The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1900-01-02
CHILD LABOR IN OUR FACTORIES

The question OF child labor q our
factories may be some what less serious
than formerly, but it is still n OF
great importanCe-of so much impor-
tauce that no man who cares for the
future OF his State or for the morals
ard intelligence of the rising genera
tion can afford to look upon it with
indifference. And il he cannot look
upon it with ind # renee he cannot oe
ind ferent to the attitude Of any can
didate for the legislature upon this
important subject. In all the great
manufacturing State. the legislatures
have enacted Ia VS. regulating factory
child labor. AS u State is rapidly
be comiug also q great manufacturing
State North Carolina must follow their
wise AID humane example Look at
this melancholy picture from b last
issue of the North Carolina B Aptist:
R Gently We found q boy eleven
years of age working in a cotton fac
toy twelve hours q day, end had been
working there since he was nine } ears
Of age. His face was almost cotton
white, as was also his brothers, two
years older than himself, who works
along side him in the tRme mill. This
is worse that human slavery. IL lie
cruelty These mere babes arc being
burned up in body and mind to earn
food for the family. These little lives
are dwarfed, their hopes blighted-be
cause the strong arm Of the Law does
not project them against an unCon-
cerned parent and an unconcerned
mill owner. Moral a does not
reach cases like this. Thou shalt not,
spoken by the legislature Of North
Carolina. is the only power to save
them. These children must be pro
t. c5ed, OF the cotton factories will be
the worst ours that yer befelt our
State. The State must regulate hours
and age"
And these two brothers are but two
OF thousands who, like them, are near
ing years of maturity and the duties
of citizenship with starved minds,
sEunted bodies and dwarfed souls. fit
ting so nearly the description Of the
oppressed European peasant in "The
Man With the Hoe" HJW little they
know Of the great world about them,
OF the sweet jDys of childhood, the
OesuSies of nature which God intend
they should er y, Oh the re 'ponsiOi i
tie OF citizenship which the State
says they must bearl
We place the responsibility for the
wretched condition of the European
peasant upon the masters, lords and
rulers" And ia this the hsDdiwors
you give to g ,uR" is the stern q les
ton asked those "'who shaped hin to
the thing he is." But we cannot ehitt
che responsible Iity for the blighted
lives OF thousands of North Carolina
factory children to the shoulders Of
European masters, lords and rulers:
We cannot say it was they who took
from their lives ''the music and tn"
dream'-we alone must bear this e
~sponsibility.
We are glad that the people are
awaking to the true conditi IN OF Bf4lrs
Humane factory operatives and fac
tory managers, men who are daily i'm
pressed with the seriousness OF the
situation, jDin in assiug US and tht
press of North Carolina to speak upon
the subj act.
And, contrary to the general opinion,
the leading factory owners of the
3 a'e are not opposed to State regula
ton of. child labor. OF those with
whom we have talked upon this sub
j ct we have found no o eerest ad
vocates of State regulation than the
factory superintendents the mselves.
They explain the situation in this
way: Most Of the men who go to the
factories want their children to become
operatives. They refuse to work un.
less the factory manager ais gives
work to their children. Aud in order
to provide work for &C many children
the wages Of adults are gres ly re
duced, so that the wages paid factory
hands where child labor is allowed
are very much lower than in 8 q es
where it is prohibited. In fact. in
STATES where chIld LABOR is not allowed
tne father and older children usually
az much the whole family earns
in States where the youngest are al
lowed to work. So that really, in q
anancial way the family is not bene
fitted by Child LABOR.
But the question Of dollars and cents
is a minor one. TnIs ts a greRs moral
q lPaEinn and the nannla of North Onrn