Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1890-02-22

to him as it may be to you. But, pro-
strated as he is by severe illness, the
love he bears to the children of the poor
and the Indignation he feels at their i'll
treatment, gave him strength enough
to dictate to me a beautiful address,
which | shall Immediately proceed 10
read
BELIAMYS ADDRESS.
You are met to consider a great
crime, the crime of NewYork City against
its children. The details of the subject,
the array of facts and figures, which are
the evidence of this crime are to be
laid before you. What | shall say
will be limited to few words on the
nature and enormity of the crime itself,
and the duty which in its presence de-
wolves upon you.
Twenty thousand children have been
turned away from the schools of New
York within year for no other reason
than that there was no room for them
and this too after crowding the school
rooms far beyond their proper limits, in
disregard alike of health and decency.
There are at least 100000 children in
New York of school age who could not,
if they would, attend school for lack of
room. Consider exactly what it means
to shut children out of the schools and
deny them even the rudiments of COM
mon education. 1t means to sentence
them to the lifelong serfdom of ignor-
ance. 1t means to set them apart to be
henceforth the servants of the educated
classes, the hardest worked, the poorest
paid, the most despised members of the
community. That is to say, every nine
years the municipality of New York con-
demns to practical bondage 100000 of
its children. And observe, the sentence
| to bondage takes effect in most cases
Immediately: for not to be in the school
means for the children of the poor to be
in the shop or the factory, when it does
not mean to be in the gutter. 1t is hard
to say which is the worse fate, to grow
up IN the gutter or in the factory. In
the one case the child is ruined morally,
in the other physically, and often NOR
ally as well.
There is much outcry against permit
ting the immigration of vicious, 1eGrad.
ed and dangerous classes from abroad.
But what is the use Of preventing that
while cities like New York are permitted
to 90 on manufacturing ignorant, de
graded, and dangerous citizens out OF
domestic material at the minimum rate
of 100000 every nine years. Is it pro
posed to keep out the vicious foreign
element in order to protect the domestic
industry? 1t dees not appear to be ii
need of protection. The industry Of
turning the children of the people into
serfs and criminals has attained mag
nitude with a rate of annual output OF
finished goods there in New York which
defes foreign competition. But this is
only talk; what are you going to do about
it?
| hope most earnestly that this i'm
pressive appeal to the authorities of you1
city, supported as it is by such an over
whelming display of facts and figures
and SO great popular wave of indigna
ton may have an effect to stir them VI
to the performance of their duty in pro
viding adequately and Immediately fol
the education of the children of New
York But | will say frankly, that
while hope for this, do not expect it
/ fear that the politicians who govern
y n will be only momentarily affected
by this appeal, and tnat any show they
may make of performing their duty will
be pretense only. If your children ar
to be saved, you must save them your
selves. And you never will save then
until you have sense and courag
enough to stop voting for your bosse
and begin to vote for yourselves; till yo'
turn your backs upon your parties an
factions for the sake of your own CHI
dren.
This, then, is my counsel; II yo1
shall not receive prompt and satisfaC
E tory response to your demands, withou
hesitation or delay to organize for indie
: pendent political action this year; an
call on all friends of childhood to ac
with you. Cast 100000 votes for tn
= children's party in November in you