The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1901-05-08


sponsibillty c,n be most clearly snG wer-
ed by the economists themselves. Prof.
Pstten the most learned authority on
consumption in America says: The
principle upon which the Consume IS
League is based, is sound, | have great
faith in educating tha consumer, and in
the social changes whi;0 = higher ty ype
will bring.
The producer is merely an agent Of
the consumer, and if The latter is per-
sistent in demanding better things and
conditions, society will be at length re-
modelled aud transformed"
President Hadley of Yale says: "As
years 60 on, | am more and moro i'm
pressed with the idea that economic re.
form is likely to com . through the ageu-
oy"of the consumer, rather than from
anv other source.
From GerNan school we read: "The
producing man is essen ntially tho ser
want of the consuming man, and the ii
nal dire ciion of INDUSTRY lies with
the consumers" And again, THE in.
dustrial world is our servant, sEd like
any good serve Mt is only forestalling our
wishes"
Such conclusions, from such authori-
ties prove that the consumer is the crea-
ter. The artistic boot. maker, who ad-
mires the normal foot, hates to make
the pointed high hecltd boot, but his
customers demand this sty lie and his du
ty is TO serve them. Ii the public did
not read the yellow journals, their pu
bllcation would so)u cease. The Audi
bon Society is teaching women the cruel
folly of wearing birds on their hats, aud
so tbe preservation Of birds is accom-
plished.
The stores are vely sensitive to the
demands Of tue buyer Tney keep in
merchant is so keenly alive to the whims
of every class of buyers, would he not
be more so to the insis ;ent intelligent
demands of al educated publie2 And
90 the league purposes TO educate this
public, these every day consumers, by
meetiLgs, by lectures, by leaflets, aud
by systematic investigation. Ii must
be made plain that The consumers hope
to move on very slowly at first, from
sweat-shop conditions to such factory
industries as exist under the humane
laws Of some Northern States. 1t must
also be made plain to all classes shat fac.
tory made products sre not more oxpen-
sive than sweat shop goods. The league
is not . movement against cheapness as
cheapness The modern factory with
labor saving appliances can produce
cheaper articles, even with higher wages
and shorter hours, than come from teno
ment industries. A great variety of
goods can be traced directly to the best
paid workers. Would not such prices
as hemstitched hankerchiefs for five
cents finish, knee pants for twenty FIVE
cents, and trimmed corset covers for
eight cents, satisfy even the most per
sistent bargain seeker in town.
Tue next quo. ton is, do we need the
league III Cvu. = Garoiua? Are we resiy
for such an orgSplz alton or ca this work
be carried on with our Club work as il ID
in other places? In this State, We do
Lot fLd such extremes of wealth and
There are no sweat-shops. Our mer-
chants, as q general rule, all live up to
the standard OF Fair house 1t tseems
to me that primarily in this State the
movement which | have attempted TO
describe must take the form of o CO.
operative educational movement
Two years sgo, when Markam's won
derful poem The Man with the Hoe"
was first published, | heard it most
effectively rcclted in sermon to
teachers by Mr.. Ker5hAw of Charleston.
His sympathetic rendition brought out
sll the points Of the poem, and the
patience, the pathos, the hopeessuess
of 1t sll made me very uncomfortable.
My summer vacation was not all rest,
and SO went to very wise friend,
who can always help me, aud said, Il
wish Mr.. Kershaw had left that poem
alone. | can't forgot it, and yet, what
is there that | can do2' He answer
ed Pay your cook more money.
That's about the only point at which
the problem touches you" And this
10 the essence of the spirit of the league.
1t is the Golden Rule as applied to
social economics,
In this education, we must teach
ourselves to want right things, right.
ly made. We must learn where and
how to buy so that the ''Soag Of the
Shirt" will become mere memory of
sad picture of by-gone days. We must
learn, Is very hard lesson for US women
of frugal minds) to avoid the bargain
table, which is as we all know, a mere
advertising scheme, and is filled gene.
rally with sweat shops goods made
specially for this clearance sale.
While we are learning these things
Ourselves, we must teach our merchants
the object of the league. Teach them
what Fair House is. Teach them the
use Of the label, and call persistently
for labeled goods. Patrouize those
houses, which pay the highest wages
and which think that work we'll done
by woman is worth just as much as if
done by man. Support them in the
earlyclosing movement, and urge the
observance of all holidays, You will
find in these shops, the best service,
and the best "cheApnes5."
And next | come to class of which
| know not how to speak. 1t is by far
the largest class Of toilers in this State
that needs our help. | refer to the
children of the cotton mills. | know
1t is not a popular subject. We soArco-
ly dare allude to it in our club-there
are SO many mill presidents in Spartan
burg, and they have so many relatives
realize that there are many sides to
the question, aud the answers cannot
be found in day. 1 know the evils of
labor laws. la fact, | have not very
much faith in legislatures, composed
Of mere men, when it comes to social
istic questions. But the children are
in the mills, working eleven hours q
day. These children arc growing into
men and women, just as our children
are, and they cannot write theirnames
In jury Of twelve men, drawn from
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