Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1904-06-02

women's clubs, and which I recon-
mend for the consideration of the next
session Of the state federation at
Cairo. 1t is as follows: Let the wo-
mems clubs in each city, working indi-
vidually or in unison, find out from the
bureau of charities and other channels
of information how many such cases
exist. Then let the clubs establish
scholarships for such children. Send
the children to school to be educated
until they are of the legal age to work.
and each Saturday, when the boy
brings from his principal certificate
stating that he has studied the full
school periods, pay him the wages that
he had been earning. 1t will not be
much for each case-only 81 or SO a
week-but it will be enough to help
the family in their struggle as much as
the child could have been able to do,
and he will all the while be getting the
education he needs.
Such scholarships will be Just as dig
nif1ed, just as worthy and on just the
same plane as any scholarship ever es-
tablished in the university of Chicago
or any other institution. The national
child labor committee, composed of
Mrs. Florence Kelley, Mrs. Granger
and myself, are preparing a letter
which will be sent to every woman's
club in the national federation, recon-
mending this plan. Even if the clubs
find it impossible to establish the
scholarships they will be doing a
worthy work if they ascertain exactly
what proportion of the children affect
ed by the child labor law come in the
widowed mother" class.
Miss Adams added that the child
labor committee will present the Chi
cago city council with an ordinance to
regulate the employment of children
in the street vending business. The
teachers club of Chicago opened the
campaign against child labor some
time ago, many of them pledging them
selves to do everything in their power
to lessen the evil, and there is no class
thot come into such close and intimate
relations with children as the teachers.
Pennsylvania women needed no ap-
peal in behalf of children's rights. and
have begun a campaign in good earn
est. The question will, be one of the
most important to be brought before
the coming state federation convention
will report on existing conditions at
Pittsburg and ether manufacturing
centers. The published request of the
general federation is as follows
The committee earnestly requests
that the women's clubs throughout the
country aid the cause of child labor by
securing information as to the number
of working children between 10 and
IA whose mothers are widows. and the
number of those mothers who are in
any wise dependent upon the earnings
OF their children, and also the amount
of the wages of the child. The COM
mittee requests those clubs that wish
to do more to take the following
action: Whenever possible, to per-
suade the children thus employed to
return to school, undertaking to pay
the amount of the weekly wage which
the child formerly earned to his wild
owed mother every Saturday night, up
on presentation of certificate signed
by the child's teacher testifying to his
regular school attendance the entire
five days of the previous week; the
money to be called and regarded as a
scholarship. 1t is hoped that the inves-
tigation will be undertaken during the
club season. and that the facts col
1ected will be sent to Mrs. Granger be-
fore March 1, 1904. They will be in
corporated in q report to be presented
at the seventh biennial to be held in
st. Louis, end will form the basis for
future communications
It would be we'll if the Pennsylvania
women would pay attention to what
Miss Adams says as to widows.