Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-11-19
MOVE TO PUT A STOP TO
CHILD WORK I'M ILLINOIS


children employed in factories have
doubled in numbers, while the year
10000 shows an increase of child
workers greater than ever before in
the history of the state-a shameful
total of 1888, says the Chicago Trib-
une.
In comparison these figures are
even worse, for in the last three years
in the state of New York there has
been no increase I'M the number of
child workers and where Illinois has
only ten factory inspectors to see
that the laws already on the statute
| books are enforced New York has
forty inspectors for the work.
| With these facts made plain. il is
not to be regarded with wonderment
that the State Federation of Women's
clubs has undertaken to force legisla-
ton on this subject of child labor;
that its industrial committee has ia
| ken up the work, and that IFS chair
man, Mrs. Elizabeth Van der Naart of
the NefghbOrhood house. is full Of the
necessities of the situation. In the
| light of these figures Mrs. Van der
Naart declares the laws of Illinois on
the subject of child labor are woefuIly
lax and that the federation has TAX
en- up the sub ect with a view to fore
ing an educational test upon all chill
dren employed in the workshops of
the state.
Recently Mrs. Van der Vaart was
one to visit the glassworks in Chicago
Heights where the factory inspectors
found a high board fence. with barb
/ Il II
gates, said to be for the purpose of
keeping children in at work. though
at the time of the visit the night was
black enough to have kept many of
the little ones out of its imaginary
perils. There in the intense heat
and glare of furnaces the inspectors
found four children suspected of be-
ing under the age limit working till
3 o'clock in the morning under con-
ditions that promised to result in
| blindness.
| In the bill which the State Fedora
ton of Women's clubs will carry to
! Springfield at the next session three
things will be sought in all earnest
ness: measure that will prevent
the employment of children of any
age at factory work at night; an ed
vocational test will be asked of all
children who are to be employed; and
further, it will be asked that it be
made impossible for child under IL
years to work at all during the whole
of the public school term.
There are twenty states in the
union with educational statutet,
framed to meet their needs said
Mrs. Van der Naart, but Illinois may
fall behind the least of these if she
is not careful. We are trying to
bring the needed measure of relief to
the children of the state. This we
find embooies in large degree in the
Massachusetts, law.
I'VE want for Illinois a law that
will compel all men desiring to en-
ploy child to make application for
the privilege, when he will be furn-
ished with a ticket on which will be
placed his own name and the name
and address of the child. Then, as
in the educational test, card will be
issued TO the child's teacher and to
the superintendent of the child's
school. each to give written testi-
monialS as to the child's ability to
read. and write; and, finally, from
the superintendent of schools n card
will be necessary to show the child
is able to work.
Last of all. the age of the child
will need to be plain. 1t must be so
that a child under the age of II; at
least. shall not have to work, when
considered as helping out a needy
family, seldom can show a cause for
existence. 1t has given rise to the
evil of lazy parents lying back de-
pendent upon their little ones when
really there is no excuse for it, and
the parents who are willing to do this |
are increasing in numbers every
year
In the bill which the federation
will work for there are two condi- |
tions on either side of the question |
of child labor which should work for |
the good of such a measure. The man |
purposing to employ a child at work |
in a factory must make his intention |
plain; the parent must show salts |
factory references as to the age of |
the child; teacher and school priuci-
pal will be asked with reference to
the child's fitness for leaving school;
the superintendent of schools will |
provide measures to discover the |
physical ability of the child to do the
work.
With all this red tape on the one |
side there will be on the other the |
consequent slowness of the legal ma
chine to press upon the candidate
for work; the. would-be employer will |
be brought into a conspicuous posi-
ton personally, and altogether there
will be anything but a premium put
upon the employment of any child.
The economic side of the question of |
child labor will become much more
likely of a weighing and measuring,
and if the terms of the law be not
Prohibiting. it at least is restrictive