The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-09-21
JEWISH RABBI TALKS
OUT ON { CHILD l0BOR.
Blames Ignorance and Greed for
Present Distressing Factory
Conditions.
Believes Strong Federal Law
Should be Passed-schools>
,for the Children.

DETROIT, Mich, Sept. 19.-Among
the many notable sermons delivered
on the Sunday before Labor Day. was
one by Rabbi Leo Franklin of this
city, on Child Labor"
In speaking of the chi'd who never
knew what childhood means. "who
within his memory has never felt the
touch of kindly hand, or heard the
soothing sound Of soft word, or
known the JOY of a free day" the rab-
hi rightly says that there are two SER
ious OBSTACLES to be overcome, if we
would better conditions in this re-
spect: First, the ignorance of the par
emit; and, second, the greed of the
employer. He goes on to say:
"The greed Of the employer who
without conscience robs the child of
it's most fundamental rights, that his
own profits may accure the more sure
ly, can, believe, be reached only by
legislation and by the influence of
we'll organized public sentiment. To
be sure, not all employers of labor
will pay so high price Tor what is
termed business success. The average
business man has as keen a conscience
in these matters as the social reform
er, whose most ardent helper he is.
But it is obvious that with fully two
million children employed in this
country, there are some men who need
to be stirred up. And how shall we
reach them?
There are essentially two means at
hand hnfh nf which ,c$ I,o
into use, If we are to better condi-
tons. One Of these is to foster the
right sort of public sentiment among
the people, which will be easy enough,
once they may know that the garment
they wear, the food they eat and the
fuel that warns them, have been got
ten at the cost of little children's ply
steal and moral salvation. Once the
truth were known, protest so mighty
would rise out of the hearts of this
American people, that If on humane
tartan grounds the employer Of child
labor would not desist, he would come
to do so through self-interest, for his
goods would remain unso,l on his
shelves. What we need, therefore. is
a campaign of education through the
pulpit, the press, the platform,
through magazines and books, through
women's clubs and church societies.
what next we need is legislation
on the subject-uniform legislation In
all the states Of the Union. A number
Of child labor laws have been passed
from time to time, but so far as !
know none so nearly covered every
necessary point as the English law of
1878. It provided, among other things,
that no child under 10 could enter into
employment in a factory, while chill
dren under IA could be employed only
half time. Night work was, forbidden
altogether, and all children under 16
had to furnish medical certificates
showing their physical ability to work.
Moreover, education was compulsory,
and certificates showing the required
amount of school attendance had to be
shown weekly.
1T goes without saying that COM.
pulsory education is an essential part
Of the necessary legislation, for the
home and the school must be the de-
pendence of the social reformer in
this great and holy work Of child saw,
ing