, 1888-10-27
CHILDREN OF THE STREET.
Their wretched Life in London-An Eng
lish Journals Sharp mme

1ish Journals Sharp Comment.
1t seems likely that if count were made
today there would be found in the indus
trial schools and reformatorios of the
state, in the homes and refugees of
charitable societies and at large in towns
and cities, 200, 900 of the class of children
who make q living in the streets. Did
average mortality prevail among such
children, there would be almost 10000
more, but these are p~rematurely dead.
This is not a small figure. and the lot of
those who are still within the control of
their parents-for the most part i'll living
parents-is as much a scandal to the land
as it is pitiable in itself.
majority of street children main
tain their parents, partly or wholly, as
well as themselves. Many only indirectly
maintain the father, relieving him of
rent and wife keep. His wages he spends
IN himself. These scarcely ever suffer
more than the hardship of unnatural and
protracted toll. Where both parents
have to be kept there is almost invariably
n wearying repetition of t~hreatenings to
keep the tired child at work, and blows
when the all day effort in the streets has
failed to bring the required money.
To his parents such a child is a valuable
slave. Before he is fully grown, even
while still suffering from child ailments,
when the stones under his bare feet are
frozen, before his young bones are set
all because many people, to their credit
be it said, pity an exposed child that is so
frail and young-he is sent out to wander,
to plead, to poster, to get thrust out of
the way and crushed by some, to get Cor
his light box the penny for which all the
Joy and health of his childhood are being
sold. He is a slave of slaves.
Over and over again has this state of
things been denounced by ~ewspapers of
all schools of politics, by society papers,
by all the papers of the churches-an as
sumption running through them all that
the law on the matter is what it ought to
be, and that the fault lies with some ad-
ministrative body. Yet it has never been
dealt with, nor even attempted to be dealt
with, as a state question. Sixty years
ago the English parliament legislated for
the protection of the lower animals from
cruelty, without either political or money
reason, but solely out of compassion for
animals and regard for their capacity of
suffering; but TO this day parliament has
not lone as much for the little human
animal, which is as dependent, as weak
and more capable of suffering, though
both political and financial reasons can be
urged in favor of it.
The London Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Children has now, after
three years of close study of these slave
children in their actual daily life, prepared
a bill for their relief. Its most important
provision is to make it a penal offence to
send a child into the streets to beg, either
openly or under pretence of singing or
playing, or sweeping a crossing or hawk
ing; and, in order to make this provision
effective, it also proposes to punish any
one who sends a child under IA to sing or
play, or sweep or hawk, in the streets at
night, or a child under 10 by day ornight.
Parents and guardians are to be made re-
sponsible for allowing children to do any
of these things.
The principle of these provisions is the
right of dependent children to endurable
lives. Fifty years ago it received its ap-
plication to small workers in brick fields,
mines, factories and chimneys. Advanced
at first by wholesome human instinct, it
has at length received confirmation of ex-
perience and has passed into the creed of
political science. The political ~soundnesH
of the principle is settled. 1t only re-
mains to make its application extend to
the school, the theatre, the street, the
home. Wherever q weak and helpless
child may be submitted to tyranny inc
made to do what is torture there law
must stand up for it and forbid.-Con.
temporary Review.