The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-12-27
HAS NO PARALLEL
Southern Mill Owners liz
crest in Employees.
Some Facts Which Indicate What is
Being Done to Educate the Child
rem and For the Well Be-
ina of All.
Especial to News and Observer

perhaps. the most striking phase OF
the industrial renaissance and growth
| of that section in the past 20 years.
One of the most interesting feature
of the textile industry is the practical
| Interest manifested by mill manages
mentS in the education and the ma
terial comfort and welfare of their
employees. This in it's varied forms is
without parallel in the history of the
| industry elsewhere, and probably with
out parallel in the history of any 9TH
er industry anywhere. In many re-
spects the situation in the South is
unique. While many cotton mills are
| but additions to the wealth creating
activities of cities and towns. many
| others are beyond corporate limits, or
constitute individual communities of
! their own. Hence. it is found that in
some cases the operatives are merely
| indistinguishable units in a population
| with many lines of occupation. and IN
others form with their employers self
| dependent groups. The result is
social condition varying according to
| different localities and inducing di
Vergent educational manifestations.
| Types of these are presented through
| succinct and authoritative statements
| from the men most interested in fur
| thering education in their respective
cities. towns and villages, published in
| the Manufacturers Record which in
summary says
"A statement made to the South
| Carolina legislature two years ago,
| based upon returns from 60 to III
mills in the State. showed that in ac-
/ dition to paying more than S5O,O00
| in taxes. the mills We're giving annu-
| ally more than $1,000 for schools in
/ buildings furnished by the companies
at a cost of about SIS, 900 and that
a
! 000 toward the building or churches
! in the mill villages. Minute study of
| the contributions with which that
statement dealt would have revealed
| FOR South Carolina the manifold
| shapes which such contributions take
| in all the distinctive cotton manufac-
/ turing states of the South. Charac-
teristic facts are these:
"A North Carolina mill built and
! equipped about Is years ago school
| house for the operatives, and has since
| that time furnished the school for 10
| months in the year entirely free with
| the exception that books and stationery
are sold to encourage the pupils TO
| take care of them. Till last year the
| mill, in addition to paving taxes for
the common school fund, met all of
the expenses of this school. 1t then
| arranged with the school board. OF
which the superintendent of the mill
| and one of the operatives are menu
/ bers, to make a school district of the
| village, and it is ready to supplement-
| the school fund so that the school term
of 10 months may be maintained An
other company in the same State
erected school building at a cost of
5000 or $1,000 to accommodate 400
pupils, and supplements the common
school fund with a donation sufficient
TO guarantee an eight months term
nF ~
the common management expended
$4,000 in building and equippine
schools, and provides heating ana
lighting and janitor service, in addi-
ton to experimenting the public
school fund. Stockholders of a mill
company in South Carolina are build
ing and equipping club house with
bowling alleys gymnasium. shower
baths, reception rooms, class rooms
etc. for the operatives at cost OF
$4,000. In an Alabama town, in the
absence of adequate facilities. the mill
built school house for its own chill
dren and ran it independents for
three years. In 1901 the mill village
and the town were made a special
school district. and the company con-
tributes enough to insure an eight
months term. 1t. moreover. has es-
tablshed a free library and amuse-
ment hall for its employees. One Mis-
enter the children of its employees in
schools of q nearby town and has
offered to pay the town for the priv
ilege. A few other facts may be thus
condensed: School building on mill
property built by the mill partly sup
ported by State funds for seven years:
school house furnished to the
mill. which adds to State and
county funds from $1,000 to
$1,000 year for it's support: be-
tween $1,000 and $1,500 contributed
each year, so that the free school may
be open nine months; the school sup
ported by a mill, the only graded
school in the county, and the only
public school having a longer term
than four months; school run by the
mill independently of county or
town; graded school of the town fur
nished a building free of charge by
the mill; free tuition given all en-
ployeS children between the ages of
six and twelve years; $1,000 added by
mill to the district school appropria-
ton to build and equip an up-to-date
house; help urged to>avail themselves
of the opportunity for schooling, and
extra help employed to permit OPP
eratives disposed to study to attend
school. One mill president writes
that he does not know of single
mill in his section not contributing to
schools from its private funds, and
another is convinced by personal OBJ
servation that one will find that nine
mills out of ten in the Southern
States maintain schools fr the bene1t
of children of the operatives
"As has been noted it is not alone
III provision for scnols that the spirit
OF the will-owners is displayed. In
some places. where the comparative
scantiness of population would not JUS
fifty a church building for every de-
nomination represented among the or
eratives, a union church is provided
by the mills, where services for the
different denominations are enjoyed in
regular course. In other places the
m Is are foremost in encouraging the
building of churches by giving sites
and by contributing toward erection CT
the building and in aiding generously
in the support of the ministries while
the famles of the magnates are repre-
scented among the Sunday school teach
ers and in other religious and philan-
thropic work Families of operatives
are given medical facilities by nils.
Kindergarten ard Fairgrounds arc
maintained for infants. while older
children and men and women have
fraa I;hrnr;ac halls for lectures