The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1926-09-25

FNtSNOEy OF ENG w OFlOg' ana
his articles for children 90 into mil.
lion and half homes every day. He is
now writing for The Publishers syndi-
safe OF chicago. coffman has always
been friend Of the labor movement and
mas written several times for The Fed
Grated Press.)
TIGHT years ago l spent several
weeks Of my life as tutor in the
family of Arthur r., a New York
millionaire. I had never performed
such work before, and did not realize
when l obtained the position that
was to be little more than a glorifed
nursemaid to Mr.. RS two sons.
Arthur, Is, and George, IL.
The history Of my work as tutor"
does not concern us here, but it did
give me an insight into the life of
the family Of a baron of the textile
industry. Mr.. R was the owner of
nVe mills in which cloths were made
did not at that period see the inside
OF textile mill or meet any man or
woman who worked in one; but OBJ
served with interested eyes the Park
avenue mansion.
The mansion was Of four stories
On the first floor there was naught
but reception hail. dining room
and the quarters in which the SER
wants prepared food for the four mas
ter mortals of the household. To rise
30 the second floor an automatic cleo.
trio elevator was provided. This floor
was given up to magnificent draw
ing room and the bedrooms Of the
master and the mistress.
! slept on the third floor, in q room
equipped with a private bath and a
fireplace. 1t was desirable that yisi-
tors should see that the tutor. the
chosen guardian of the scions of the
family, was adequately provided for.
The rooms of the boys, with further
private baths, were, of course, on this
floor.
Tempted tho 1 am to go into fur
Their details, l must not drift too far
into this description. Remarking only
that the numerous servants of the
household were stuck up on the fourth
floor; that l visited a further R.
household by the New Jersey seashore
and learned of still another up in
Maine; that did not count the family
automobiles or the servants; that l
ate at the masters table and partook
OF rich food (tho a bit of It stuck in
my throat), and that one of the men
servants confided to me: 'EYiss, Mr..
R. is very rich; he inhirrited his
five mills from his father" shall
pass on to another side of the picture.
A few blocks east of the R. man.
sion on Park avenue there are build
ings which do not provide four floors
TO a family. knew of those eight
years ago, and that is why the food
did not always course down my throat
so pleasantly, and why my private
bath did not give me an unstinted feel
ing of luxury; but 1t was only later
that l gained something Of a knowl-
edge OF the lives OF men and women
who worked in the mills which sup
Piled the income for the goings-on of
the R. family life.
That first glimpse was attained at
Paterson, N. J. There was a strike in
/, progress. / did not make a scientific
study of wages, hours and working
conditions; but did learn single
salient fact-that while Mr.. R., the
master. worked Tor at least put in
time) two hours day, and obtained a
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of $780,
600 or more a year, the men and
women who make the cloth were con
siderably less fortunate.
l have been reminded of all this
In 1925 by a visit to another home of
the textile ndustry-Passaic. This
visit is fresh in my mind as / write
il having occurred only two days ago.
A good proportion of the city Of
Passaic is "oHt" Sixteen thousand
workers have dared to question the
right of mill owners to blacklist them