CHRISTMAS IN THE MILL

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 151, 23 December 1921, Page 12

CHRISTMAS IN THE MILL

LANCASHIRE'S LASSES WAX MERRY

Christmas, the season of good cheer, used to be hailed with aelight by all classes of people—young and old, rich and poor, «nd by none more affectionately than Lancashire factory hands when there is plenty of work.' The week before Christmas used to be, and may be now, one of the pushing weeks of the mills. Booking hour ia a day later this week, and the operatives, especially those who have been saving "cuts" for several weeks, draw wages varying from two to three pounds on pay night. On the day before Christmas merry scene* may be witnessed in the mill-. The operatives—especially the young girls~-have bought fancy paper out of their own pocket-money, and gaily bedecked the fixtures around their looms. It is an unwritten law that the employers shall relax a little of the strict discipline on that day, and tome of Out girls amuse themselves and their friendby following their work wearing guy faces; or, probably, a girl may borrow her brother's jacket, cap,, and scarf, and by donning these create much merriment.

Then, in the afternoon, come the refreshments : a whip round, in which all the operatives subscribe, provides a, fund for pies and ginger beer. But the oldest established And most popular custom on this day is that of kissing under the mistletoe, and, strange to relate, it is the girls and not th* men who do the kissing. The looms in a wearing shed are divided in sets of about one hundred, eachset being tended by _bout thirty operatives. Three' or. four of the most mischievous girls in each division Volunteer to kiss all the males. The latter, on being caught and kissed, are fined sixpence or a shilling, according to the rule of the mill. ' But the men usually object to being caught under the mistletoe, and -11 kinds of devices are adopted to keep the girls away, ~ Some barricade tho alleys leading to the looms with empty weft cans, or anything else suitable, and they are held, lie it were, in a state of siege for hours* Of course, the looms' are not allowed to stand idle while this game proceeds. One moment every operative will be seen attending to his or her work assiduously, then a girl may spot a male weaver evidently off his guard. She immediately signals to the other girls, and they swoop down upon their quarry. If the man sees their approach and escapes, the Jasses return to their looms to await a more favourable opportunity. Theg*me goes on until all the men have been kjssed. Even 'the onlookers and the managers are jiot exempt; indeed, should the mill-owner himself venture in the factory on this day he will probably be surrounded by a group of the more venturesome girls, and will not escape until he has promised to contribute to the fund being raised. The women and girl operatives who have taken no active part in ihe game often as not voluntarily subscribe to the fund. And when the organisers total their sums, probably each set will have something between fifteen shillings and ft pound, and this Will be spent on refreshments, a

The refreshments usually consist of pork pies and some non-alcoholic drink, or, optionally, wine—a little to each, in keeping with the smallness of the fund. Two of the girls leave the mill to make the purchases, and the weavers round about keep their looms going during their absence. The same two girls take refreshments round, one handing out the pies arid the other serving put the liquid.

Later oh, when the mill is lighted, and as a fitting finale to the day,'the girls burst out in song, and make their voices rise above the din of tha machinery, keeping it up until the engine stops, and they are at liberty to spend a merry Christmas.