Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-19
Statement OF DR.. ADLER
Present Conditions Difficult to Make
Many People Believe.
PREDICTS GROWTH IN SCHOOLS
Constitution Should Be Stretched If
Necessary to Save the Schools,
Declares the Reformer.

| Ter, speaking last night before the New
York section of the Council OF Jewish
| Women. expressed the opinion that the So
{ luton of the labor question depended to a
great extent on the abolition Of child labor.
| The meeting was held in the vestry of the
Temple BETHEL. at 9Th avenue and Add
street. and was In cooperation with the
| national child labor committee, of which
DR.. Adler Is chairman.
DR.. Adler said that one of the chief rea-
sons for embracing the cause of child labor
was that the evil was so monstrous.
1T is difficult" he said. ito make people
believe that such wicked things can exist
in the twentieth century. Optimism is one
of the greatest obstacles in the way Of re-
form. You could not think Of allowing
your own child to work ten or twelve
hours. and at night. and you would cry out
# any one should suggest it. Did we not
have Fourth of July celebrations at the
time when we were keeping black men In
bondage? And now we are rather proud
OF our advanced civilization. although child
labor still exists II people could only real
lie the situation they would say We do
not need and we cannot afford to crush
out this immature life to raise our eco
nomic superstructure.'
Child Has . Right.
"The child has a right to his growth. :"
said DR.. Adler. Ito schooling to play, to
air. to exercise. He can't grow in a mill
l see no real solution to tho labor move
ment except that of Observation-Disclosures,
scientific. practical. industrial education, so
conducted that we shall have q body OF
workfngmen with efficiency so enhanced
that they will be able to earn wages COM
mensurate with a high standard of living.
The cause for decrease in wages where
there has been a decrease is that the scale
rests with the machine. The man is re-
placeable. In order to have irreplaceable
workers. each with some touch of cunning
and dizziness. they must have education
| and be kept out of the mill while they are
growing.
DR.. Adler said that this country was 60
ing to have, perhaps before another half
century. the most remarkable system of
schools which the world has ever known.
1T Is that grand system of education which
| is going to help us more than the socialists
or any theories" he said
Il am an old fOgy in some ways" he
went on. land am against stretching the
Constitution if it be helped. But I
have about come to the conclusion that ii
cannot be helped If we are to save the
children"
Attempts to Remedy.
Preceding DR.. Adler addresses were made
by DR.. 8. McCune Lindsay. professor of
! sociology in Columbia University, and the
ISeN. owen LoNeJOy, RESISTANT secretary
| of the National Child Labor Association.
Prof. Lindsay asked If, while the standard
Of education and efficiency was rising in the
professions and in business. the public was
going to allow the children of the masses
to be claimed by industries because Of the
shortage in labor supply.
THE most dlscouraging feature Of the
battle he said. lis the ineffectiveness of
our eIorts. Attempts to get at the evil In
local way are too narrow. The situation
can never be cleared except in a national
way. Industry is no longer hemmed In by
state boundaries. I heard from a promf-
nent manufacturer only this afternoon that
the child labor laws in this state are not
fully enforced. He spoke of one law which
has been on the statute books for some
years. and which he understood was going
to be enforced next year.
I'VE must realize that with the growth
of national industries We must have ma
ttonal remedies. Agreement in legisla ton
by all the states Is an impossibiiity. The
national remedy is a constitutional remedy.
have the greatest respect for our federal
Constitution but unless We can make 1t
sufficiently elastic to meet the needs Of the
times 1t must become a dead letter.
The Needy Parent Idea.
Mr.. Lovejoy answered the excuse given
for child labor in some cases that the child
was supporting needy parent He said
that in the industries employing child labor
the standard of wages was so much low
cred that the combined wages of father.
mother and several children were often not
equal to the wages of the head of the
family alone in industry not employing
child or woman labor.
I'VE have come to consider the family
as the economic unit he said. Child
labor separates the family and makes the
individual the unit, even to the baby. In
stead Of the workingman reapng the ben
eft of improved facilities, he finds his place
taken by number of ignorant and incom-
correspond with the lower standard. Were
these children not so employed he could
easily support his own family and his chill
dren would not be compelled to go into the
factories under age
The meeting adopted resolutions asking
Congress to take action before adjourn
ment on the District Of Columbia child
labor law, which passed the House last
session and Is now on the calendar of the
Senate. and urging the Beveridge amend
ment to the bill. extending its provisions to
make 1t apply to the entire country. A
third resolution was adopted asking Con-
gress to provide an adequate appropriation
to carry out the authorized national in
vestigation into the conditions of woman
and child labor.
The meeting also expressed its opinion
that the Prentice bill. to be reported to
the assembly at Albany on Wednesday,
errs in increasing the number of hours Of
from sixty a week to sixty-six for six
weeks of the year.
News Of Laurel, Md.
Special Correspondence Of The Star.