The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-11-27
Living Issues.
EVILS OF CHILD LABOR AND NEED OF
EDUCATION.

against child labor in cotton mills. 1t
is called forth by the Marshall bill,
introduced in the South Carolina
Legislature, prohibiting the employ
ment of young children in cotton
factories. The bill appears to have
been disposed of for the present ses
sion, and The State gives the reasons
for its own neutrality in the discus
sion it elected:
'tThat reason, in brief, is that we
were assured by cotton manufactur-
ers and other representatives of that
industry that they we're willing to
abandon the system of child labor as
soon as an arrangement could be
made with North Carolina manufac-
turers for similar action in that
State. 1t was represented to US that
the manufacturers wished them
selves to inaugurate this reform, but
did not want it to be forced upon
them by legislation. 1t was con-
tended that if South Carolina should
take independent action the North
Carolina mill men would decline to
follow their lead, hoping by such
declination to gain an industrial adj
vantage over their competitors in
this State but that if time were
allowed for the manufacturers of
both States to agree on an identical
measure and press it in their re-
spective Legislatures it could be
passed without friction and leave
the industry in both States on the
equal footing now maintained. In
Difference to these assurances we
held our peace-unwilling to argue
for even the temporary maintenance
of the system of child labor, but
willing that the South Carolina
manufacturers should have, if they
could get it, the year of grace they
desired"
We do not know whether any
effort was ever made to secure joint
action between the cotton mill men
of the two States to remedy the
evils of child labor, but we do not
believe the contention made to The
State will hold good. If the South
Carolina mill men inaugurate this
movement, North Carolina mill men
cannot afford not to follow. If they
could by such declination "gain an
industrial advantage" over their
South Carolina competitors, the
gain would be temporary and evan
escent, provided South Carolina
took care to send these children, re-
leased from toll in the mill, to good
schools. A beneficent movement
like this would necessarily be a
pioneer movement-a blazing of the
way in North Carolina and her sister
manufacturing States must follow
or be left hopelessly in the rea of
progress.
We heard a prominent mill man
the other day say that three-fourths
of the manufacturers did not OPP
pose, but were in favor of, the grad
ual abolition of child labor. His
argument was that it should be re
duced in proportion as educational
advantages increased, and we think
his argument a good one. 1t is use
less to abolish child labor only to
turn the children loose from activity
and usefulness in the mill to idleness
in the streets-tO roam about at
large, taking on a new bad habit
every day. IAN idle brain is the
devils workshop" and a child brain
is the best of all. The floor room
for the new machinery is so ample
in a child's brain there is no old ma
chinery to be moved out and re
placed. The Master Mechanic of
Evil finds his most superb OppOrtun-
ity in a child's brain. 1t is much
better, then, than idleness, for a
child, even of tender years, to be
under a boss in the cotton mill, con-
tributing to the support of the fam
lily and at the same time making a
beginning at learning a trade.
We entirely agree with The State
that one of the curses of the mill
operative system is the lazy, lOafng,
often drunken, father, who lives off
his children's wages. There is too
much of him and it is a serious prob
lem as to how to get rid Of him, or
compel him to be decent.
The question of child labor has
been discussed in the North Carolina
Legislatures a number of times. Not