Lyddie: Chapter 11 - The Admirable Choice

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Dickens, C., Cruikshank, G. “Oliver Twist, or, The parish boy's progress.” London: R. Bentley, 1840. Public Domain. Image retrieved from HathiTrust

When Lyddie returns to work, she finds the noise of the looms and the debris in the air doesn’t bother her as much because she is looking forward to hearing more of Oliver Twist in the evening. Lyddie feels that though she hasn’t grown used to mill work, she has at least found a way to escape her work through the story.

Betsy continues to read to Lyddie every evening until they’ve finished the book. When summer arrives and work slows down at the mills, Lyddie’s roommates go home to assist their families in other ways. Left alone, Lyddie decides to visit the bookstore to purchase a copy of Oliver Twist. She works hard to improve her limited reading skills by copying pages out of the book and bringing them to the mill so she can read in between operating the machines.

Near the end of July, the keeper of the boarding house reminds the girls that they are expected to go to church. Lyddie goes, but brings a copied page of her book with her so she can read during the sermon. As Lyddie is returning to the boardinghouse, she sees a couple. Lyddie calls out to her, thinking the woman is Diana, but the woman doesn’t answer and turns away. Lyddie assumes she is mistaken since Diana would have spoken to her.

Fact Check: Church Services

Although church service was required by the mills according to the regulations, Lyddie rarely attended. Was it unusual for mill girls to miss church services?

What do we know?

Most mill workers attended church, but we know that some were not regular attendees. Attending church could be expensive. Some mill girls did not attend because they did not have proper clothing and didn’t have funds to pay for their seats (pew rent). Of course, some chose not to attend because they were simply too tired after a long week of work, and religious devotion wasn’t a priority.

What is the evidence?

Primary Source:

Mill regulation did require regular church attendance.:

“A regular attendance on public worship on the Sabbath is necessary for the preservation of good order. The Company will not employ anyone who is habitually absent.”

“Regulations to be observed by persons in the Boott Cotton Mills.” Massachusetts Historical Society

Primary Source:

“…I enjoy my health very well. I do not enjoy my mind so well as it is my desire to. I can’t go to any meetings (church service) except I hire a seat (pew rent) therefore I have to stay home on that account…”

Hodgdon, Sarah. “Dear mother.” 1830? New Hampshire Historical Society, Hodgdon Family Letters.

Primary Source:

“Let me remind you…of the duty the young woman owes to herself in the way of personal appearance. The factory girl has to wash and iron every article of clothing used by her, except her mill dress. Her pocket handkerchief, collars, hose, etc., are to be washed nearly every week, if she attends church and an evening lecture…

. . . How many operatives stay away from church, on account of want of time, to keep their clothes in suitable order to appear at church. Then add to this, the number who stay away on account of fatigue, and then add to these, those who stay away to perform some little job of sewing that they have not found time to do, during the week, and the number would not be small. Now if attending church is necessary for the spiritual growth and perfection of the operative—we put the question whether the clergy of our city are doing all their duty by removing all obstacles in the way of spiritual improvement and perfection.”

Bagley, Sarah G., “The Ten Hour System.” Voice of Industry (1846), vol. 1 no. 34. February 6, 1846.

Fact Check: Free Libraries?

Lyddie gives Betsy money to rent the book Oliver Twist. Did people have to pay to use libraries?

What do we know?

Books were often prized possessions because they were expensive. A typical household would have a family Bible and perhaps some school books. Some might also have a subscription to a newspaper. Lending libraries, like the one Lyddie and Betsy use, provided access to a wider range of reading material and were common throughout Europe and North America in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Members could pay an annual subscription fee to borrow the materials or, less commonly, pay weekly for a book, like Betsy does. Subscription libraries catered to men, both the well-to-do and those who hoped to rise to positions of influence. But there were also some libraries open to women. In the mid- nineteenth century, many towns began to open public libraries, which were funded by the government (similar to the types of libraries almost all towns and cities have today). Many of these libraries still initially required an annual membership fee, and some had access restrictions around age, gender, and race. Lowell opened its public library in 1844, very close to the time Lyddie takes place.

What is the evidence?

Primary Source:

Lowell City Library (Lowell, Mass.). Catalogue of the City School Library, Lowell, Mass: Established May 20, 1844. Lowell: Printed by S.N. Merrill, 1858.

Book advertisements in Lowell Offering

The Lowell offering / written, edited and published by female operatives employed in the mills, ser.1:v.1-4 (1840-41). Lowell [Mass.]: Misses Curtis and Farley,1840-1845. Public Domain, Google-digitized. https://hdl.handle.net/2027/hvd.32044021216981

Voices from the Field

"Novels" by Dr. Bridget M. Marshall, Professor of English, University of Massachusetts, Lowell and author of Industrial Gothic: Workers, Exploitation and Urbanization in Transatlantic Nineteenth-Century Literature.

Photos & Multimedia

St. Anne’s Church, Lowell, MA. St. Anne’s was the first church built in Lowell, and was built expressly for the mill workers. While going to church was required by the corporation regulations, it may not have been strictly enforced.

There were many booksellers in Lowell, catering to the wants of new mill workers with money to spend on themselves for the first time.

See it yourself

Visit downtown Lowell, Massachusetts to experience some of Lyddie’s Lowell including Merrimack Street where many of the shops frequented by the mill workers were located, and beautiful St. Anne’s church, still serving the community today.

https://merrimackvalley.org/

Writing Prompts

Opinion

How do you think Lyddie would describe the impact of Oliver Twist on her life? How did the book change or inspire her? Provide specific examples from the text. 

Informative/explanatory

Explain why some of the mill girls were unable to attend the mandatory church services. Use transitional words and phrases to link her emotions together.

Narrative

If you were Lyddie, what book would you buy with your hard-earned money? Why? . Use concrete words and phrases to support your decision.