Sequachee Valley news. (Sequachee [Sequatchie], Tenn.) 1896-1952, 1905-03-02
LAFAYETTE, GA.

SpectaI 10 the Ne5oS.
Ed. Sequachee News: 1t is an old
and true saying that "one-half of the
human race doesn't know how the 9TH
er half lives" Apropos of the truth
embodied in this ascertain an insight
into the everyday life of the denizens
of cotton mill town may perhaps in
terest your readers and the people of
Sequachee Valley.
Lafayette has two large cotton mills
and Hosiery factory, and might proper
ly be termed cotton mill town. These
mills employ several hundred hands, in
cluding men, women and children, who
are required to work twelve full hours
every day. At o'clock in the morn
ing two large whistles blow long bass
blast to awaken the operatives of their
respective mills. These four-oclock
whistles are to inform the employees
that it is time to arise and prepare
breakfast, and just as soon as they are
blown, lights begin to flash up in the
windows OF the many houses where the
mill hands reside. Again at 5:45 two
short blasts of the whistles are sounded
to announce that it lacks but Is minutes
to work time. At this signal the oper-
atives commence to simultaneously
leave their homes for the mills; and
when the long blow of the whistles is
| given at six o'clock the hands are all
at their places and the days work has
commenced. When IL o'clock comes 40
minutes are given the hands for dinner,
but in order TO get IL full hours day
they are required work until $50 in the
evening. The whistles that announce
'knocking-off' is music of the sweet
est strain to the weary operatives.
They rush from the mills with a
glad shout and merry laughter, and al
| though almost dead on their feet and
! deaf from from the racket of the mach
inery in the mills, they carry on ami
mated conversations with each other un-
til they reach their respective homes.
They all seemed to have become ini-
tiated into mill life and are reconciled
to its hardships and monotony. Little
tots of children, sallow-complexione
and emaciated, come and go with
the sounding of the whistle the same as
grown persons. In fact, large per.
centage of the employees are born in
mill towns and raised up in the cotton
factories They don't know anything
else but mill life and their aspirations
extend no higher than becoming prof
cient to earn the best wages paid for do
ing the particular kind of work they
first commence to learn in the mills.
AS a general thing the employees ar,
uneducated and illiterate. Your cor
respondent conversed with young maj
this morning, who although bright ant
, intelligent looking, said he never wen
to school three days in his life ant
could not read or write word.
They have no time for educating
themselves. The children who hav
to work 10 hours day, get their suppe
| and drop off in the farms of Morpheus
t in hurry. Besides, owing to the mis-
erable pittance of wages paid the oper
atives, they never become able to tax
/ their children away from the mills an
give them educations. If the wages re
ceived by all the employees In thes
s mills were averaged up they would nc
!, amount to more than $3.0O per week TO
each employe. And to be deducte
!, from this figure is the time they los
? when sick and the cotton mills are nc
at work.
Such is cotton mill life, yet the opei
;, atives are generally sociable an
t friendly lot of people who share eac
others burdens and commingle eac
others joys and sorrows.
Surely the many persons who al
complaining of their misfortunes
life, do not know the trouble and so
a rows of others.
y The Wrong Mr.. Wright.