The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-11-20
WHOLE FAMILY PICKS COTTON
sOf6HT rHE FIELDS INSTEAD
or THE MILLS FOR WORN.
southern Woman Describes Ser ssrug-
giles for a Living Children I.ik ed u
n sort OF camping Out Party and
the WORT hrpt Them I'm sch DOL.

the WORT hep, Them In school
with my FIVE children spend every
August and September In the country
picking cotton said Southern woman
who since the death OF her husband has
been the breadwinner for her family,
! Il had mover earned n dollar when my
husband died Besides my housekeeping
l had learned to write on the typewriter
for the sake Of helping him along with
his WORK. Being lawyer hs had a lot
of papers to copy. and by learning TO use
the machine I was able to save him the
hire OF secretary or clerk. When you
..bave "a family OF children growing up
every dollar tells did all his copying
mornings after getting the children OF
TO school or evenings after the children
were In bed. You see in the South you
can hire half dozen servants TO do house.
work and feed them for what q lawyer
has To pay for a clerk. 40 had a cook. q
nurse and houSemaid. and yet We both
knew we saved money by my doing his
copying
Wei. after his death il seemed natural
for IN" to turn to the typewriter "a a means
OF earning living. The one difficulty
was that had To learn shorthand. That
takes time. and NJ first | found IL very
discouragiug When that first summer
came there was demand for cotton pick
ers III all the counties around us. and "a
hadn't been able TO get much to do on
the typewriter l was looking anSiolsly
around for some means OF earning enough
money 10 keep my children in school the
next winter Living near the factory dis
trct of the city thore wcrs always before
my eyes the long lines Of children workers
coming and going into and out of the
mills. While | dreaded the idea of my
children going into the mills my friends
and advisers looked upon IL cheertrlly
and much To my horror got my two eldest
where they expressed the desire 10 apply
for worS
1T Was the last week in July when my
eldest child. my son. told me he had been
promised place in the miilsthe following
Monday. As l hadn't 81 in nay pocket
book and our credit at the grocer's was
pretty nearly exhausted it was irnpOssi-
BILE for me to forbid his taking the only
WORK that was open to him ut that season.
didn' sleep much that night but the next
morning | had made plan. Immeda lately
after breakfast | went 10 that section Of
ths city where farmers come for their
J supplies looking for some one who wanted
cotton pickers, II it was a choice betw cen
the cotton fields and the cotton mills |
had made up my mind IL should be the
I fields
I found n man who was willing n take
mo and INV family. my gang he called it,
! II was then Friday. and he agreed 70 send
a wagon in sunday at noon 20 haul me and
my gang out to his place for "a week =
picking The pay was 90 cents hundred
II he fed us. or 81 cents II we fed ourselves
Though il was not customary. he eN-
planned. as he was in need OF pickers no
would give mo the Use Of an empty ha-n
to sleep in. The three points he wanted
to Impress on my mind were. first that
| was 10 have all my traps ready to ba
hauled out on sunday so as not 20 keep
his team waiting: the second. that and
my Who'll" gang was to pick for him a.
long a. b" Needed Us. ard the third. that
not = spark Of FIRE was TO go around his
barn
Like MI children promised n change
mine were dsHght"d IT the prospect of
going into ti..- country for u few weeks.
When the team arrived on SUNDAY we
we-r more hh" party going Oh a picnic
than d gang 81 cotton nick.r~ setting out
for Il TWO months loddiug over cotton
felix's. haa plcke,. cotton once or twice
IL. my yoIng days. Just for the fur of q:
hir none of my oni!lrcU had ev cr seen cot
ton growing The yoGnE~et was al the
time and tho ..i..-i rotrIy IS. n Wa
'.at little girl. t:a', -.y e:.-~"lr-old. who
,"' t.. pace once we reached the cotton
t.I -.
20, tie cp-.ou plan .,ul tn" fee! OF tho so.,
Whist" staple. ann II co.rs. not hay ing
to -toop. It was fun :or Ler waking az
end down III" rows u.'king FROM the open
.ul-
When shocking - time came at noon
she had picked 'uor" cotton than err. ~ h"r
''."mL"r Of my gang ia -pi'c 81 IL" TACT
TT 81" hHa been forced e. u.rtv her l,-tie
sax about three ;.m"s a- often ~ the
ltrGc- children After "af.nE her dinH.r
ana taking q zap ~ the hammock Lni"r
tn. fre"4 IL" Wa - ~ again 80 .aTIis--tl.'
hat hy suniowa -Hn had added twenty
rounds OF Jean cot ton 10 her morning
picking. ILH; rIgA' after supper, b-i0r.
put'.nC tl"cl 20 u.S. "a ;ha pail"'s .pread
on ~" iiuor q; ~" barn. | aroIn'Ai a.!
e.. yers with -aSclius ThoIyh -ot-on
picking * not hard work 'h"r.. IL a rough,
hess about the edges ~: III. Open boi!s
hat causes the .uger7 4 persons 'GLc-
cuStSmsd 80 p;0kng - become quite soc.
- she beginning
When the next SATURDAY, nigh. rar~e
ny gang had zen dollars to Its .Tod'
This YVES over npd apove me food sup
Plies. which had bought Of the ..r po...r
and which he -hargci against o,!r lc-
'nUnt. We hadn't picked - much COTTON
~ ~" farmer bad rxp.Ct"i b'!' aS IT,
roGso!:uGIy formed ~" u" w"r. plCis-
Jag up and II we k"u' AZ - '-igi.- w,raIn
i"w weeks y" ~ swift ! Eur, rs 'h,a-e
wl- In the county l. required two saa-
sons Of cotton Cickirg To- realty" his r,re-
t"tions- By shat time, my baby having
.';aiH~d tn" r:a'ur" age u , we were
'trr,'nE t.;rtv dollars week n the
l"r-aEe cotton Geld MEN the -.li y
rarf: ruariT Whit" ". have on fnw &C.
.i-Iru" :4ad- almost twice n t.r..h.
"D!' Il shat amount count on 4 dollar
Dag for fnrd and washing II i :Le
'-r- hc-r -ort 4 food ~ that. fresh
eggs en-, k"rs. mills. vegetables and
IF':.t II ~" hough; them III tho cIty
'HoT would cost thr"" times as :nuca
,Ld then cot l." fresh Though tak.
ont" oIr old"-- clothes into tire COrtun
:".dS | G1v" ~" CJnE chang" every gar
f''s.,EF three times a Tint makes