tendent
of a cotton mill, he followed his intuitions, hunted out the advertiser,
a Mr. Drinkwater, and asked for the place.

Mr. Drinkwater looked at the beardless stripling, smiled and explained
that he wanted a man, not a boy--a man who could take charge of a mill
at Manchester, employing five hundred hands.

Robert Owen stood his ground.

What would he work for?

Three hundred pounds a year.

Bosh! Boys of nineteen could be had for fifty pounds a year.

"But not boys like me," said Robert Owen, earnestly. Then he explained
to Mr. Drinkwater his position--that he had a little mill of his own and
had made three hundred pounds the first year. But he wanted to get into
a larger field with men of capital.

Mr. Drinkwater was interested. Looking up the facts he found them to be
exactly as stated. He hired the youth at his own price and also bought
all of young Mr. Owen's machinery and stock, raw and made up.

Robert Owen, aged nineteen, went at once to Manchester and took charge
of the mill. His business was to buy and install new machinery, hire all
help, fix wages, buy the raw material, and manufacture and sell the
product.

For six weeks he did not give a single order, hire a new man, nor
discharge an old one. He silently studied the situation. He worked with
the men--made friends with them, and recorded memoranda of his ideas. He
was the first one at the factory in the morning--the last to leave it at
night.

After six weeks he began to act.

The first year's profit was twenty per cent on the investment, against
five for the year before.

Drinkwater paid him four hundred pounds instead of three, and proposed
it should be five hundred for the next year. A contract was drawn up,
running for five years, giving Owen a salary, and also a percentage
after sales mounted above a certain sum.

Robert Owen was now twenty years of age. He was sole superintendent of
the mill. The owner lived at London and had been up just once--this
after Owen had been in his new position for three months. Drinkwater saw
various improvements made in the plant--the place was orderly, tidy,
cleanly, and the workers were not complaining, although Owen was
crowding out the work.

Owen was on friendly terms with his people, visiting them in their
homes. He had organized a day-school for the smaller children and a
night-school for the older ones who worked in the mills. His
friendliness, good-cheer and enthusiasm were contagious. The