The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-01-08
SETTING A GOOD EXAMPLE.
South Carolina Cotton Mills Are
Taking Care of the Children
L. l.. Parham in Atlanta Journal.

l.. l.. Parham in Atlanta Journal.
That the Southern cotton mills ar,
doing something for the moral uplift
ing of their operatives cannot be de
MED successfully. The Clifton ant
Glendale mills en- ploy about 1890
paying them annually $500 ,000.I TIL,
management has expended large sum.
Of money for the education of tho
young. Able teachers are employed
often at the expense of the mills, anc
the schools are open nine months in the
year. Churches have been erected
where the operatives may worship as
they see fit. Five stores are operated
near the mills where the operatives
may buy their goods actually IN com
petition with cash stores, and they gel
them on credit the same as if they
paid cash. The motto of the proprie'
tors is the greatest good to the great
est number" The operatives are en-.
couraged to save their earnings and in
every other way made to feel that
they have something 10 live for.
The Gaffney Manufacturing com.
pany is another illustration Of what
mill men arc doing for their opera
tives. AT GaffneY the tenement
houses are neat and well constructed,
some of them of brick, and scrupu-
lousy clean. The company stores are
put there for the convenience of the
operatives, no checks used whatever,
and the operatives r not compelled
co buy of them. A free school is op.
Grated nine months in the year for the
children and the eXpens 8 paid by the
mill owners.
The Courtenay Manufacturing com.
pany at Newry has also erected neat
cottages, all lathcd and plastered,
painted inside and out of uniform
color. Everything is being done for
the comfort of the operators. The
mills are lighted with electric lights,
steam heated and in summer fresh air
is forced all through every floor, thus
insuring an agreeable temperature
throughout the year. A free school is
maintained nine months in the year at
the company's expense.
Finally, the Pelzer Manufacturing
company is also doing a great work for
the operators in their immense mills.
They have a 800 900 school building,
the teachers furnished free; beautiful
churches of all denominations, and a
library building with 5000 volumes in
1T, and a Urge number OF papers and
periodicals., furnished free by the COM
pany. Compulsory education obtains
at these mills. The head Of every
family working in those mills signs an
agreement before getting employment
the first clause of which says that all
children, members of any family be.
tween the ages of five and twelve, shall
enter the schools maintained by the
company, and shall attend every school
day during the year unless prevented
by sickness, etc. AS an additional in.
ducement children who attend school
every day, receive a reward of 10 cents
at tho end of each month. Lectures
with s%tereoptican pictures are also pro
vided, and are of the highest order OF
illustrative entertainment. There Is
no company store, and operatives buy
where they please. No liquors are
sold in Pelzer, and the people have
emphatically voted against dispense
ries.
Piedmont is still another illustra,
ton, and there are many others scat
tered throughout tie State. Let thu
reader remember that the story of The
awful neglect and bad treatment Of
children by mill operatives is conjuret
up by sentlmentalis ae9snd labor agita
tors to work upon To, apathy of TIT
credulous public. are no doub
some abuses, but mAmvi9ners are fas
coming to realize thssY.a ,od treatmen
of their labor help pt pap5oth in none,
and the consciousnesspf helping to up
lift the poor who leave the farms T.
the negroes and go to town wher
schools and churches, free libraries
parks and pleasure grounds conduce t,
their pleasure and their educationa
advancement.