The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1911-06-09

Pitiful Thoughts Of Toiline Infant
Whose Life Is Spent In Drudsery.
Applies 10 Almost Every Manufacture
ing Center
Got up this mornin at 4. as usual.
Oh, my. this is my birthday. Amt ]
glad | saved up nearly 80 cents IN my
bank? Nd told my ma nd my IA
Their it would be nice to use it TO cele-
brate with Ma was tired bein' up
with the baby. nd she has II cough.
you know. so cooked myself the love
lest breakfus of fried bread before |
count of this. nd the superintendent
locked me 10 cents. Oh, well, ii was
worth it. l don't have birthday
every day in the year
It's lovely walk to the factory in
the mornin'. Nd l like it so much
better than ut night because then 1t
is nearly dark. nd | am so tired nd
kind of stagger along nd my eyes
don't see straight. nd I'm so glad to
get home nd throw myself down any
where nd sleep.
hut in the mornin the sun Is just
lovely. Once l stopped to pick some
daisies-they're kind of beautiful
yellow nd white flower, md there was
few of 'em CROWN on the edge of
the street-'nd l took 'em with me to
the factory, but the superintendent he
frowned md says, "Ah. loiterin' again.
That's queer word. But ! know
what it means. 1t means takin up
some one elses time.
oh, my. yesterday we worked four
teen hours! choked some in the last
part the smoke got on me so. but it's
lovely to earn so much money. ] got
nearly Is cents more than my regular.
md 1t just seemed like l was one OF
them multimillionaires ] heard tell
about once when l went to a circus
But that was so long ago, when ! was
a child
The factory is great big long brick
place. md like the window work In
so much. cause l can look out through
it all day nd see green trees. Nd
onct saw a squirrel. Then the fore
man caught me. md he said | was get
tin to be little loafer. That's ter
ribul thing to be, but sometimes !
wisht ! was, you know-just for fun.
Nd then it's nice to have kind of
lovely dreams when you're honest
awake, when your eyes is wide open.
only they amt lookin' at anything
else 'cept what you see in your dream.
thought | was the only one in the
world that had 'em. but a boy, he said
he did. too, sometimes. I'm kinder
sorry for this, cause | wanted 'em TO
myself. but it amt right to be too
selfish.
Yesterday man came. nd we all
had to lie about our ages. The super
intendent said it was only matter OF
form. but we'd better do it. cause we
might lose our jobs If we didn't. nd
| said was over fifteen. nd then the
mamie was IN inspector or some
th:n'-he put his hand Oh my head
nd said | didn't look it, nd then the
superintendeS he says. NO. ii stunts
'em sometimes, but it's good work for
EN-" says he. ito be 'leadin' useful
lives" Nd then the inspector went
away smokin big cigar. seen
him go by the tree where the squirrel
lives. nd he stopped there onct nd
looked at somethin' outen his pocket
Pretty soon LII he maxim $4 Il week
I'm gettin' So now. which for twelve
years old is fire start. We work
from Z until 6 at night, with an hour
Mt noon; but oh, my, when get lit
tie bigger I'll belong to the union. nd
then | won't have to work so hard.
nd I'll have time TO go on journeys
nd attend big meetin's nd learn 70
read md write, nd maybe I'll be il
walkin' delegate. whatever that is
We're three months behind in our
orders. Nd all on account of Proc
perity bein around. Prosperity. !
guess. must be an invisibul giant like
the kind the Teller told me of in the
noon hour onct that took the little
hoy who came to work for him nd
ate him up. Prosperity he comes
around in the mornin' md wakes me
up nd makes me cook RIy own break
fus nd marches me off to the plant
Prosperity makes the big wheels whir
nd piles up tine orders md makes the
foreman swear at us nd makes night
shifts nd gives me pains all over in
my bones nd sends me home like |
was dead with sleep. | hate Prosper
Ity, nd | wisht he never come around.
Nd | wonder did God make him
God is another giant. nd he lives in
the clouds. nd he's the biggest giant
of ALL Nd the Salvation Army gal
she says he was a father to us all.
| Nd he never takes my money on Sat
urday night But they say he. Is a
good giant md is sorry for people that
work. nd he loves everybody just the
tame. Nd they say he loves me just
as much as the multimillionaire. but II
he did he might hurt the giant Pros
perity that hurts me so nd that the
multimilionaire likes so much. Oh
my. 1t would be fun to see fight be
tween God nd Prosperity.
Nd | hope that God would win
Cause from what heard about him
kind of like him. But ! guess after al
ha's only a dream like Santa Clans