Penny Magazine

No. 104 - THE PENNY MAGAZINE - Nov. 16, 1833

A WELL-CONDUCTED FACTORY.

(From a Correspondent.)

THE general tenure of the evidence given before the Factory Commissioners goes to show that, although there may be great abuses in many establishments in which children are employed, extensive factories may, and do, exist where the light spirits of youth are still buoyant and unbroken by undue labor and restraint, and where the industry of the young not only contributes to the increase of our national wealth, but also to their own advantage. In many factories they are not only usefully employed, but, at the same time, are trained up in those habits of morality and good feeling which are most likely to ensure their own lasting happiness and to make them valuable members of society.

We have recently returned from visiting many such factories, and, among the rest, that of Mr. John Wood, jun., a stuff manufacturer of Bradford, in Yorkshire. We think it may do some good, in two ways, if we give a very slight sketch of what we there saw. Such an outline may serve to correct some of the prejudices which exist on the subject of factories generally, amongst those who have never visited the seats of our great manufactures; while those masters (we hope they are but few) who look only to the accumulation of money by the employment of children, may take shame to themselves when they find that the same object may be attained without injury to their health or morals.

In the manufactory of Mr. Wood about six hundred persons, principally girls, are employed. When we arrived it was the hour allotted to dinner and recreation; and the young people were joyously sporting in the open yard of the factory, like children out of school. After witnessing for some time this scene of unrestrained freedom from toil, the period for renewed industry arrived, and we were ushered into the mill. This we found as clean, as light, and as comfortable as a drawing-room, or rather as a series of drawing-rooms, for there are several floors filled with machinery. The children, in resuming their work, had not lost their cheerful look, but set about their tasks in a manner which proved that these were any thing but irksome to them. Seats are provided for the accommodation of the young folks when they are not actually employed, which state of leisure, from the nature of their occupation, very frequently occurs. The little work-people seemed quite delighted to see their employer; their faces brightened up, and their eyes sparkled as he came near and spoke to them; indeed he appeared to be more like a father among them, and an affectionate one too, than like a master; patting them on the head, chucking them under the chin, and addressing them according to their ages.

There is always a surplus number of children in the mill, in order that they may be sent by installments to a school-room on the premises, where they learn to knit and to sew, as well as to read and to write. The reason given by their benevolent employer for having them taught knitting and needle-work shows how mindful he is of their future welfare. He had found that when girls, who had been employed from an early age in a mill, were married, they made unprofitable wives, from not knowing how to perform the necessary parts of a wife's and a mother's duties—they did not know how to employ themselves, and consequently became idle gossips. A schoolmaster resides on the premises, and Mr. Wood allows other poor children, besides those employed in his own mill, to attend the school. A medical man is engaged to visit the factory weekly to examine into the general health of the children, besides which he gives more frequent attendance to those who may be ill.

With regard to the hours of work, the Factory Bill recently passed will just make a difference of ten minutes during the day in the time of their employment. The children are expected to appear in clean clothes twice a week; Saturday is the worst day in the week in this respect, and on that day some of the young people are employed in cleaning the place. It happened to be on a Saturday that we viewed the factory, and therefore not at the most favorable time; the young folks do not like visitors on that day, and there was in consequence some slight scruples at admitting us; but every one and everything appeared to us nice, clean, and in order, and we could not detect among the children any signs that the renewed cleanliness of the morrow was required. We questioned the proprietor as to the morals of the older girls, when he assured us that they are perfectly good, and added that he was certain if any one among them was known to misconduct herself, the rest would immediately apply to him to dismiss her from among them. Mr. Wood never found any difficulty in training the children according to his wishes; at first he had some trouble in inducing the parents to co-operate with him in his plans, but this obstacle to improvement is now entirely overcome.

Mr. Wood is a wool-sorter and wool-comber, as well as a spinner; and in those branches employs men of some skill, who appeared to be very decent; not one did we see who bore the marks of vice or drunkenness about him. They seemed to be on the best of terms with their employer. Whenever he entered any room where they were at work, he addressed them with "Good morning, how do you all do?" which was answered by an inquiry about his health, and an addition in one or two cases of, "It is some days since we have seen you, Sir." In fact, all seemed glad to see him, as if it were felt and fully recognized that his was the grateful task to watch over and promote the general good, and that only one common interest existed between them. Happy is it for society when the employer and the employed have such a connection of mutual good-will between them, and most happy are those who can combine with their own gainful pursuits the gratification which always accompanies warm-hearted and enlightened benevolence.

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