Care for the Doer
The textile industry, in particular, was transformed by industrialization. We still remember the days when textiles were made mainly in people’s homes (giving rise to the term cottage industry). Merchants used to provide the raw materials and basic equipment, and then pick up the finished product. Workers enjoyed this very much as they were free to set their own schedules under this system, even though merchants were not very pleased because of the loose control they had. In the 1700s, a series of innovations led to ever-increasing productivity, while requiring less human energy. Englishman James Hargreaves (1722-1778) invented the spinning jenny, a machine that enabled an individual to produce multiple spools of threads simultaneously. The spinning jenny was improved upon by British inventor Samuel Compton’s (1753-1827) spinning mule. Another key innovation in textiles, the power loom, which mechanized the process of weaving cloth, was developed in the 1780s by English inventor Edmund Cartwright (1743-1823). This really resulted in great industrial growth. But I'm more concerned about the people working behind these machines. While we should be proud of our inventions, we should also try to prevent their misuse. A machine can work continuously, but it does not mean that the humans should be treated like machines and forced to work in poorly ventilated places with lots of noise and air pollution. We need to stand up for better working conditions, because if we do not, then we will become slaves to greed and hunger of big industrialists. Their sea-like bellies would never fill even with our lives.
--- Gurumanpreet Singh
Editor in chief