New-York tribune., 1902-06-12
CHILDREN SELL LIQUOR
THEY CARRY SAMPLES TO SALOONS
SAYS MRS. RD-YOUTHFUL
PROBLEMS" OF THE
EAST SIDE
EAST SIDE

The question Of child labor is one that surely
needed tc be taken up in some quarters. said Mrs,
Sarah Bird. Of the Gospel Settlement No. III Clin-
ton-st, yesterday TO Tribune reporter. There
sre other evils. however. that are even harder TO
deal with and worse in their results.
Think Of the effect a girl OF eleven twelve
in being sent out by her father 10 sell liquor to
whiskey saloons! Such cases are known the
East Side, where young girls carry satchels filed
with small sample bottles and enter those vile
looms as freely and unconsciously any man.
Often they must go late in the day, after school.
or IN the evening, which IS worse How can they
help becoming fariliarized with vice OF every kind
Sometimes il seems almost useless TO try to
work for even the children. bad are their home
Influences One OF our kindergarten tots of six
wears has been persistently taken court by her
mother (vho an habitual drunkard until her
death few weeks ago. to work on the magis-
trate's sympathy when she under arrest. That
woman always gave the child a good drink of
whskey to make her talk more, as she freely ad-
uitted.
after the mothers death one Of our workers saw
the child with 50 cents, and asked her what she
was going 10 CO with it. Tbs child answered: My
fader gave me a dollar to pay woman who had
worked some for u.s. an KEEP 50 cents TO buy some
whiskey IN goin' TO buy pint tonight, and
drink it au myself when get alone"
st this point a little cherub with soft golden
curls, big, innocent blue eyes and cheeks like
peaches and cream came into Mrs: Birds ,s room N
q triae five years. Mrs Bird greeted
him afectiorately and dismissed him in few mo-
n1ents.
That dear little creature came TO me the other
day." she said and told me with an air OF PRIDE
that he could chew tobacco nowi He added: An
/ asked me rnudder what she'd tink to see me
tum home drunk. I'm goin' to. some night Ism I
Il horrible?
we have stopped teaching the commandments,
for how can tell them to honor their fathers
and mothers when that IS about the most danger-
Gus thing they do in many cases? The pa
rental idea of training is well illustrated by note
We received not long ago. which read thus: l nave
Civ my 10 beatin' before he go, so l think he
viii be good to-day -,
should he not be bad2 Then there is little Esther
She has the most violent and unmanagea bic tenn
per, although only six years old. Her mother told
the other day that she wished l would send
the child away somewhere i can't do nothln' Wld
her. she said. Yesterday she was that bad /
threw me purse at her, but she wouldn't stop her
screamin'. aiven TO pick up the pennies She made
was sorry for that. though, cause they might a
killed he-, begobs and she wonders where the
chic gets her awful temper,
IT is hard to do much with the children when
the home influence is of that nature. but do
see results encourage US, especially in the
older classes Some Of the larger girls and boys
have shown the most wonderful improvement, after
coming here for three four years. II Is only by
settlement work that the slUm problem be
solved. Sometimes il seems incOmprehensble to me
that people should send money 10 foreign mis-
sions when city is in such dire need Of mission
work.