The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1885-04-16
Oyerworked Children:

New. Jersey has child l1OQr law
which forbids the employment in man
ufactories of boys under II years OF
age and girls under IA, and also pro-
vides that no child under IL shall be
employed more than sixty hours q
week. Last July an amendment to
the law went into effect. This says
that no child between IL and Is shall
be employed in any mandatory I'M
less such child shall have attended
school for twelve weeks within one
year Immediately preceding the en-
plOyment. The annual report of Law
renee T. Fell, the inspector of facto-
ries and workshops, has just been
made.
There are eight thousand factories
in the state, employing about fifteen
Thousands youths and children. When
the educational section of the law went
into operation hundreds of children
who could not show that they had at
tended school we're turned out of the
shops. They or their guardians made
application for permits for them to
work, and during the rest of the year
the inspectors were largely engaged
in considering those cases. Through
these examinations the inspectors dis
covered startling facts concerning the
ignorance of the children.
The average age at which they went
to work was 8 years, after one or
two years of schooling. All of them
had been accustomed to work ten
hours day, and many of them even
fourteen hours. Those who had enter
ed the shops the earliest in life were
the punest and the most ignorant.
Some of them were set at work at so
tender an age that they could not tell
when they began. The weekly wages
of the children do not average 81.
Many of the children often complain
that they do not have a full dinner
hour, and when doing overtime they
got only fifteen or thirty minutes for
supper. A girl under Is years was
found by Inspector Fell working at 10
O'Clock at night in Il factory where the
temperature was over 100 degrees.
After her thirteen hours and a half
of toll she had to walk two miles be-
fore reaching home.
The vast majority of the children
cannot spell words of more than one
syllable, and many cannot spell at
ALL They cannot answer the simplest
questions in geography. A girl of Is
years told an inspector that Europe
was in the moon. A few were found
who never heard of the sun, or moon,
or earth, and large number who
could not tell where or when thew were
born. A boy born in New York and
living in Paterson said that New York
was in Jersey and Jersey was in Pater-
son. This boy had been at WORK from
his 9Th year. 1t was the opinion of
some that Europe was an ocean.
Ninety.tive per cent could answer no
questions about other states or cities
of the United States. Children who
had been brought to this country be-
fore their 9th year, in some cases.
| never heard the name of their native
country. Some children born in Hol-
land never heard of that country,
and some children born in Ireland
said that Ireland was in America.
Boys and girls who had been brought
to this country from Great Britain.
Ireland, and Germany, between the
ages of IL and Is years, were better
educated and knew more about the
geography and history of America
than children born and reared in the
state.
Mr.. tellsays the work of the inspec-
tors has crowded day and night
schools, and he suggests that the state
provide more adequate school accom-
modations in every county. He also
recommends that law be passed for
the protection of children employed
where the sale of goods is carried on.
The present law applies to factories
0nlv.-Nev York Sun.