New-York tribune., 1905-01-17
THEY HAVE NO YOUTH.
Women Who Work from Babyhood Up
Child Labor in Tenements

who live within the narrow confines of Manhattan
Island is particularly pathetic class comprising
those who cannot remember a time when they did
not earn money. To them tie memories OF child
hood, sweet in theory, but bitter often in
actual experience. merely memories Of work
and money getting
Women of twenty come to me- says DR.. A. 5.
Daniel of the New-York InfrrnaTy for Women and
Children, who look if they thirty thirty
hVe' and when I ask them why they look so old
they tel me that they have never known anything
but work, and cannot remember time when they
did not work fer money
Middle aged barbarism was nothing compared
with the horrors of child labor in the tenement
houses 1t is worse than anything I have read
ABOUT child labor in the South. The usual age
at which children begin to help their mothers is
about four years. The case OF a child OF eighteen
months earning 80 cents a week, which I men
uoned to the Womens Municipal League the
other day, was extreme one and the only one
OF the Kind have known, but l knew one
child who began to help his mother at two and
nan, and it is very common fer them TO begin
at three or little before three.
Feople not familiar with the facts naturally
wonder what children so young can do. but it is
"ohoerIuI what children be taught to do, and
suppose that the idea of utilizing the labor OF
child is often suggested a mother by the fact
OF its initiating her
child Of three years can easily be taught to
straighten out tobacco leaves to stick the wires
attached 20 the stamens of artificial flowers
through the petals and put the cases a
paper box, or to set the box into the cover, is
done sometimes and all of these things ,.ie
chief worker much time. A child of four years can
be taught to do the pasting required in the making
Of boxes. Children from four to six can sew on
buttons or pull out hastings and children from six
to ten or twelve finish garments do almost
anything that older worker From ten to
twelve, according TO size, the girls graduate into
shops. Tho boys go little earlier. because
there are many things that they do outside.
such as backing boots and selling papers The
girls marry at very early age in the hope Of es-
Gaping from the ntolerabe conditions OF their
lives. but almost invariably they find themselves
worse off than ever. with not only themselves to
support buc a family well And then their
children begin the same hopeless round OF toll
The younger children cannot work from o'clock
a. m TO Il O'Clock p. m. as the grown-up workers
90, but they do work from or o'clock in the
morning until at night, Sundays and week
days alike.
Where does school come in? It doesn't come in.
The children may go TO school little in dull sea
sons, they may go tonight school occasionally
In some way they learn to read and write little,
but that is all. OF course. they cannot meet the
requirements of the law in the matter of scholar
ship, but permits not necessary to them. No
one cares about permits in the East Side sweat
shops. The minute inspector enters street
every knows it. and the under age children
hidden
OF course. this premature toll. combined with
undernutrition and other adverse conditions, has
dren 1t stands to reason that q growing child
not sit day after day and week after week year
in and year out, with its head bent over pastepot
or needle. straning its eyes for great part OF
time in insufficient light without serious conse-
quences. 1t ages them prematurely and helps fill
our hospitals and institutions. The only change
recreation they get, rule is in carrying the
work TO and from the factory. but am thankful
to say that some of them do get an outing in the
country occasionally, and l am most grateful to
the Tribune Fresh Air Fund for what it has done
Inc moral effect of child labor is also very
serious. Being wage Garner, the child becomes
freed at very early age from parental control.
These child workers usually develop most inso
very y-,a likely to go with them through life:
approximately how many people ara arfeo9ed 6y
these conditions They are reaIl; submerged.
Even the settlements do not reach them, for people
who work all the time obviously cannot belong 10
Neither can the law reach them and any at
tempts TO regulate such labor simply harass and
nag 2n the tRe o a9 By cng ss to work
behind closed doors. and TO be ever on the watch
doors that takes ten minutes to undo, and before
any inspector is admitted there is plenty of time
jnsfead aa of the WORKERS has made matters worse
than ever It is most unjust and only gives the
landlord a pretext for raising the rents. The
the workers never know until their rent is raised,
whether their house is licensed or not.
1T would be much better 10 have no laws at all
than such laws these It is cruel hardship to to
Door, ignorant people thaI they SnouIQ DC
told one year that they must secure license them
selves and the next year that the landlord must
have it -
There is only one way to deal with this evil and
that is 10 take absolutely out of the tene
n1erts The only reason il is not done suppose.
is because of a sentimental feeling that q mans
home is his That is what the legislators at
Albany always say when they are asked TO pass
prohibition laws.
Consumers can help very little. however con-
scientious they may be in their buying for there Is
absolutely no way OF knowing that goods are not
made or partially made under these conditions. l
saw some shoes being made for a White list store
the other day in tenement house where child
was i'll Of diphtheria. and the name or the drm was
stamped the shoes
There is one thing however that women can
do If they want They can give no rush orders.
The chances are If you order a gown or waist two
davs before you It some workwoman VIII
be told TO take II home to work on il at night, and
the children Of family will pull out the hastings
handsome lace waist being finished in a room where
a child had measles. This is done BY good stores,
and such orders given by good women. An
other thing a woman can 90. IL she is really IN
earnest is to telephone the Consumers League and
get the names of tailOrs who really have all their
work done on their premises.
The most cruel thing about this whole business
is that II is so absolutely unnecessary. II woman
must supplement the family income she can earn
twice as much In factory she at home, and
her children will be much better taken care of in
a dRy nursery than she for them herself
ignorant that they think they must be able to do
better at home. because they can work longer
hours and have the assistance OF their children. II
is really this consideration ana not any clinging
20 their homes which has produced this horrible
condition of affairs