The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-09-25

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Child Labor.

Child Labor.
1t transpires that lobbyists, male and
female, fearful philanthropists, will be
m attendance on the next General As
duce the enactment Of special statutes
pattnn ss the WORKING q children in Il,
human kind. having exhausted their
rhetoric on the supposed grievances Of
tne pread-winners." and having worn
out the Poetry and the pathos Of the
tention to the defense Of helpless child
hood. ana the suppression Of the cruelty
born OF avarice. In defense OF these sup
posed solemn themes. behold, what plead
vision! From the submits whence RAJ
dlate light SURPRISING the light Of former
ages. these modern sages cry out, avar-
ice! avarice! how cruel Is ayarice in a
cotton factory Infancy! helpless infan-
ccy! now helpless Is infancy. in cotton
Why single out the cotton mill? Why
make statutes prohibiting the working
Of children In the cotton factory. as
is danger Of being beerimed with dust
and lint? as though It were the only
place where avaric4 exacts cruel tasks
The laborer, whether standing at the
counter. the Forge, the loom or the pillow,
places Of work, whether In field or fac
tory. whether In mine or mint there Is
found that which IL unpleasant, and
more or less injurious to the laborer II
,n, Of task and liability to
work Of children in the cotton factory,
then for the same reasons they might he
forbidden to work in all places and all
occupations; then all Of every age might
Of business. Then ali work might be de-
clared illegal. There has been as much
avarice, and there has been as much
cruelty under the overseer in the field as
tory Jas much avarice and cruelty under
the everseer Of the forge as under the
overseer Of the factory. You would as
well prohibit the parents putting their
children in the cotton field. in dew and
putting them in the cotton factory.
The legislation which IL proposed In
this child labor business is strictly class
legislation. Glass legislation is In the
claim the attention Of the just or the
authority Of truth. Such legislation is
not appropriate In q Christian country;
is not allowable where intelligence ex-
lists. ana where high ideals Of personal
The enactment OF such statute as Is
proposed by the advocates Of this meas
ure would be usurpation OF authority
on the part OF the state. Such a statute
COHtTdFcHo tHo ulNlHcly
repcsed in parents. Civil authority
ought not in any wise to interfere with
rights divnely guaranteed nor assume
obligations imposed by divine preroga-
tive. God has committed to parents the
care Of their children. In the case Of
parents rights and duties where. Parents
have rights to maintain and duties to
perform. They are entitled to love and
obedience from the children, and are in
duty bound to feed. clothe. protect and
educate their children. They have com
plete control OF them. Among other
things they are under obligation to teach
the children to work. There is nothing
in the thought Of human minds more un-
natural and more preposterous than the
thought that children shall not work be-
fore they have numbered a dozen years.
Children are to be put to work as
strength develops for 1t, and their
savages do not train their children to
work. One Of the things which the mis-
sionaries to the Creek Indians in Ala
bama had to do was to get permission
in domestic habits; such as cooking,
weaving making garments and cultivat-
ing the soil.
It is a blessing to many families to Sc
cure. residence at factory. where the
to their strength. ana by their toll as
sist in securing subsistence for the house
hold. Everywhere in civilized society
there is recognition of the right and
the duty Of par parents s,t to control correct
1t would be as we'll to aff1rm that the
Spanish inquisition was right and was
essential in the vindication OF Christian
ity as to affirm that 1t is essential in the
gain to make II unlawful for children TN
der twelve years OF age to work in fac
toriex 1t would be as well 20 affirm that
priestly assumption is justified by the
enactment of statute annulling parental
authority is essential to the cause of JUS
tice. It would be as well to affirm that
the liberty Of conscience. the liberty Of
the press. and the liberty OF speech
ity to abuse as to affirm that the pas
sage Of law prohibiting child labor is
essential to the rising generation. 1t
would be just as wise to make a law
small children to carry chips
fire. or forbidding small boys to hold
off the calves while the mother nilks
the cows because some parents overwork
their children. as pass a statute prohib-
factories. It would be Just as wise to
pass a law taking the care and the con-
troll OF children out Of the possession OF
parents and putting the same in the
some parents are remiss in the duty to
their children, as to make law prohib-
iting the working OF children under IL
years OF age in factories because in fac
tories there be lint and dust
But 1t Is currently reported that in GER
tain manufacturing countries the evil of
child labor became so great that the civil
authorities enacted laws prohibiting chill
dren under certain ages working in man
ufacturing institutions 1t is sufficient to
reply: If the civil authorities OF any
country did what this current report
charges then said authorities themselves
perpetrated an evil. and did not make
progress towards righteousness
II men violate just and uniform laws
they should be punished for the infrac-
ton of such laws, That would cure evils
which afiict society. Laws established
upon Christian principles are sufficient to
punish Offenders and correct abuses.
Why resort to legislation .violative of the
established principles OF civilized ma
lions?
This theme furnishes opportunity for
wonderful display on the part OF the
krandiloquent In the selection of words
such fashes ' of rhetoric as scarce
ly ever appear in tint ordinary lit
erature of this unitarian age. The use
OF invective and vituperatlon may evolve
a flight to the ETHEREAL Wings plumed
by empty visions mean no middle flight
Let the scribblers scribble never so
much. let the lobbyists inveigle never so
much, friends of truth may abide serene
and steadfast in the assurance that the
divine order OF society is better than the
fanatics. Arson West.
New Decatur, Ala. Sept. IS. 1902.
As to Cotton Receipts.
Ozark. Sept. 3. 1902
Editor The Advertiser: =
Under the head: Cotton Shipments,
notice, in today's Advertiser, that Ozark
to Htytf summed