AND ON THE CONTINENT.

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changed. In place of muscular exertion there is now the mindingof the machine—i.e., mental strain. Those who have observed themule-spinner in Oldham , in the midst of the whirling of 2,500spindles, or the female worker in Burnley environed by four or sixshuttles, working at the speed of 200 picks per minute, know whata higher degree of mental application is here demanded.

Besides this, the machines, which are always becoming morecomplicated, require a certain humouring, a treatment full ofunderstanding of those technical thoughts embodied in them, onthe part of the operative. .Just as the English thorough-bredhorse will be led by reason and love, and rebels against the roughtreatment of an inexperienced stable lad, so that highly-developedtype of factory labour itself demands treatment full of knowledgeof its peculiarities, and gives the best results where a certainsympathy for its class striving is vouchsafed on the partof the employer—by which, for instance, the Secretary of theMaster Spinners at Oldham (Mr. Andrew) won in a great degreehis esteem in operative circles. So also the ever more ingeniousmachinery does not stand unwilling and unreasonable treatment.Even the wondrous achievements of human skill realise the bestresult where the workers engaged upon them rise to the height ofintelligent labour.

A third reason comes into consideration. The machines arealways growing more costly; the production per operative is in-creased enormously. Therewith the responsibility of the indi-vidual worker increases. Compare, for instance, that puddler,upon whose skill solely depends the result of his furnace, with theman who is answerable for the whole contents of a Siemens con-verter. But in the branch we are dealing with, the same thingalso applies. How much greater, indeed, is the responsibility ofthat operative who minds 2,500 spindles, compared with the oldhand-mule spinner whose machine had only a few hundred spindles,and who with laborious toil accomplished, even per spindle, farless than his successor.

Physical dexterity, clever understanding, and the bearing ofresponsibility are, however, not to be expected from that poorlynourished factory proletarianism which centralised industry over-threw on coming into being. These require a higher standard ofliving of the operative, and the restriction of the hours of labour