The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-01-26
CHILD LABOR MAKES
POOR ADULT WORKERS
Employment of Children in
American Industries is
Blot on Our Nation.
Careful Study Has Shown
That Child Worker is Ru-
ined Before Manhood.

1neQ BEFORE MaulOOQ.
Ruskin was Of the opinion that let
man once overwork, by ever so little,
and he has forever diminished his or
dinary working capacity. Recent Sci
entif1c experiments have proved this
theory true, at least in basis and impli-
cation. When some year ago Jane
Addams, Florence Kelley and other
child-loving sociologists began an
earnest crusade against the evil Of
and argument was based on the knowl-
edge that the child worked too soon
makes but a poor adult worker. the
zest and freshness of his productive or
creative energy, as the flower Of his
youthful strength, having been ex-
hausted In the period Of premature
toll Slight observations will confirm
this knowledge. Watch the young peo-
pie but recently child workers pouring
out Of large store or factory and note
their thin faces, listless movements, air
Of general physical, if not mental and
spiritual depression. Child prodigies
rarely attain to more than moderate
success during adultship. The abnor-
mally brilliant grammar school student
carries cleyerness up to college but sell
dom. The high-schoo genius fire.
quently loses ground in his third year.
All these facts are we'll known, yet
there are few economic mistakes more
prevalent than that Of allowing ambi-
tious children, particularly, perhaps,
ambitious boys to go to work too early.
Not only is this true of the poor, whose
children must become wage-earners at
the earliest possible moment, but guam
titles Of boys quite comfortably stu
ated work before and after school, on
Saturday, sometimes even on Sunday,
for the sake Of little money not sore
ly needed, the pleasure of the workers,
the pride Of the parents. Such ill-ad-
vised toll almost inevitably must result
in decreased working force a few years
later. If not serious depletion of all the
productive powers.
Nature herself in arranging for the
boys normal progress has given him
a growing task" that needs all his
energy, latent and seemingly super
huous, no less than ordinary and ap-
parent, To this task Is superadded the
.nsceesassIsl lsaA ll1sEsl elals
process sc scholastic educa Il on. What
folly, then, to tax this already heavily
loaded human machine with still
third burden of additional labor? The
fact that the boy himself wishes to do
the extra work no more justifies allow
ing him to it than the fact Of an
inordtnate love of sweets would justify
the adoption of an entirely saccharine
diet. If only for economic reasons, the
premature overwork of the bright and
eager boy should be restrained
The raiser Of fine horses, the trained
horticulturist, would never allow the
premature racing or fruitage Of their
cherished possessions. They know too
we'll at what excessive cost too early
honors are attained. Only the embryo
| man, creations superlative effort, is
allowed to so endanger future abilities
and possibilities of success.
The question Of vacation work is a.
little different, but even this is Of
doubtful value Playtime, time in
dant reserve energy sure to be needed
in the combined tasks of growing and
gathering knowledge, Is an absolute
necessity for the successful develop
ment of fine physical manhood. If va
cation work Is allowed it should be so
regulated as to leave plenty Of time for
sleep, for outdoor exercise, with at
least a reasonable margin of absolutely
| unoccupied hours.
The theory that "a boy is better at
work than idle and getting into mis-.
Chief may contain some truth, espec-
tally for the parents, but it is at best
dangerous doctrine, scarcely to be
encouraged. The growing boy doing
full school work has small chance Of
much idle time unless marked by the
spec1ously brilliant mentality that ia
c1litates the absorption of surface
knowledge In such case he should be
especially guarded from the danger Of
overwork In any direction, while dur
ing vacation season idleness-as mean
Ing total release from accustomed du-
ties-is urgently needed. Extra work
almost inevitably means a reer1ttable
though perhaps imperceptible decrease
Of the reserve vitality corresponding
decrease in the probable good work Of
the future. The boy may not at once
grow thin, nervous or ill-tempered, but
he will none the less pay the penalty
sooner or later Of the still undeveioped
capacities prematurely overtaxed.
To this rule there are few excen.
tions, as parents inclined to put boys
too early to work or finding it difficult
to restrain them from nom scholastic
effort should consider. Premature work
is premature overwork nearly always.
And eager, ambitious Johnny, rising
early and toiling late to amass a few
dollars, is purchasing trivial present
success dearly, selling important sue
cess chances for the future at a rate
pitiably low.-John Coleman in San
Francisco Chronicle.