The Minneapolis journal., 1903-03-02
AGRICULTURAL GANGS
Degradation of Female Farm Laborers In
the Eastern Counties of p.
ENGLAND. =

da hats IT, in
into ton This n
the whole Of rural England 1t affected more
especially the large crop growing areas of the
workers are to be found on every farm; and
every year-because of stated hours and in
the daughters of farm hands In the Hunting
donshire and Cambridgeshire Fens it is now gen
erally accepted &C that girl must enter gang as
quence the ranks Of domestic service find fewer
and fewer recruits. The Fen child is brought up
she is still an infant, she is drawn in her per-
ambulator to the field and left to sleep in shady
corner while her mother works; her holidays are
regulated by the harvest; and, in spite of laws
to the contrary, she is again and again kept at
home to help in potato picking. This potato
and schoolnistresses, the irregular attendance
resulting in small averages, lower grants and
satisfactory examinations. AS soon as the nee
essary examination is passed, girl hires herself
to a gangmaster, and for the greater part Of
the year goes out day after day for eight hours
allowed for lunch. .
good one. taking account of the health and the
morals of the women and children employed.
Nevertheless, they who live in the districts where
the gang system is most in vogue see in the
mesticity and the morality of Fenland village
life. To quote from paper by Lord Nelson,
ssin the Nineteenth Century for July, 1901 !:
sFs'Women's work in the fields is a mistake: It
may apparently increase the wages fora time.
but it is not good for the family. It costs more
in ns3clothes and broken health than the extra
money brings in. It makes uncomfortable
homes and Keeps the elder girls from. school to
do the mothers work of looking after the chill
dren.' ~ y
This refers, Of course, to. the married field
workers, and it is obvious that disorder. unclean
liness and household neglect must follow when
the mother Is away from home all day. She
returns too tired to do than hastily prepare
a rough meal for the children. and the house
cleaning and the "wash'' put off until the
first really wet day keeps the woman within
doors. -. 81 -.. =.
But, speaking generally, the married womer
only go out at the busiest seasons and the
greater number of the gangs composed en-
tirely Of girls from about 13 to 1S years of age
And 1T is precisely girls Of this age for whom
the system Is bad. The tone Of female fiel(
workers is exceedingly low, their ideas Of moral
| ity are small and the speech is full of exple
tives and obscenities.
7 : In fact after living among them for the las
twelve years. I am convinced that every CIR
| who works in gang becomes coarse both il
| thought and speech.
! Their minds stagnate until they become liter
! ally Of the earth earthly. This is particular!
noticeable in their hours of leisure. There il
! girlish fun; horse play will provoke hors'
! laugh and with that their sense Of humo
/ ceases. Once when entertaining a party O.
gang girls, l suggested 'Dumb Crambo. Tht
| is entered into with zest. but their only 1de;
| Of acting was to repeat the work of the day
| hoeing potatoes. chopping mangolds; the who'll
| round of the wearisome labor gone over in pla.
la pathetic proof Of minds that had ceased t.
| expand. .-5.