[Pride and Prejudice] Stupid life in the 18th century

How could the two Bennett sisters forget their long-cherished textile mill when they came to Manchester so easily.After Mr. Bennett came back that day, the two of them discussed it, and coquettishly pestered Mr. Bennett to ask him to take them to the textile factory.How could Mr. Bennet not understand them? Although he would not take the initiative to hope that they would get in touch with these men's careers, it was his own business after all, so it's okay to let his two daughters go and see.Anyway, as far as he and Mr. Gardiner are from their own family, who would speak out to ruin the reputation of the girls?

At present, it seems that some of their actions are different from ordinary boudoir girls, but they are not too out of the ordinary.No matter the salons in London have been learned by other towns, even women's magazines have been running well this year, and women's salons in other cities will come to buy them regularly.Longborn's cattle herding class is also good, and even the two little boys he brought back at the beginning were willing to support them to go to Harrow Public School. After all, being with them is just a matter of effort, but it is a change of fate for these two orphans.

Even Mary, who he always thought was the most ordinary, originally only published writing in women's magazines, but recently a public newspaper came to invite her to write.As a visionary and enlightened father, Mr. Bennett naturally did not refuse, but just accompanied Mary to deal with these matters.He also gave his daughter a pen name of "Miss M", which is just the first letter of Mary.But even so, who among the upper-class wealthy families in London does not know that this "Miss M" is Mary of the Bennet family?The wives of these families have already read her masterpieces in ladies salons.However, Mr. Bennett opened and filtered all the letters from male readers who emerged from reading the masterpieces in the Gazette.

Mrs. Bennett was complimented by everyone, although her expression was also very happy, thanks to her dealings with noble ladies and ladies in the salon for a long time, she accepted it gracefully and gracefully.Such an excellent daughter really doesn't need her to boast again!

Elizabeth and Jane came to the factory area of ​​Manchester as they wished, and in the distance they could see the crowded courtyard where the workers lived.The so-called large courtyard is a small space, covered with houses on all sides, with only a narrow entrance, and there is often a ceiling above the entrance, so the air is dirty and the circulation is not smooth.Young children who can't work can be seen gathering in twos and threes in the dirty streets, which is obviously another crow's nest.

When they came to the Bennett textile factory, Mr. Bennett did not let them enter the factory building.They could only walk about in the company of Mr. Bennett.The noise of machinery was everywhere, and children younger than them could be seen working hard from the window of the factory building.

Mr. Bennet looked at his two daughters and spoke very normally. "Our factory pays the workers higher than in Manchester. At least they don't have to live in the basement." Poor worker families mostly live in narrow, dark, damp, and poorly ventilated basements. According to statistics, During the era, 2 people lived in basements in the famous industrial city of Manchester.In the suburbs of Manchester, 3 to [-] people live in basements.That is to say, throughout Manchester, there are as many as [-] to [-] people living in basements.

Jane bowed her head in silence, and Elizabeth looked at the children in dirty clothes, her heart was full of worry.Another factory building was passed by, a woman in the spinning mill was crying while spinning, and the people around were busy with their work without seeing it.After seeking the consent of Mr. Bennett, Elizabeth and Jane asked the manager of the factory to call the women.After some questioning and conversation, I learned from her sobs that a boy in her family had fallen into the water while playing by the river a few days ago and died, and another little boy was frightened and lying at home still feverish.

Misfortunes of one kind or another are inevitable in the city, even though the Bennett Textile Mill has tried its best to raise wages, after all every trade has rules.

Jane couldn't stand it anymore, and took out 5 pounds from her wallet and handed it to the woman, telling her to go home first and take care of the child.Mr. Bennett shook his head in disappointment when he saw what his eldest daughter did.

"Jane, it's not good for other workers to see your deeds. Maybe you don't care about the £5, but you have to know that the monthly income of the factory is only more than £1000, and all these hundreds of workers are like this. If so, how can we continue to operate?” Mr. Bennett began to feel that his daughter still lacked knowledge, even though her daughter didn’t need to understand these operations and management, but she couldn’t help being disappointed when she saw it.

Elizabeth took her father's arm. "Daddy, how much wealth can be created by women who cry and work like this? Let's go back to your office and talk."

Mr. Bennet also knew that this was not a place to talk, so the group returned to the office.Mr. Gardinal also came to the office. He only came once a week at most, which was not as hardworking as Mr. Bennett, the major shareholder.When he first took over in the early days, Mr. Bennett often took a break in the office.

"Brother-in-law, why did you let the two ladies come to this kind of place!" Mr. Gardinal obviously thought the same as the gentlemen nowadays, and did not agree that a well-educated lady could come to such a messy and noisy factory.

"Hey, after all, it's our own factory. Didn't Andrew have to be supported and taught by his sisters before he grows up? It's good to bring them to see him. I don't know what will happen to me when I get married after being pure and kind. ’” Mr. Bennett took off his hat and hung it on the wall, and sat down at the desk, obviously intending to have a long talk with his two daughters.

Mr. Gardinal was really considering whether to go out for a walk, but Elizabeth stopped him. "Uncle, you should stay too, because our thinking is too simple." Elizabeth said and pulled Jane to sit beside her.

"Father, that lady is so pitiful, why did I do something wrong?"

"Jane, there are thousands of workers in this factory, many of whom are female workers and child workers. I don't know how many work-related injuries happened before we took over! You give her 5 pounds so casually, and tell others to look at it." What do people who see it think? Five pounds is enough to earn that female worker for more than two months."

"Jane, your father is right. It is not easy for gentlemen to make money outside."

"Dad, don't blame Jane. If you get angry again, she won't figure it out now. Our monthly pocket money is more than 5 pounds, and our ladies' salon is open without any trouble."

"Liz, if you think the same way, Dad will be really disappointed."

"Dad, of course, I know that women's salons target different consumer groups, and most of the profits come from ladies who are the same as us or richer. What's more, we can buy a penny for a lemonade with the simplest ingredients. With the convenience of the lack of materials in the city and the advantages of other resources, handicraftsmen and women workers must still be happy to consume."

As Elizabeth analyzed, she not only told her father and uncle, but also wanted Jane to listen to it. "But as I said just now, dad, uncle! Have you ever thought about how much performance frequent work injuries and these unfortunate women can bring you?"

Seeing the disapproval on the expressions of her father and uncle, Elizabeth held Jane's hand tightly, and she believed that what she said would definitely change something.After all, she has experienced the education and cultural influence from more than 200 years later in her mind.She also clearly knows why the first nursery school came into being and the development trend of human resource management.

"Dad, I may be immature, but I hope you will listen to me carefully. Whether it is a worker who does a good job or a worker who is lazy, it is unreasonable for them to differentiate their income based on gender and age. For To stimulate performance, work results and abilities must be clearly graded. For different types of work, their salaries should also be formulated according to the fluctuations in their market values." Elizabeth spoke out about management issues with confidence, and then she had to say is the point.

"To avoid work-related injuries is to avoid losses. Why not organize skills and safety training on a regular basis? This not only improves safety awareness, but also improves work skills. Wouldn't it create more wealth?"

Hearing this, Mr. Bennett and Mr. Gardinal were a little surprised by Elizabeth.Mr. Gardenal couldn't wait to encourage her to continue. "Honey, say what you want to say at once! You've made us serious!"

Elizabeth looked at the two gentlemen with a confident smile. "Father, uncle, if we set a precedent, I dare say our factory will grow even stronger. Jane is not cautious about today's affairs, but we only need to set up a nursery in the factory area and hire a few female workers Or if the child laborers come to look after the young children of our factory workers, don’t they avoid their misfortune? Only when the workers can work without any worries, can they create greater profits! Isn’t it? These expenditures are more expensive than your substantial salary increase. It is less, and it fully meets their exact needs. There are many benefits, and we should improve them one by one. Where can so many factories in Manchester do it? The salary difference is limited to the market norms, so we can increase the benefits!"

Mr. Bennett had already bowed his head to write something in his notepad, while Mr. Gardinal happily stepped forward to hold Elizabeth's hand. "Elizabeth, you are such a clever girl!"

Mr. Bennett looked up from his break in writing and smiled. "Who says no? These ideas have indeed solved the problem of our development bottleneck, but they are still too general. However, we will discuss the details with various managers. Liz, what else do you want to add? Yes, let’s just say it all. It seems that sending you to study is really the right thing to read.”

Elizabeth looked at Jane's flickering eyes, and just stayed close to her comfortingly. "Jane, if the factory develops well, maybe the cattle herding class can be carried out here, but we don't have that much money to support all the children. For most ordinary people, it is more affordable to have a skill."

Jane also finally smiled, not only envious of her sister, but also a kind of admiration. "Compared with my little favor of £5, Liz, what you have planned is more comprehensive."

Elizabeth looked at Mr. Bennett. "Father, do you think your daughter is not in vain? Women can inherit the throne, so can we. Of course, we don't covet the property you left for Andrew."

"Liz, look at what you said, how young Andrew is, not to mention that Dad brought us to the factory, so he didn't exclude us in the first place!"

"Jane, of course I know, so what about dad and girls, you teach us well. When we get married, develop and manage well, we will definitely be able to support the family. I think women's social status will continue to improve. Since the development of textiles, hasn’t the income of women workers been increasing?” These increases in income will inevitably lead to an improvement in their status in the family.