New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-07
ABOLISH CHILD LABOR.
THE CRUELTY AND LACK OF WISDOM
IN MAKING BOY AND GIRL SLAVES
DEMONSTRATED AT CONGRESS-


absolutely abolished
There's been 'nothin' dom in the South so long
that we're glad TO see somebody get 70 Work. II
it's only the children"
These two remarks the first by the Rev Anna
Garin Spencer. of Providence, The second by
Charles E VaVter Of Virginia. seemed 10 indicate
the two classes Of thinkers al the Congress Tor
Boys yesterday. One class wishes 10 eliminate the
child wage Garner. The other has in mind only the
bringing of social and educational advantages 70
his command
Mrs. Spencer spoke convinciusly on her theme
The Boy Laborer. and What He Means TO So
cety.''
This is q congress Of motorists" she said "and
It is worth while that into its midst should come
reformer and disturber IT the peace The worst
use you can put child Z is 10 make wage
Garner Of him When YOU harness the child to the
industrial machine when you turn him into a rut
when you lay upon him the enormous pressure Of
doing one single thing. YOU have quenched his sus
capabilities. you have dUlled his possibilities
have checked his development. You cannot tell
what power and beauty have been lost to the
world Tell me nothing OF your self-made men
have no concern with genius That WilI always
take care Of itself our duty is 70 the average
child r. under the old regime. there neces-
sity 10 educate kings. that they might rule well
how much more must educate the in
democracy, Some. seeing how the rule OF ma
jorites has resulted IN medocrity. have wanted 20
go back But never go back The only
way out is by the way OF education. and God has
so made human beings that their earlier years
ut for nothing else but education
Then let capital and labor dght on: their con-
test. but let eliminate the child from that
struggle Let no boy compete with his father for
a job, and get it because he be hired cheaper.
Let little girl 20 home late at night because she
is cheap cashgirI
"of what good Is it 10 the worker 10 see erected
noble libraries. which his life labor helped TO
endOw. II that library means nothing TO him II
you lose the chance Of developing children into In
tellgent, thinking beings, YOU lose ethng
which no wealth or philanthropy replace in the
SCHOOL N THE SOUTH
The hit Of the day was made by Mr. vawter.
president OF the Miller Technical School in Abe
marie. Va Dr. Forbush introduced him as Colo
mel" Vawter. a soldier the other side in the
Civil War The soldery old man. white haired
mis- address
The president has made mistake he said.
Il wasn't colonel in the I the rank OF
captain under Stonewal Jackson It's odd that
should be made a colonel by Boston man in
New-York''
There was of laughter and applause. and
then Captain Vawter proceeded to prove that the
South IS the home OF oratory.
The Miller Technical School founded by d
Of the poor whites" boy born in poverty and
disgrace 1t was the first manual training school
in the South. and admits both sexes
They thought Nj Miller must have meant
leave his money for a boys school said Captain
Vawter. But throughout the will only the word
children was used. The lawyers studied over it
for months. and finally decided that a girl
child So the girls came in and thank God they
the clean. well bred well hammered. Intellectual
association OF girls and boys IN that school and To-
loved by the girl whom he loves"
FUTURE OF SOUTHERN BOYS.
Continuing. Captain Vawter gave 4 most inter
estng description the three classes Of poor boys
in the South.
There Is the colored boy, who Is poor. the white
boy whose family was rich before the war but Is /
now poor. and the white boy whose family has
always been poor The curse Of the negro boy is /
that slavery made his feel that all work is de-
grading. and regard education only as a OF
escaping work This idea fostered by the
tenn pursued by the devoted but misguided persons /
into whose hands his education fell after the
The thing the negro needs to-day is be led along
bright. sunny paths honest. competent work. !
purity Of life and cleanliness of body. try TO
be a white man. but to be good honest, compe-
tent, healthy negro. With this ideal in view I be- /
heve the future Of the coo-ed boy % the South is
now very bright
AS 20 the second class. the speaker said II con /
tanned more dependency than any other class Of I
the South The sons Of long generations Of wealth /
and afluence found it hard to look forward instead
Of back, and they lacked power TO OF themselves
to present day conditions.
ter veins runs the bes biood sho@h he pos5
bilities Of the present and future given oppor;
encouragement, they will develop into bulwark Of
He mentioned one such pupil. the son OF Con
federate general the grandson of ante-belum
governor, once wretchedlv poor and respondent.
now superintendent Of an iron foundry at $1,000
year
The third class. the mountain white whose
fathers divided between the two sides during /
the war. He had no slaves TO fight for, ana his /
hatred for the negro was only exceeded by the f
negros hatred for him. The negro called him .
poor white trash. because he owned no slaves. and
therefore unworthy of respect Originally OF
good blood. his ancestors lost their energy
ing from colder climates to the South. They sat
down TO rest among the mountains. and have been .
resting ever since. The typical poor white Il .
Iishthearted. Toilickng fellow. happy in hut and
O.saS -., liz ~ rise inf
energy and then he is capable Of greatness: witness
Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson and Andrew
Jackson. I have colonies of those boys In New
York and all over the North. and they earning
a quarter OF 4 million year more than n they
had never gone to the Miller School. Out OF 6t0
six ever went wrong. and one of those came 10
New-York and became Tammany chief.
At the close of his speech Captain NaWteT re
csiVed hearty round Of applause and rising
Of thanks. The old man stood up, hesltated
a minute. and then said.
Gentlemen. its the second time I've been con-
qUered by the Yanks.
Mrs Florence Kelley invited lead the
discussion, which she did by outlining the condl-
lions surrounding child labor In the different
state and giving particular instances OF the way
IN which children sacrificed by the greed or
killed by streetcars under the Brooklyn Bridge.
short ago she said the child simply muir
dered by his father. ablebodisd man. perfectly
able care for him. VINO sent him out 10 ply, MS
trade among the WhlrlinG under the bridge
Tor the sake Of the pennies he could earn.
that our Of 90 boys between fourteen and twenty
IN PaTuucEsr. r L only 500 were IN school Ens