Omaha daily bee., 1903-02-14
COST OF INDUSTRIAL STIMULATION.
Child Labor as Injurious to Industry
as Morphine to the Consumer.

Chicago Tribune.
Child labor as a national habit and NOR
phine eating as a personal habit are about
on the same level. The person that eats
morphine experiences a temporary mental
exaltation, followed by permanent mental
debility. The nation that uses it's children
as wage-earners experiences a temporary
industrial stimulation, followed by a per-
manent decrease in industrial efficiency.
This fact is gradually ~coagulating out of the
welter of child labor investigation and ar
gument. In New York, for instance, the
plans for the reform labor law are based
not so much upon sensibility as upon sensi-
bleness, and have the appreciation Of men
like Bishop Potter, Felix Adler and Will
liam H. Baldwin, jr.
The fault found with the law is that, first,
there are large numbers Of children not in
cluded within its operation. These chill
dren the child labor committee calls out
laws" Messenger boys, newsboys, boot
blacks and hawkers are the classes Of chill
dren indicated. Mr.. Poole Of the University
Settlement has made it his business to know
OUTLAW" child labor thoroughly. He has
learned things that so Unconditional a paper
as the New York Tribune regards as start
ling. He has found hundreds Of boys sleep
ing In the STREETS, in stables, in condemned
buildings, in the halls of tenements, and in
the back rooms Of low saloons. He has
found hat street life leads boys to an ex>
ceptionally early and unrestrained use OF
coffee, tobacco and liquor. He has found
that the street boy with his unnatural, su>
perfcial, undisciplined ''smartness" is, Of
all boys, the one that shows In his school
studies the least evidence Of substantial
and comprehensive qualities of intellect.
He has found that the money earned by the
street boy is in no proportion to the
amount Of time he spends earning it. FL
nally, his account OF the vices into which
some street boys are led is too hideous to
be more than limited at.
"OutIaw" child labor, however, is only
one feature of the situation. The child la.
Dor committee has at least four other fields
Of attempted reform. First, II wants to
prevent perjury by giving up the parent
afidayit system and introducing a birth
record system. Second, 1t wants to forbid
vacation work for children under IL, for
the reason that 1t is dihhcult to get the
children back to school after a summer of
employment. Third, Il wants TO stop the
practice OF putting children under IA TO
work, not as employees, but as Assistants
to their older brothers and sisters. Fourth,
it wants to compel children under IA to
attend school throughout the school year
instead Of, as at present, for only eighty
days.
The document on which these demands
for reform are based deserves especial no.
tiee. 1t is a document which Is not made
up Of journalistic accounts Of tours through
horrid factories. 1t is a document carefully
prepared through months OF hard work by
the child labor committee. and consisting
largely Of a minute study Of 1000 child
laborers, their wages, hours, homes
physique, morale, etc. This is the kin
Of social economic investigation which pro.
vides the legislator with the kind OF in,
formation he needs. There Is a time FOL
tears and a time for facts. In the matter
Of child labor in this country we have ar,
rived at the time for facts. New Yorl
has brought forward some facts Of grea
efgnfdcanca