Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1905-06-01

81 per cent. remaining grade ., 1885.
~ per cent. remaining; grade s. 1922,
20 per cent remaining; grade l. 70l6,
20 per cent. remaining.
Supervising principals and teachers
call attention to the fact chat children
who leave before they have mastered
the art of reading or, in other words,
before they have gained facility for
reading which makes it q pleasure, do
not, and in many cases cannot, read in
after life, They insist that minimum
amount of schooling should be required
by law before child is permitted to
go TO work A few teachers fix the
minimum at the fourth grade, but
many believe that child should reach
the fifth. sixth or seventh grade in
school to secure permanent ability
to read. 1t is sometimes claimed that
this would be unfair to the foreign
born child, but the principal of a
school, which is made up of foreign
born children, advocates an educational
standard before permitting a child's
employment She says that a foreign
born child landing in this country at
twelve years of age, not having had
any schooling at home and not under
standing a word of English, can, under
the present law, be detained in school
for only one year, or until he is thir-
teen.
Evidence from all quarters shows
conclusively that the high percentage
of illiteracy and the extensive employ
ment of children under legal age can
not be laid at the door of employers,
factory inspectors, school authorities,
nor can parents even be held entirely
responsible The experience Of all
states in the matter of employment
certificates has been: First. that evil
dCnce of age other than the affidavit
of a parent is necessary; second, that
certificates must be issued by a salar-
led state or municipal officer whose
reward is not regulated by the number
OF certificates issued; third. that dupli-
cate certificates must be kept on file
at a central Office. so that all interested
In the enforcement OF she law may
consult the file when inquiry into spe-
cial cases is needful. So far no officials
have been found so competent to issue
employment certificates as those con-
nected with the common school sys-
TEN. School authorities are the only
pDblic officials whose primary interest
is the welfare of the child. In Penn
sylvania as in other states where the
compulsory school law is in operation,
school officials must pass on the ques-
tion as to whether child has complied
with The school laws of the common
wealth. Employment certificates 10
the hands of school authorities vtrtu-
ally become certificates of discharge
from school. The school official VINO
issues the certificate says: This child
has complied with the school laws OF
che commonwealth. School authorities
hereby surrender their custody and
pass him over to the custody of the in
Epector of factories"
1t is for this reason that the Penn
sylvania Child Labor Committee en-
! dorses legislation which requires evi-
/ dence of age other than the affidavit OF
/ the parent, or, in the absence of eVi'
/ dence, requires a minimum amount o1
school attendance, and places the Is
suing of certificates in the hands of the
superintendents of schools of cities anC
boroughs. or, where there are no sucl
superintendents, in the hands of the
principal teachers of the common
schools of the district in which the
child seeking an employment certifi
cate resides The parents affidavit viii
be made. as heretofore, before notary
but the certificate will be issued by thu
school authorities.