Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1874-07-16
The Hours of Work for Children.


WE favor the establishment of a socie-
ty for the prevention of cruelty TO chill
dren There are many ways of being cruel
to children besides applying the rod or
the whip to them; and one of these ways
is to put them to work at too early an
age in factories and shops. The French
National Assembly recently passed law
on the labor of children and girls under
age which will go into effect one year af
ter its publication. By the terms of this
law no child can be engaged in labor he
fore he has completed his twelfth year
In some of the lighter kinds of work,
however, it allows children of ten years
OF age to be employed; but then the
hours of labor must never be more than
six day. Children of twelve years of
age, it is provided, shah not be engaged
more than twelve hours day. Girls un-
der age are not permitted to work at
night. Inspectors are appointed whose
business it is to see that the law is obeyed.
The question of the employment of la
Dor is receiving, as it deserves, great
deal of attention in Europe. Manufac-
turers in Germany are not permitted to
employ children under twelve years of
age. Boys from twelve to fourteen are
permitted to work only six hours per day,
and are required to attend school during
three hours day the whole year round.
Between their fourteenth and sixteenth
years they are allowed to be employed
during ten hours In Germany, however,
these provisions are little more than a
dead letter The convention of the
Economists held recently at Eisenbach
demanded therefore the absolute prohi-
bitlon of the regular employment of chill
dren under the age of ten, and that no
children, male or female, should under
any circumstances, be employed longer
than ten hours a day. The convention
recommended, also, the creation of Gov
eminent agents to watch over the enforce
ment of the law.
In England, children between eight
and thirteen years of age may be en-
ployed during six hours, and after that,
till they are eighteen years Old, during
tiftv-cight II week. Mr.. Mundella re-
Gently advocated in Parliament that the
limit of age should be fixed higher, and
that the number of hours of labor per
diem should be diminished In Austria
the legal duration of labor for children
between ten and fourteen years of age is
ten hours; for children between fourteen
and sixteen years, twelve hours. The
Canton of Zurich, in Switzerland, per-
mits seventy-seven hours Of labor a
week, with two half-days Of school u
week, between the ages Of twelve and
sixteen. In Belgium there is as yet no
legislation on the subject. But it is said
that public opinion demands it. The
United States, or some of them, might
learn useful lesson on this head from
the older countries. This is branch of
legislation too apt to be neglected in
this country. 1t is not only mercy to the
little creatures that demands they
shall not be made beasts of bur
den, but the mercenary interests of
their employers even plead for them.
Viewed only as an economic machine
as an instrument or tool-it is still best
that a man should not be used in the
present at the expense of all future util-
ity.-Chtcago Tribune.