New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-01-25
BOSTON TOPICS.

| IMPORTANT MOvIMENT OF BOSTON AKil'io-
SCHOOLS FOR DoME-IlC SERVICE.
lrPoM Az OCCASIONAL CoRRtsP0SpESr OF THE Tgf8UNrl
BosroN. Jan. 22-Our ~. called ten-h0ur law was
passed in the Spring Of 1874. rs first clause pro
yidos that no minor under eighteen, and no woman
over that age, shall be employed in any mJnulae-
turing establishment more than ten hours per dal'
while another clause practically sets this aside Wlth
a provision that i'm no ease shall the hours Of labor
exceed sixty per week. That this Law IL yiolated
every month OF the year in some of or manufacture
ing centre, no one pretends to doubt who has care
fully looked into the matter. But there have not
been dozen prosecutions under ii during tine whole
six years of its existence. Had the persons chiefly
instrumental in desiring and promoting its enact
luent stood on the first of the clauses 10 which
have alluded. they would have bad statute worth
something. bat they virtually gave their case away
| when they consented to the incorporation Of the
| second clause To prove that person has worked
more than ten hours in day would not be such a
very difficult undertaking; but the necessary
watch 10 prove more than sixty hours of labor IN
week is o pretty serious piece of business The
renaIty under the law il not lad upon the person
offending. but upon the nl factory IN which the
offence vas committed. or course, owners and
supcru tendeats arc not going to furnish evidence
against themselves nor can they be expected 70
4
afiyc, by detectives Moreover, rs the persons who
work beyond the maxmum sixty hours are pecuEi-
ariy the gamers by their Ovcr-woik, they are not
likely 10 swear to the damage of the mill that has
! given them the chance to make dollar or two eX-
ira There may be the best Of physiological
reasons why the persons whom the law affects should
not labor more than sixty hours per week, but
human nature Is such that many Of these persons
resent the Interference on their behalf OF those who
| secured the enactment of the statute, and their
feeling on the subject leads them into all sorts Of
devices to defeat the purposes Of those who seek TO
max. up cases under il. The duty Of doing this
fails upon the little body Of officers known rs state
detectives or district police. With the mii-owpcr
and thc operative both against thon, Il is not par
ticulary to their discredt that they are unable 70
do much Why the law is not enforce would seem
20 he plain enough 10 tho dulicst intel ,ct, but one
! of the legislative committees has be ordered 20
| indnire fully INTO the mat or. II will probably
spend weeks and w.eks IN hearing complaints, ana
Mt the end Of 1t all nobody VIII be any wiser than
| he is now.
| Among the notable things recently published here
| is a paper on tho Sanitary Organization of
Nations,"b y DR.. Henry l. Bowditch. There is no
one in this section of the country, and there are Few
| in anysoction, more competent than DR.. Bowdich
! 10 sneak OF write on sanitary matters. He was the
] energetic
Board of Health during the whole ten years Of its
existence. aud is now member OF tho National
Board of Health rs we'll "a Of our new State Board
of HEALTH Luuacy and Charity. The chief local
interest IN his paper lies in What he SAYS about the
consolidation last wear Of Our boards of health and
decentralization pol and alleged economical rea-
SONS As hc observes. by that consolidation two en-
tirrly new subjects were put with sanitation-one
Of them charity being wholly foreign to sanitary
work and the other. luuacv. not necessarily con-
nccicd with IT. He goes On 70 speak oi the working
! of things under The new Board condemns the false
&c nomy or whatever II was that induced the ac iou
Of the legislature, remarks that the cyl eL"9pie 81
Massachusetts IN this regard should be held up 10
the reprohaiion richly deserves. and expresses inc
| hope that under future Legislature the Board OF
Health viii be restored 10 ITS former untramnelled
| position. Beyond TINS note of condemnation ana
+ warning and of significance becaus" Of DR.. Bow
ditchs experience on tho new as well as on the oa
! BOARD thoughtful citizens everywhere VIII
| he Interested in what he SAYS on the general
| subject OF sanitary organization. MS
| scheme rises from hcindiy dual through town OF
| CIV boarls OF health, country or departmental
boards and State boards, 10 a National Board. with
a Minister OF Secretary Of Health ~ a cabinet
| officer. The essay is we'll worth attention and
ser1ou, consideration. aside from lis presentation
| Of this idea of Governmental department 81
! Health Ii was read last month before the Boston
Socicty for Medical Improvement. and - now
printed ia The Medical and Surgical journal ol tho
An examination OF sundry reports and tax-sts
brings ont some rather interesting facts about the
properly of Harvard College. The grand total Of
the invested funds of the institution on the Isl OF
September last was S3002.ls0. the principal
investments being as follows: Raj estate,
Sl437 900; notes aud NOR cages Sl,ll19oO :;
railroad bonds, S533,225 United states bonds,
| S2J5,7S0 manufacturing stocks. 4ll3,5OO. VI
course the income from some of tins property par
ticuary that portion in real estate, ~ much loss
relatively than Il used to bo IN flush times, but st
| II amounted last year TO the comfortable sum
of N2OJ3l3. Aside from Is investments IN
notes, bonds stocks nnoTifage'' etG i;o.t tne
valued by the assessors at about 500 900, while
those IN Cambridge valued at about T2.GO0,OO
The greater share of tho Boston property u taxed,
but most of that IN Cambridge Is exempt. Putting
together the real and tho personal estate IN Cam
bridge the asscssrrs say The College IS exempt on
properly 10 the value OF NJ,32JOOO. Doubtless the
n,ople of that city would cling TO the University
even if the amount of it, unt Ixablc property was
four times great. The old proposition to do away
with the tax exemption on property used Tor roligI-
ous or educational purposes has not made ls appear
apcr ~ the Legislature yet this year, but DOUBLE
some member has tic order ~ ms pocket aud only
waits favorable opportunity To bring IL before his
colleagues.
The exhibition of oil and charcoal work belong
mg TO the estate of Hunt. the artist Is dlsappon-
! tncnt To those who hoped 10 find that he had on
hand M the time of his death something new aud
important that the public had never seen. Nothing
i lin, .ort appears in tins collection of 66 paintings
and lOI drawings, to be sold at auction ON the 81
and / On of next month. Some OF the smaller and
scapcs are comparatively ncw and choice, and some
of The charcOals are quite unfamiliar ana interest
inc but ali the principal works have been shown IN
The recent Art Museum Exhibition, aud most OF
them we're we'll known before HINTS death. How
ever. all thls detrdcts neither from the merit
nor the interest of the dIsp lay now made
in behalf of the estate which includes tho
Bathcr." the great Niagara Falls TWO or three
! of the "IlOuccster HarboT' pictures. the strong
" Matinee painting. and other characteristic pro-
ductions Tho gentlemen who have undertaken 10
establish the Hunt Memorial Will undoubtedly Sc
cure some of the best things offered at tins sale for
fine deposit they propose 10 make ut the Art Mu-
scum and the authorities of that institution are
likely to use a portion OF the proceeds OF the eXhl-
| h,tInn now holding there III buying two or three
mixtures Tor their own collection. This exhibition
nnoeared nj first to suffer by the withdrawal of
rrks to be sold but loans OF other pictures in pri-