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wirtisrs Labor
fTlO WHAT extent' does child labor
i ' i Af Statesf . Doesj
if seriously menace industrial con
ditions and the future of the coming citU ,
zenst , ,j j , ; ' ' , . . ,. "J J.
Considerable discussion was aroused
By fA M o Senator J. J. Beveridge, of
v ; Indiana, introduced in the United States
. Senate f A Aw session of - Congress.
ITAw aimed, in a general way, to prohibit,
through interstate commerce regulations, ;
the exchange between States of roods into
, the making of which child labor had in any
.way .entered. 1 - " ?! '"" t - -
JTAtfrr ; is widespread interest in the 1
. subject. - For that reason the recent report
cf the United States Census Department is
"timely. It has just been issued, and it gives
; in detail all the information secured by the.
sworn canvassers of the government; who
made a specialty df the subject. - '
- While the figures of this report are '
' . for i goo, they show, undoubtedly, relative
conditions to day - , , v t
, ', ,-, It shows,-for instance ythatin 1000, of
mhf70tl8 rwagr'carncrs between the
... i w ipf io' and 1$, inclusive, who were
, enumerated, almost one-mira naa auamea
their fifteenth" year, - ,-i,v ' '
, , it shows that, more than one-half of
( Ar number 5.5 r ., f exact -were
either 14 or 15 years of are.
' ' . It develops, that of the children in J40 -
. cvpationsm'oreUhan''6o:;per cent., were
employed :on: farms, wher neither fhealthl
nor education was likely to be interfered
with''." Indeed; in 1 the opinion orDrJo-J
. seph A. Hill, . 'Mho prepared the -report,
eliminating those over the age; of 14 and i
those employed on farms, there remained
- fewer than 200,000 "whose employment is.
justly regarded as a grave. evil and a men-'
. ace to the welfare of the nation.'
- On the other hand, the fact, thai chil
dren under 10 years of age were not in
cluded in the report leaves -open, perhaps,
the most virulent sort in the whole prob-
A
TRUMPET call to battle ; for the chil-'
, dren'a right to play and acquire an edu-
nfltion this is how the late census revela
'tions are characterized by an officer of
the National Child Labor Committee. ' ' , -N.
And this despite the fact 'that more than
60 per cent, of the children live on farms, with
the wholesomeness of freah air and healthy en
vironment which the fact implies. . , ,
For, it is significantly observed, there still
remain-or remained in 1900 more than 688,
000 fchildren working in other-vocationsan'
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army in itself worthy of consideration, since it;
was more than 7 , percent, of tho' total L number;
df children under the age of 15 in the United
That over a million children .-of 15 or under
f cirjloyci.! ca firms must startla one at first;
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; and odjb8 amazement ia not likely to be lessened
; by. considering' that !t there- are .other ' thousands
of workers under tne nge or 10 years. '-.
How critical is "the situation! ; Is the lot
of the little farm chap who must get
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; up at day-iitf
break to do the chores and continue them in; the
PORTLAND, OREGON, - SUNDAY MORNING,
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eyening anyworse than that of .the bIqui dweller
intne city. ,wno Has no cnores to doi
tM A tarmer whose two' boj'S,' both under ua,
.S5 would be classed by. census enumerators as
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child laborers, was asked. his opinion, and ro
plied:
i lii if Hi) M",Jil.F,M.T ... '.
,MAY; IX A9V
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- ' "My boys have irmuch easier. than I had it
in my youth, and I am not only, a strong man
physically, but I consider my stockof practical
. jtnowieage;Deiies" man - -
- fellow who goes through school and'Haa to ao
- nothing else till his graduation. .
,lle waved a nand.to umucbm
Ilia rnllini frfa
and big red barn in the centre, and proceeded:
' "In winter the, boys get ; up; aft 5 .; o'clock,
l witn tne prewy-wmte uousa
which, ia most. of the .time- before daylight, and ;
- eat tlieir breaiiasiwiui iuo. ""f" "
them If the city children were made to do the
same thing,, they'd. be much healthier.. .
"Then thoV must iget out and wo-1- fc
couple of hours. One milks tV.o cor-; c
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"t" cleans the ttabfes, curries the horse nd water
; and feeds the animals;- ; -A':-' ' m ? J
v "Then thejr both carry in some wooa, ran
nd ot to .school", bv 9 o'clock. 'It happensi
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that the school is close enough," that rny boys-
can Iwalk' to it W fifteen' minutes; du a
many men residing a' little farther away' wh
let the children'jhitch up ; a horse ' and dnve t
school. r 1 1 V' ' 1 ' ' ' "" ' ' " . ,
1 - "When; they' come home at a little after J
Yv'nlAb-'hAV B1A OTTWtfWl t (14 U19 DtLtU, Ut:
. ' and brini? in ' wood and, coal ,f or the nignt, . bu.
have their eveninars to themselves. -They, spenL
much of the evenings studying. t They f ppreciata
' the chanoethey are getting to'acquire:an edu
-B:Cati01Lfe ':::Srt-V NV7V:-'--
' , '"And'onSaturdaysr-jW;;
-'rTniy," on "Saturdays Aey saw wood'do te-
.pairing about the plaM. wnitewasn ienoes.KBiueri
- eggs and make themselves generally .useful. 'llusj
; ' work doesn't 'hurt .them;-it is relaxation- from !
their ; studies. . Then, too, they have some time
1 i 4 tiislthe programme for the entire school
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: "Bless'youj'no; ''At harvesting; for instance,
"we couldn't think of letting them go to school.,
vA boy of 13 or l can't d9 nvnch as a man,
but he can help mightily he .can drive the ma
, chines as; Well as any one, i v V' ,;.
, , "Labor is so scarce, and so dear.'that hardly ,
any of the farmers hereabouts can let their boys
go to school at harvest time.'even to the little
chaps of 10 years. And it's the same at plow
v ing and sowing. Those times we need all tho
Tboys we can get." '
This man's sons were Bturdy, rosy-chef Is
technical sense, neither of .them had any intci.
vivacious. Aitnouora Demsr cnua workers in i.
. ticn 0f remaining on tne farm; and one i
, force" thought of the advantage in- con$titv.
ftnd geif-reiiance that musfbe his f
aced in-competition .with city-rai I .
, Magazines and educatic
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Free Delivery.' mm Irci-rl.t t' .
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