We are surprised, sometimes, to find out how "controlling" employers could be in the 1700s and 1800s.  You worked from sun-up to sun-set, were'nt allowed to marry, if you could read, you kept that to yourself (employers thought educated employees were a threat to the "harmony" of their roles), and sometimes you had to express political beliefs similar to the employer to keep your job. I thought a lot of those ideas had died out, but my own mother-in-law had similar ideas - she certainly thought any employee was at her beck and call and was furious once when an employee was in the bathroom and didn't come right away when she called.  She also wanted to stay in an elder care facility where all the employees were of her same religion.  I told her that this was no longer legal, but she insisted that an employer should be able to only hire people of a certain faith.  I personally had the experience of being treated with prejudice when I was 18 and tried to get a job at a paper-box factory.  I was a legal immigrant, but they said they'd only hire U.S. citizens.  I could have probably sued them and become the owner of the paper-box factory, but I found another job and forgot the legality of the matter.  But it smarts.  Prejudice leaves a mark on you. I was one of the few white men at a Ethiopian wedding once.  We were made to stand and sit in the back, instructed in how to eat (only using the "clean" hand), and told that we could not talk unless one of the monitors had given us a "talking" stick - a stick that grants you the right to speak. A good cultural experience perhaps, but discrimination none the less.       Lou

Hi Lou, A couple of years ago we did a tour of the national parks and canyons from North Dakota down to Las Vegas. On the way we bought presents for our grandchildren at native American stores and one of the items were small ''talking sticks'', which were covered in beads and feathers. The original sticks would have been much larger and used during gatherings or pow-wows. This enabled people to talk and not be interrupted. Peter Newcastle upon Tyne ======================================== Message Received: Feb 02 2014, 07:13 PM From: "Louis Mills" To: "[email protected]" Cc: Subject: Re: [LIN] Richard BRANT/Jane THACKER marriage licence find.1736/7 We are surprised, sometimes, to find out how "controlling" employers could be in the 1700s and 1800s.  You worked from sun-up to sun-set, were'nt allowed to marry, if you could read, you kept that to yourself (employers thought educated employees were a threat to the "harmony" of their roles), and sometimes you had to express political beliefs similar to the employer to keep your job. I thought a lot of those ideas had died out, but my own mother-in-law had similar ideas - she certainly thought any employee was at her beck and call and was furious once when an employee was in the bathroom and didn't come right away when she called.  She also wanted to stay in an elder care facility where all the employees were of her same religion.  I told her that this was no longer legal, but she insisted that an employer should be able to only hire people of a certain faith.  I personally had the experience of being treated with prejudice when I was 18 and tried to get a job at a paper-box factory.  I was a legal immigrant, but they said they'd only hire U.S. citizens.  I could have probably sued them and become the owner of the paper-box factory, but I found another job and forgot the legality of the matter.  But it smarts.  Prejudice leaves a mark on you. I was one of the few white men at a Ethiopian wedding once.  We were made to stand and sit in the back, instructed in how to eat (only using the "clean" hand), and told that we could not talk unless one of the monitors had given us a "talking" stick - a stick that grants you the right to speak. A good cultural experience perhaps, but discrimination none the less.       Lou ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message