The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1909-01-16
LIFE IN THE MILLS
EviL CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH
OPERATIVES EXIST.
With Father and Mother Both at
Work, Children Can Receive
Neither Proper Care Nor
Nourishing Food.

In n of the mills in Fall River
! met a girl whose marriage created
ZONE excitement because of the bitter
opposition it met with on the part of
her mother. Observe that in New
England mill towns the father and
mother work in the mills until the
oldest shild, or more commonly, until
two children are old enough to work.
Then n parent, usually the father, l
observe, leaves the mill forever. The
other parent leaves as soon as the
combined wages OF the children
amount to a living income. The moth
or assuming her rightful function OF
h%omekeeper and housekeeper, the
family enjoys a degree of comfort and
prosperity they never knew before.
They live in a decent house, eat good
food and have some pleasures OF exis-
tence.
The mother OF this girl in Fall
River, Lille. was reused to a perfect
frenzy of apprehension as soon as
Lille began to keep company with
a g~oodlooking young French Canadian
teamster. She forbade him the house,
she watched the girl to prevent her
meeting him outside, she did all she
could to break up the affair. Finally
she told Lille that If she dared marry
without her consent, she would have
Lille arrested! declares Rheta Childe
Dorr, in The Wreck of the Home" a
remarkable sociological study In
Hampton's Broadway Magazine.
Now Lille, who was a weaver and
earned $40 a week, followed the uni
versal custom Of carrying her pay en-
velope unopened to her mother. She
received a trife back for pocket
ey, but she was unaccustomed to in
dependence and she trembled under
her mothers threat. The transfers
arguments and pleadings finally pre-
vailed and they eloped, although she
believed that her disobedience vas
criminal. When she found that mar
rage was allowed even to working
girls, and against the will Of parents,
HtI JON wa dllluEAnbs 4 hNhNA % u
happier bride. She continued to work
in the mill. of course, for the team
ster's wages were only 81 a week,
which is not enough to live on. Seven
dollars and $40 are STA fortune to
a girl who had never had so much as a
dollar at a time to spend, Life. for
the present, became a brilliant thing.
The teamster not only permitted Lii
lie TO keep her own envelope, but gave
her his and went with her TO market
10 teach her how to spend William"
said Lille with pride, has ideas. He
intends to live like people ought to-
Yet this beatific resolve can only be
realized In the rare events Of their
having no children. When the child
rem come Williams wages will be
smaller than ever, nor will Lilies ten
dollars look quite so large. Thus it
will be that during the time their
children are small and need nourish-
ing food, there will be little money
to provide 1t. Worse, much worse,
there will be no mother at home to
cook the food and care for the child
rem. In Fall River old women, broken
down mill hands, plus 500 h'Ng syrup,
take care of the babies. lmlie %ll
bury a third of her childrea. When
the surviving ones are well grown she
will leave the mills and realize once
more. In her old age. a little of the
comfort and happiness she knew in
her bridehood-until her children be-
gin to marry.