Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-04-09
CHILDREN WHO WORK.

How few residents of Manhattan Island
realize, or are even aware of the fact,
that within its confines are st least one
hundred thousand children-the adjacent
cities contain perhaps as many more-to
whom the morning light on six days of
the week brings only toll For these
children there are no school, no nut
tings in the woods, no bright walks in
Central Park. They are prematurely
burdened with the cares of life; dwarfed
in stature from the lack of proper nutri-
ment; by confinement in the bad air of
workshops; by the bearing of heavy bur-
dens, and the deprivation of such recrea-
ton as g normal childhood imperatively
demands. They may be seen in the early
morning, in all portions of the city,
among the lsboring throng. fastening
with serious mien to the service of the
day.
You will be astonished by the vast
number of occupations in which boys
and girls under the age of fifteen years
are made to earn from fifty cents to five
dollars q week. Nearly two hundred
different employments are recorded in
single school for boys. They manufacture
ink, tassels, TN boxes, whalebones, whips,
tobacco, toys, soap, shirts, ropes, picture
frames, paper collars and boxes, mineral
waters, fans, feathers, corks, chignons,
brushes brentwood pipes, bonnet frames,
bottles, bags, beads, artificial flowers, and
birdcages. They are apprentice-boys;
they post bills and tend stands. Two
have given their occupation as Sections
assistant" Some of these trades are "a
ther high-sounding for boys, such .as
blacksmithing, carpentering, architecture;
but it would seem that nearly every bust
ness pursued by adults admits of the en-
ployment of children in some of its more
simple details.
Frequently items appear upon the reg
listers indication little sentiment of pride
or ambition in these night students. The
hotel chambermaid or cook invariably
gives her occupation as "housekeeper.
One little girl of eleven years processes
to be ''sales LADY, Eighty little girls
at one school are registered as ''nurses."
They are employed all day at home ''tsk-
ing care of the baby while mother goes
oct to wash" Some quite small girls,
working in type-foundries, give their oc-
cupation as "type setting;" but their
work is merely placing the types in rows
upon "setting-stick."
Many thousands of children, some of
them very small, are at work in the tobac
co factories of New York City. More
than one thousand are employed by q sim
| gle firm, and there are hundreds of small
| Ter establishments scattered through the
| city, sometimes consisting of merely the
members of single family. Permits to
visit the larger fsctories are not easily OBJ
tanned. In this craft, also, proprietors
have methods of work which they jeal-
ously guard.
81 have expostulated, said the mana
ger of one of the oldest tobacco establish
ments, as he gave US a permit to visit the
factories under his charge, ''against the
employment of young children; but the
overseers say that the children will go
elsewhere and get work; that their par
ents are in want and need their labor
ana so it seems impossible to avoid hir-
ing then"
Were stringent laws passed, similar 10
those existing in some of the New Eng
hand States, regulating the employment
of children under certain age, many of
the employers would accept the change,
and would cooperate with others in ar
ranging for voluntary system of half
time schools; while not few declare that
such system s'wouldn't work" they
Couldn't be bothered whit"
In subterranean apartment few doz-
en- boys are at work chopping the weed in
its rough form, preparing it for the pro-
cess of sOftening in brine for the s'stem-
mers." A little light comes in from some
where, enough for US TO distinguish the
utter dreariness of the scene. The little
stove in the middle of the cellar failsto
overcome the dampness of the atmosphere,
but the exercise seems to keep the boys
warm. Most of them, IS might be expec-
ted, are chewing tobacco.
Interesting boys of ten or eleven were
keeping the knives of a cutting machine
clear by using a sponge saturated with
rum, thus being brought in contract at
once with. two brother vices of society
rum and tobacco. They are getting their
education. If they prove apt scholars we
may expect them to graduate in q few
years.--J1lia a. Holmes TI ScTi6HeT's
for april.
Ocala, Florida, is to have oommunica-
ton with Jacksonville by means Of light
draught steamers on the Ocklawaha river
and hv railroad with Silver SprinQs