Waterbury Democrat., 1902-04-24
ILLlTERATE CHILDREN.

Buried in a mass of matter of little interest except to teachers in the state the last report of the State Board of Education contains much information regarding the illiterate element of the state, with which the board has to cope from year to year. The agents of the board meet many cases in the course of the year, while individual 1 teachers wrestle with one or more parents from the first of September to the 10th of June Sometimes the teacher gains a point and again the advantage will rest with the parent who will find a hole in the law large enough to allow of his escape from prosecution. Contrary to the commonly accepted idea, the more fragrant cases are not found in the cities, but in the smaller mill towns, and the more remote of the agricultural communities. In these places the welfare of the chil- dren Is sacrificed to the greed of the parents and of the employer, the one anxious to hire labor at a nominal price and the other anxious to realize something on the large family. When anyone can be found who is willing to risk the prosecution for employing child labor there can be found parents who are willing to supply the demand. This has led the agents of the board to take a systematic canvass of the manufactOries in towns where it is thought the law is being evaded. The children are personally interviewed and are given a blank to fill out: if they can do 1t 1t is evident that they are not illiterate.
 Violations of the compulsory edu- cation acts were numerous, 1.O39 cases being investigated in the year; some were ludicrous. other infractions were due to sickness or poverty, while others of brutality and heartlessness which is not creditable to Christian community nor to the town and coun- ty officials. Agent Wadhams in his investigations found a case where q girl was taken from the county home in 1898 and for three years thereafter had not attended school, the claim be- ing made to the school board of tbe town that the child was being instruct ed at home. The answer was not wholly satisfactory to the agent of tho state board who on investigation found that the girl had received no in-
 
 had been kept for her labor
 Another case was found involving the welfare of a girl of IS whose par ents had been dead for some years. Upon their death the town authorities had allowed her to live with a family in the town, this being cheaper than to send her to the county home or to any other institution at small ex- mo 4Ars Arvn ot. c,x- school board of the town caused the arrest of the foster father for failure to send the girl to school. When the case was brought to trial the court went into 1t at some length and found the girl could not read or write. but had learned to chew tobacco and was decidedly filthy and ragged. The fos- ter father was fined and the girl sent to the Industrial school at Middle town. It was probably too late to make much. difference with the girls future.
 Some of the letters the board re ceives in reply to orders to send chil- dren to school are among the master pieces of humor produced during the year. One man writes under date of June 6. 1900: 1T don't wish to make KnoW DOCK heads x am sending them as cteady as I can 2 air sick q Bed now & I don't wish to carry them on Beads to School I have had to go & Bring them home sick and one way sick is a nough.'
 The entire report while containing much of credit to the commonwealth. holds other matter not at all to the honor of the state or to the rural towns in which these violations of the law most. frequently occur