spindle?
tell you it's a great work, and there's
as great spirits, as noble souls, among
| those operatives as you can find any
where There can be good accomplished
among these folk and 1 would to God this
convention could see it and would give
$50 900 to this work.
Mr. Smiths speech was a splendid one,
and it was listened to with the most
intent interest.
Mr.. N. B. Broughton followed him with
short speech declaring that the fac
tory question is the coming problem of
this State
"They say last year one factory was
built every twenty days. Now they say
they are building a factory every ten
days. The other day / stood in the shad-
ow of factory that will cost a million
| dollars.
81 tell you this factory question is the
problem of the State and of the denomi-
nation. These people must have
chance to hear the gospel.
''Not only this, but there's another re-
sponsibility resting on us. These people
must be protected by the law of the
land"
Mr. Broughton referred to the long
hours of labor, and to children working
in factories. He added:
81 read an article the other day in
which man said: I'm in favor of not
allowing children under ten years OF age
to work in the factory; I'm opposed to
longer than twelve hours of labor day.
Under ten years! Poor cradling
things, Not more than twelve hours of
toll a day! The very limit of endurance
in human flesh and bone. These people
must be protected, and these infants
must be saved from such wrecking and
the bodies and souls of these over worked
women and men saved by Christian ef-
fort.
1--WE owe a responsibility to mankind
as we'll as to the church. We must go to
these mill owners and say: Take your
= of o.
what it amounts to.
Il say to you as members of great
denomination 1 declare to you as citi-
zens of great State, if you don't give
heed to this problem and address your
selves to a settlement of it, you'll one
day wake up to find the factory curse
instead of a blessing to the State"
Mr.. Broughtons speech was like an
alarm bell sounded and it created a great
sensation in the convention. He was fol-
lowed by Rev. B. l.. Hoge, of Concord
who discussed the factory problem with
special reference to his own town which
is one of the largest manufacturing CEN
tres of the State.
at is necessary he said, for the
strong arm of the law to interpose to
keep owners of factories from crushing
the life out of these people.
Il can take you into my church any
Sunday and show you likely young men
and comely girls who are unable to write
their names. In Concord, as in every 9TH
er factory town there are great numbers
of these. When have they any opportu-
nifty to cultivate their minds? They be-
gin work in the factory at o'clock, stop
at T. having worked 13 hours with 40
minutes for dinner.
There are little children becoming
prematurely old and wearing out their
young lives amid the roar and rattle of
machinery. In my town they claim that
they don't employ children under twelve,
but in going through the mills | have seen
many children whose faces pronounced
them not over or years old-toiling
in The night, many of them.
81 know there are parents who are
sometimes entirely responsible for this
state of things, but in nine cases out of
ten it's due to the almighty dollar It's
because boys and girls can do the same
work for a factory at less money than it
can be done by man or woman. boy
is paid 25 cents day, while man re-
ceives 81 or $1.10"
This completed the discussion of this
subject and the report was adopted.
EDUCATIONAL MISSIONS.
Educational Missions in Western
North Carolina" was the next topic on
the program. The report on this work
was read by Rev. A. E. Brown, general
field missionary.
This report expressed qualification at
the progress made in the establishment
of Schools in the western part of the