Milford chronicle., 1902-02-21
THE "FooTiNe" CUSTOM.
Oze Cause of the Evil of Drunken
meas In England

ness In England.
There exists in the Manchester and
other north country" mills custom
known as footing" which compels the
girls employed to furnish wine and
liquors on holidays and festival occasions
for themselves and the men workers
Public attention has just been directed
TO this custom by Canon Hicks of Sal
ford, who in his capacity Of chaplain to
the Stafford hospital. has seen the many
evils to which it has led.
For the first year perhaps after a girl
has entered her mill or factory she will
not be asked or expected to join with
her elders in one of these 'fOotings.
Temperance has been strongly advocated
among the young in Manchester, as the
rolls Of Bands of Hope and church and
nonconformist schools can show, and
numbers make their working start in life
as pledged abstainers. But with the first
promotion, a birthday or a wedding in
the family the unfortunate girl is re-
minded by those who ought TO know bet
ter that the footing" will be expected to
celebrate the event. Her wages at these
early stages cannot be large and to pro-
vide the bottle Of whisky. the bottle Of
port and the substantial plum cake which
is the orthodox form for this useless i'm
position to take she must either deny
herself for weeks some infinitely more
desired article Of dress and save patient
IL or lay upon her poor little shoulders a
miserable burden Of debt by borrowing.
1t is bad enough when she alone has to
supply her coworkers with drink. for in
such case the quantity available will not
/ be followed by seriOu- after conse-
ouences. The worst occasions are at
/ Whitsuntide and Christmas or big public
holidays, when all the women furnish
their footing upon the same scale, and
much drunkenness is the result. re-
rrettable feature OF the evil is that men
/ should be so dead to all manly feelings
as 10 countenance and encourage it as
they do by participating in the drink.
Indeed, when the footing" is bought the
idea is that the whisky or rum is for the
men who share in it and the wine for
the women. though now it is not uncom
mon to purchase spirits only.
In some of the mills and factories ef-
forts have been made to suppress foot
ing" by forbidding them absolutely upon
the premises. Practically however. this
attempt at remedy has proved almost
worse than the disease, as the only result
has been that the carouse in such case !.
transferred to a public house. where
even greater excess is INDUCED in. Th'
more respectable women themselves
would hail a deliverance with gladness
but at present the system seems to-
strong for them.
About eighteen months ago the frs
outside attempt to break down the habi
was made, when an "antifooting league
was formed Its rules were simple, ant
it's members pledged themselves. first
to take no intoxicating drink in connec
ton with 'footings.' birthdays and othe
occasions in the mill or elsewhere: sec
ond. to try to exclude intoxicating drink
from all such occasions. and, third. {
try to induce others to join this league.
Efforts on behalf OF the sex are yer
well organized and united in Mancheste
through the district branch of the Ma
tioual Union OF Women Workers. an
this movement was readily supported b
the various clubs and societies befrienC
ing the class. Among others which too
it up was the Girls institute, an in
mense nonsectarian establishment wheI
hundreds of hot dinners are served dali
at the lowest possible cost. which has il
lodging houses. evening classes and
host Of other endeavors at AncOats,
the very heart Of the manufactures, 1
well as holiday and convalescent home
Observation-Disclosures Telegraph.