orkers was an instrument of social control and paternalistic in nature in order to protect the virtues of the young women of Lowell, who were raised in a rural setting, "where their minds and manners have been formed under the eyes of the worthy songs of the Pilgrims" (Lowell Offerings Source 9). This ensured that their moral characters and chances for marriage would not be compromised by factory life. !
             It was extremely important, to the survival of the textile industry workforce, to provide a safe setting to secure the reputation of their female workers if they were to continue to draw their workforce from their surrounding farming communities. Therefore in order to "obtain constant importation of female hands from the country it is necessary to secure the moral protection of their cha
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