Document text
October 27, 1939
Margie Rushing (White Textile Worker)
Hunteraville, N. C.
Mary P. Wilson, Writer
Dudley P. Crawford, Reviser
Original Names
Margie Rushing
Joe Rushing
Shorty Rushing
Lilly
Chnnged Names
Mary Rankin
Jim Rankin
Stubby Rankin
Lula
Little Jim, age six, answerei g% knock at the Rankin
home4 before we could exchange greetings placed his finger
across his lips in a gesture of silence, and tip -toed in
front of me into the living room. "Mother works at night
and is still sleeping," he explained. "Sometimes she sleeps
till ten thirty if Lula, our housekeeper, doesn't wake her
with singing all them religious songs --just listen to that
screeching, will you?" From somewhere in the back of the house
came the high-pitched, shrill notes of "What a Beautiful
Place Heaven Must Be."
"Dad's up yonder in the field sowing his crimson clover.
He works at night too; but he don't sleep as late as mother
does. I do wish Lula would hush;" Little Joe frowned and
stamped his foot. "Oh gee, there I go making a lot of noise,
and I hear mother turning over in there. Maybe you'd better
go on in her room so she won't be giving me a scolding about
the noise."
Mary Rankin looked young and beautiful as she lay there
with her plump white arms framing her head of chestnut hair
on the pillow. "That's all right about waking me up, I don't
have to work to -night," she smiled, and stretched herself
luxuriously, informing me that she would be glad to talk
about herself, and laughed heartily as she asked if there was
ever a woman who wouldn't jump at a chance to talk about her-
self, especially if she'd ever had an operation.
"I was born and reared in the country, in a fAmily of
nine, which was not considered a large family in those days.
My parents were simple hardworking people, but had the rep-
utation of being "as honest as the day is long." There must
have been some good blood in both my parents; I have thought
about it lots in recent years since I have learned something
about such things. My dad was a brick mason. he didn't make
much money and could not give us the chance he wanted to, but
I can see now that he tried hard. I can remember hearing him
say what he wanted his children to do and how he hoped they
would grow up to be healthy and have good characters. I
shall never forget how it hurt him when the doctor told him
I would have to quit school and go to bed for several years
on account of having a mild case of T. B. He had planned for
me to take training for a nurse. I stopped school when I was
in the seventh grade. He died soon after that.
"Of course, I didn't think much about quitting school
then, but I can see now what it might have meant to me to
continue, and my main interest in life now is to see that
my children get a college education. I am not ashamed to
work in a mill, but at the same time I would like for my
children to be prepared for something better. I don't see
any reason why anybody with reasonable health cannot give
their children educational advantages this day and time.
My girl is twelve, she is almost through the grammar grades
and will have a good high school right hare at our door
where she will be able to learn more in one year than I
learned by the time I got married. That is, she will know
something about a lot of things that are not in the books,
and than she can take courses that will prepare her to do
some particular job, such as, Home Economics, business
courses, and such.
"I married when I was sixteen. I know now that was
too young, but I still love my husband and wouldn't take
a million dollars for my three children. I wanted a large
fsmily, but the doctors advised against it after little
Jim came. I had to have two operations followering his
birth. Don't get uneasy, now, I'm not going to tell
about them.
"No, we don't own our home yet, but we hope to some
day. My husband and I both work in the mill, and he is
trying to farm some on the side in order to make something
extra. We make thirty five dollars a week in the Asbestos
mill, but we will soon have to quit there, as it is sup-
posed to injure our health after a few years --the dust, you
know. My first work before I was married was in a hosiery
mill. It was not as hard as this work Psi doing now, WM
I make twice as much as I did back then. However, I don't
seem to everAenough to do what I'd like for my children
and to fix up the home.* I have bought some right nice
furniture on the installment plan and have it about paid
for. I want to get a new stove as soon as I can. We are
planning to =VS into a better house next year; this one
is terrible when it rains. The owner won't even fix the
roof.
*You know, it's right hard to decide what to spend
your money for when you want so much. Of course, we've
got to think about our diet first, and I an thankful to
say that I understand what it means to have the proper
food. I've seen so many people nearly dead with pellegra
around these mills just because they cut down on their
grocery bill in order to have money to run around and
have a good time. Lots of them but a. new car almost
every year and are not planning to ever own a home. We
keep an old cheap car that is just barely able to carry
us to the mill and back, but we'll have a nice home before
we think about a finq6car.
"I started out once making up a budget, but soon.
gave it up. It seems I could never get it to come out
right --always soml6hing unexpected coming up. I had to
spend about twenty dollars to get my children ready for
school. That was much more than I would have put in the
budget. No, we don't spend much for medicine, I'm thank-
ful to say. Stubby and I both carry a small insurance
policy.
wYest I suppose the place we work is about an aver-
age; they pay just what they have to get the work done and no
more. I am not one to say, but it does look like sometimes
the owners have mighty little interest in their help. Then
again I guess it's a big problem to handle a lot of help
and run a big business. I hire only one person, and sometimes
I get so worried about what they do and don't do I could
scream. Lula is right good, but I can't stand her continual
singing; sometimes beginning at five o'clock in the morning.
My mother-in-law is coming to live with us this winter and
I sure will be glad. She has been cooking out at the fair
grounds for the past week.
"No, I can't say that I am entirely satisfied with this
sort of life, but, after all, it's about as good as we could
expect, since we are both uneducated. Stubby keeps talking
about us giving it up and put in all our time farming, but
I don't think that is the thing to do. He has put in a lot
of time farming this year and I guess he will make about
three bales of cotton, but that won't more than pay for the
fertilizer. I guess farming would be all right if we had
one of our own, but I don't see how it pays wnen you have to
rent.
"Just to be fair with you, I hesitate to say anything
about our ideas about church affairs. We both belong to the
church and our children attend the Sunday School, but I'm
not so terribly sold on what the church is doing. They do
a lot of good and we always make a contribution, but they
don't pay enough attention to the poor people. I believe
I could live just as clean a life without the church as with
it, but there are lots of people who can't, and it is those
people who need the church influence the moat. It seems
everybody wants to go to church nicely dressed and that makes
the poor people ashamed to attend; they get the idea that
they are not wanted. I sometimes think the churches ought
to make everybody come to services dressed just alike and
then all would feel at home. No, I'm not sure the church
is having much influence on morals, because you find a
large portion of the church members are immoral.
wWe don't spend much money on amusements, but I think
it is fine to be able to go to a picture show, a ball game
or a dance whenever you have time. I don't let my children
go to all the ahowa because it is td' expensive and than I
think it gets to be a habit, to say nothing about what
they might learn that's not good for them. I think there
ought to be some way parents could know beforehand what a
show is like and keep their vhJldren away from the bad ones.
I have seen a few that I wouldn't want my children to see.
If we ever get a nice home I want my children to have lots
of amusement in the home. I would like for them to invite
in all their friends and dance, play cards and have other
forms of good clean. pastime. You talk about amusements, I
think one of the worst things t
41.1.aga these days is the way
young boys and girls do their courting. Most of them have
automobiles and instead of calling on the girls at hams they
drive out into the country. I've heard the girls talk about
parking on a side road in the dark. That's the reason I am
so anxious for us to have a nice home. I am crazy about my
girl, and I'd hate to think of her having to entertain her
boy friend in an automobile parked on the roadside.
"No, Stubby and I don't take much interest in politics.
He has voted a few times but I never have. He and :1 both feel
like all this party stuff is silly, and that we ought to
vote for the man and not for the party. The biggest trouble
with most folks like us we don't know who we are voting for
nor what he stands for; just have to go by what people tell
us. From what I can understand our president is all right
and is trying his best to do something for the poor class,
but he's got a big job trying to do something for a lot of
people who won't do anything for themselves."
looked at the clock, bounced out of bed and
began dressing. "Go look over the house while I dress
and tee what you think of !!!.y things. I want you to stay
for dinner."
There were five rooms neatly furnished The bare floors
were almost white from frequent scrubbing. Shades and
freshly laundered curtains hung at the windows, while the
walla were decorated with large lithographs, and here and
there framed photographs. In the kitchen Lula was placing
a large pan of biscuits in a rickety stove, still hmming
a church song. Margie came in and ordered another place
set.
"There's just one thing in my house I don't like.
Just look at that oilcloth on the dininalroom table. That
goes to prove a man is color-blind. Stubby bought that
bright red checkered thing when I sent him to get a table-
cloth. Lula says it's so red it stains the plates and napkins.
Go take off your things and wash up, Stubby'll be here in a
minute and we'll eat//
Stubby soon arrived. He was a small man and looked
like a boy as he stood beside his robust wife. Turning to
me he said: "Well, did you get old lazybones out of bed? I
tried to get her to help me sow the clover, but she just
grunted and turned over for another nap. Guess she'll
think of that next spring when I get my check from the
government for sowing that clover." Mary/much to Stubby's
embarrassment, placed her arms about him and said: "Don't
you think I could love you a little and make you forget
I didn't help?"
"Cut out your foolishness," Stubby said. "Let's eat."