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394 kOWEI/L AKD ITS OPERATIVES.
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
? Boaeding Houses.
The result of this investigation was surprise and pleasure . 'T saw / saidlie' intelligence in tlieir countenances / and lie heard
it in tlieir , conversation , . To bring it forth in a more tangible mannerhe established the ' Improvement circle . ' It was then
a meeting , in a vestry , to which anybody and everybody was invitedand for which one miht write unknownand
droptheir communications , into any a e sort g o' post office box , , outside thedoor . ' This method was happily adapted to gain the desired
result . Much was written , and much that was very good . Some articles evinced cultivated taste and careful education : others _,
native _Tbut uncultured talent arid genius . The most interesting writers were sought out , and almost invariably found to be factory
girls . The females wrote more readily than the males , and the factory operatives were in advance of those engaged in other
employments . It was ascertained that mill-labour was favourable _^ rather than otherwise , to reflection and composition . We do not
state this as an argument per se in favour of factory life , nor would we induce girls to go into a factory to reflect and write , any
morethan we would _siiggest to men to go to prison for the same purpose , though ' The Pilgrim's Progress' and ' Don Quixote ' are _jaroofs
thatimprisonment et Some of the is contributions not always unfavourable to th _&»* circle to ' interested the intellect its .
originatorso much that he wished all to see them , and banish whatever of " prejudice they might have against the factory girl . He thought first ;
of some established paper , then of a little book , and lastly the plan was matured to a magazine "
It was at first edited by this professional gentleman , but when fairlstartedwas transferred entirely to the supervision of mill
Harriet girls y , and Curtis was , . edited It was and a new publi thing shed ; by and Misses the m H erit arriet of its Farl contents ey and
led some , at first , to doubt its being the work of factory girls _,, and it was even confidently affirmed that it was written by Lowell
lawyers , an assertion more complimentary to the ability of its contributorsthan to the honesty of its managers . Relative to this *
, Miss Farley says : — " We will state for the satisfaction of any who may feel interested , that no articles have appeared in the
c Offering' which were not written by factory operatives—that no ' lawyer / ministerdoctoror any man whateveris allowed for an
, , , instant to occupy our editorial chair- —that there is hardly a possibility that we are ourselves ever imposed upon , * for no
contributions are accepted , excepting from those in whom we haveperfect confidence : and we do not believe that a more sincere ,
truthful , ingenuous set of girls are anywhere to be found than those comprising the two improvement circles of Lowell . "
The writer of this article , who has for many years enjoyed an intim editresses ate acquaintance of the " Offeri and n / frequent 7 as also with correspondence several of its with writers both ,
g
394 Kowei/L Akd Its Operatives.
394 _kOWEI / L AKD ITS OPERATIVES .
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Citation
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English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), Aug. 1, 1863, page 394, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_01081863/page/34/
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