第11章

It was therefore necessary to collect a new population to supply.the infant establishment with labourers.This，however，was no light task；for all the regularly trained Scotch peasantry disdained the idea of working early and late，day after day，within cotton mills.Two modes then only remained of obtaining these labourers；the one，to procure children from the various public charities of the country；and the other，to induce families to settle around the works.

To accommodate the first，a large house was erected，which ultimately contained about 500children，who were procured chiefly from workhouses and charities in Edinburgh.These children were to be fed，clothed，and educated；and these duties Mr Dale performed with the unwearied benevolence which it is well known he possessed.

To obtain the second，a village was built；and the houses were let at a low rent to such families as could be induced to accept employment in the mills；but such was the general dislike to that occupation at the time，that，with a few exceptions，only persons destitute of friends，employment，and character，were found willing to try the experiment；and of these a sufficient number to supply a constant increase of the manufactory could not be obtained.It was therefore deemed a favour on the part even of such individuals to reside at the village，and，when taught the business，they grew so valuable to the establishment，that they became agents not to be governed contrary to their own inclinations.

Mr Dale's principal avocations were at a distance from the works，which he seldom visited more than once for a few hours in three or four months；he was therefore under the necessity of committing the management of the establishment to various servants with more or less power.

Those who have a practical knowledge of mankind will readily anticipate the character which a population so collected and constituted would acquire.It is therefore scarcely necessary to state，that the community by degrees was formed under these circumstances into a very wretched society.every man did that which was right in his own eyes，and vice and immorality prevailed to a monstrous extent.The population lived in idleness，in poverty，in almost every kind of crime；

consequently，in debt，out of health，and in misery.Yet to make matters still worse although the cause proceeded from the best possible motive，a conscientious adherence to principle the whole was under a strong sectarian influence，which gave a marked and decided preference to one set of religious opinions over all others，and the professors of the favoured opinions were the privileged of the community.

The boarding-house containing the children presented a very different scene.The benevolent proprietor spared no expense to give comfort to the poor children.The rooms provided for them were spacious，always clean，and well ventilated；the food was abundant，and of the best quality；the clothes were neat and useful；a surgeon was kept in constant pay，to direct how to prevent or cure disease；and the best instructors which the country afforded were appointed to teach such branches of education as were deemed likely to be useful to children in their situation.Kind and well-disposed persons were appointed to superintend all their proceedings.Nothing，in short，at first sight seemed wanting to render it a most complete charity.

But to defray the expense of these well-devised arrangements，and to support the establishment generally，it was absolutely necessary that the children should be employed within the mills from six o'clock in the morning till seven in the evening，summer and winter；and after these hours their education commenced.The directors of the public charities，from mistaken economy，would not consent to send the children under their care to cotton mills，unless the children were received by the proprietors at the ages of six，seven and eight.And Mr Dale was under the necessity of accepting them at those ages，or of stopping the manufactory which he had commenced.

It is not to be supposed that children so young could remain，with the intervals of meals only，from six in the morning until seven in the evening，in constant employment，on their feet，within cotton mills，and afterwards acquire much proficiency in education.And so it proved；for many of them became dwarfs in body and mind，and some of them were deformed.Their labour through the day and their education at night became so irksome，that numbers of them continually ran away，and almost all looked forward with impatience and anxiety to the expiration of their apprenticeship of seven，eight，and nine years，which generally expired when they were from thirteen to fifteen years old.At this period of life，unaccustomed to provide for themselves，and unacquainted with the world，they usually went to Edinburgh or Glasgow，where boys and girls were soon assailed by the innumerable temptations which all large towns present，and to which many of them fell sacrifices.

Thus Mr Dale's arrangements，and his kind solicitude for the comfort and happiness of these children，were rendered in their ultimate effect almost nugatory.They were hired by him and sent to be employed，and without their labour he could not support them；but，while under his care，he did all that any individual，circumstanced as he was，could do for his fellow creatures.The error proceeded from the children being sent from the workhouses at an age much too young for employment.They ought to have been detained four years longer，and educated；and then some of the evils which followed would have been prevented.

If such be a true picture，not overcharged，of parish apprentices to our manufacturing system，under the best and most humane regulations，in what colours must it be exhibited under the worst？

Mr Dale was advancing in years：he had no son to succeed him；