The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-11-15

THAT portion Of this book which deals
with the much discussed question of wom-
en-, n children especially. in the South
ern mills is particularly offensive to me,
as It must be to all good Southerners.
INDISPENSABLE PHASE OF
PECULIAR ECONOMIC CONDITION.
For about this child labor question /
do think we Southerners are entirely in
the right. and / e~ndeavored to refute.
through the columns Of Golfers Weekly,
every word this woman announces so sci
emily"
you defend child labor?' I asked. II
didn't suppose 1t could be defended. except
| from the mill owners point OF view"
mo. 1 hardly defend child labor. I only
| recognize it az one of the Indispensable
| phases of a peculiar economic condition
| among these people. There has been too
much of a tendency to view the matter
| only in a sentimental attitude. all common
sense and logic being overlooked.
ut is not an agreeable thing to think
| of children Of a tender age working at
anything. All children should be in school.
But what II there are no schools for them
to attend. as in the regions that these
Southern mill children are recruited from!
For nineteen years / nave spent a por-
tion of each year in Concord. N. C.
"when I first began going there, there
was one cotton mill; now there are six
teen. I have. therefore, watched the de-
velopment Of this industry, and within
| the last three years lave made a careful
| study of the conditions there.
I'm these mills thousands of children
| are assembled.
1.-THE question is whether these children
| shall work or not. 1t is obvious to all
| right-minded people that the question
should be answered negatively. II the al.
| tentative were the home life and school
life of an ordinary child. even among the
| poorer classes. Such, however, Is not the
alternative.
at would be. in this case. an empty
house. without any sort Of maternal care
and the association Of other children liks
| themselves, whose every tendency to dir
and crime and degradation Is fostered b,
idleness.
81 would challenge any intelligent per
son to draw for himself the contrast be
tween the children Of these settlement:
who work in the mills and those who d.
not and see II the former are not vastl!
better on In every way-physical health
included.
RULES DEMAND ATTENTION
TO CLEANLINESS.
1.-THE reason for this Is not far to seek
1.-THE children who work are bread
winners. I he We never found an instanc,
vet where a considerable part Of thei
earnings did not go for better food, bette
clothing and better bedding than they hal
ever known before.
.sThe rules Of the mill demand attention
to cleanliness and forbid indecency O.
language, and. while at work, at least
tndecency of conduct.
.sThese children of the wretched white
Of the South are learning the same lessor
which Booker washington is trying t,
inculcate into the negro intelligence-tha
IA. that their salvation lies in hard labor
"The Northerners agree unanimousl.
that Mr.. Washington's plan is the onl.
feasible one for the training Of the negro
sThe Southerners are as firmly con
WINGED that the child labor concession
VIII solve an equally difficult problem TO
the poor whites and 1t is as viciousl'
sentimental te cavil against the other"
Miss Magruder dropped the volume tina