The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-12-11

In recently published report of a
commission appointed. to investigate
the abuses existing in England through
the untimely employ Ynent and inhuman
treatmentfof children, discloses a state
Of things that is truly Shocking. We
copy few of'the facts. 2Stsgifs.
A bootmaker testified-'eB are not
usually Rpprenticed till ID or IA, but
mRygo much younger than that, under
a sort of agreement, at about 10. This
boy here is r. He has been a year
with me, but they begin younger than
that. began. myself at 8. III didn't
work SO very long at first, for Twas
with relation; hut at IL fused to work
IA hours adnY for So a week. Those
are, INTACT, the regular trade hours-l4I
hours, with two hours for meals. 1t is
certainly too long for growing boys,
particularly as they have to- sit and
stoop. Want of air and exercise is, a
bad thing.1 have myself often laid on
my back after leaving the seat quite
unable to move-I5i I learned to do this
(showing a snuff-hoX) at IA years old to
keep myself awake at work" t,s
. THE HARDWARE SHOPS.
"The work at Sheffield is very hard
upon children. Z The nature of the oc-
cupation is terribly destructive of life,
for three principle reasons. wiz: the
liability of the worker to inhale dust,
the necessity of a constrained position
while at work, and the i'll ventilated
state of'the workplaces." go
Children begin to work in these en-
ployments at about 8 or 10 years of
age, and from this age upwards they
are employed whenever light work,
and IN some, cases work which is not
light can be found for them. 1t is COM
mon for children TO enter upon one of
the deadliest occupations Known, viz,
mt or before the age of 10, some as young
as 8 or 4. Mr.. White, ope'of the Com
missioners, adds, that 'qAe found child
of 6 years old at a wheel where he had
worked for some months at other dFy
grinding for his father, The employ
ment in which most OF the young child
rem are found is cutlery. Girls as well
as Boys sometimes begin this at and
eyen6 & years old.n And one boy whom
Mr.. White found at work had begun at
.. a woman who began cutlery herself
at 6 years old. d.''put her own lads, now
4 THE Commissioner writes: ae ~
"a boy 8 years old, or at most 10,
worked mt crinOIine steel rolling three
nights, running as we'll as on the davs,
and this under his own, father. We!
Should have gdneon so ie.; nights as
well as dnys) to tho end of the week,
only the engine broke down. His ease
and the appeals which he repeatedly
made to me, whether he might not sgo
to school q bit longer, instead of work
ing struck me as peculiarly painful.
Another, now liz who went at nine
years old TO hardening and tempering
crinoline steel, worked there from z 4
NJ, till half paste p. H., four nights a
week 'for many and many n month,
many time till 10 at night and eth
Ter once or twice worked from in the
morning all through the next night and
day, and on tillil2 the following night
Il hnd to live very badly, and If had
I no dinner, he (the man) always gave me
a Bit Another boy at rolling mill,
where his proper hours were from g A.
M. to half-past 8 p. NJ, worked about
four nightsevery week till half past P.
NJ. at least, and this for six months outof
the nine he was there, there being day.
and'night relays in the remaining three
months, and for about four months he
worked one day and might together
every week, and sometimes two days
and two nights running. y VI.
another, aged 9;--'Before 1 came
here was nearly year at the same
work at some works in the country.
Came here AS cellar-boy last Friday.
Next morning we had to begin at 3, SO
stopped here all night. Live five
miles off. Slept on the floor of the fur
mace overhead, with. an apron under
me and bit of jacket over me. The
two other days have been here at a.
IN. Ay! it is hot in here
"Father ofthe last boY:-'Wo in the
furnace. Last Saturday morning we
began work at2. We had slept in the
| furnace, being strangers in the town.
We live at Wadsley, four;or five miles
of. We have to be here, by a. m. 1t
is long way for tho boy to come and
go back each day, but i can managed.
should like ito get some place in the
town for Ihim to stay in: Saturday.
IAN r,sInanager.-'There is a
\ good deal of heavy york, l have seen
d boy of ID years old using a % pound
hammer in tile forging, and some who
have grown completely out of form
jfrom the worlE11 uIlsIl ..,.[ s.l
| In the glass works the labor Is fear
lsfully hot and laPortous. "A man, now
33, who began tho trade ht eight years
old says, Many q time; even while /
! was boy, hnye been on 4S hours at a
time in thQse small places, till could
4 hardly hold my eyes open, and have
been that way so MS i conldn't sleep
because was over tired. was forced
| 70 DO IT,, lUnder snch circumstances
these 'oPpSSesSed chhufen grow up m
Elamentaple e1Gnoranee. Inc report cites
many examples. We have only room
L itor one. "A glasShouSe boyi after spell
| ing distress, said, " means when you
i get nothing TO eat. AnQther, who
knew Al II y, ,6ut could not get beyond
Up, sald, tIhe,Prlnce OF Wales is a, sol
Tnier, l think. % Another glass boy,
tie Ito%ni and Thought London was
Y "a little town too, John Dermott said
he knew Queen Victoria we'll as q lady
] who had given herIoPinion that Dublin
.bwas the manifest place in the three
Y .kngdonSi Bdphn had heard OF y Jesus