Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-09-05
Social Conditions.

Concerning the social conditions Of
these people. the country at large Is
| in great need Of accurate information.
Much has been said about the laxity
of morals, and the paucity Of oppor-
tunity for self-improvement, and
much of this Is absolutely mislead-
ling. In the interests Of truth 1t must
be said that the mills have been
cursed by the presence Of few idle
and vicious men, and few women or
very lax morals among employees.
But In the blessedness Of the quiet
country home and In the glitter OF
the fashionable ball room, are not
this same class Of people found?
They are like the poor; they are al
ways with us. But In mill society
the management and operatives, es-
pecially in the more reputable VII
lagos, absolutely refuse to give this
class Of people employment or recog..
milton unless there are promises OF
reformation, and those making such
promises are watched with care. 1
know Of one mill that has been In
operation for more than twenty
years, and in those twenty years
there have been three illeg1timate
children born there. The population
of the village Is at present ABOUT
eight hundred. That Is not a per-
feet record in morality by any means
but 1t Is not as bad as were the lives
of these same people before they
came TO this village. Another mill
gave employment to five or six fai-
| len women on condition that they
sin no more. That was many months
ago, and those women have KEPT
their vows knowing that they would
be dismissed II there was any re,
currence of their former lives, and
also, having respectable employment
/ by which they could earn living,
they had no need to sell their oodles
for bread.
In many of the mills drunkenness
den, and an employe can find no
quicker way by which to get the
last of his pay and his dismissal than
II by either of these misdemeanors. For
thirty months I have been frequently
| by night and day In a large mill
village, and I have seen more drunk
enness and heard more profanity In
one hour In a small railroad town
than I have In the thirty months
among those mill employees. Turn
| Jim Blank off this morning" said the
president Of a mill to his superin...
| tendent, "he was drunk yesterday
|
room. Let me keep him until l can
get some one to take his place" NO. !"
was the reply. turn him off II 1t
stops the whole mill. We employ
no drunkards here" know Of an
other town of about 5000 inhab-
itants, all of whom are connected
with mill work. They have no In
corporation, no police and no council,
and although this town was estab-
lished % years ago, there has never
been a murder or serious case OF
disorder. or course 1t is hardly
| improbable that among the tens OF
south there are a good many VINO
sell liquor illegally, a good many who
drink to excess, a good many who
lead unclean lives: but the propor-
ton Is remarkably small when we
compare them with people In other
conditions in life, or when we re-
member the depths from which
many of them came.
Still more encouraging Is the fact
that many Of these people are con-
tinually rising. The opportunities for
self-improvement and the premium
that Is set on manhood and woman
hood have a constant tendency to
| lift them up. 1t is truth well
known to every one familiar with
social conditions In the south that
| the cotton mills offer advantages OF
this kind to their operatives that are
far superior to those enjoyed by peo-
pie in farming districts and superior
to those offered by even the larger
towns and smaller cities. The terms
of the public free schools are longer
than generally found In the country.
and their school houses are much
better and better equipped than are
those to which the children OF even
the wealthy farmers go. / do not
know of a single mill anywhere that
does not afford easy access to first
class schools. and the teachers that
are employed rank well In their pro-
fessions. Take for example one mill
situated on a rushing stream In the
upper part Of South Carolina. At
this mill a commodious brick school
building has been built for the bene-
fit of the children Of the operatives
1t Is built on the most approved mod
ern plans, we'll heated, we'll ventilated
and supplied with patent desks, Ia
| bles, chairs, maps, tellurian. and an
texcellent and costly library. The
character Of the teachers In this