Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-11
Ii. o. WlLMARTH GIVES VIEW
Tells of Examinations Under the
Child Labor Law.
QUALITIES OF YOUNGSTERS
Most of the Boys and Girls Over
anxious to Work-Other
Details.

a mighty healthy and intelligent family
of children.
Such is the opinion of Judge" r. o.
Wilmarth. who has examined about 4.VN
Youngsters during the past few weeks In
connection with the granting of permits
to work under the new child labor law.
And his opinion has been approved by
visitors to the Franklin School building
where the children have assembled. and
as several of these visitors have studied
juveniles In other cities they are supposed
to know whereof they speak.
To leaven the loaf of compliments to
the children. however. Mr.. Wilmarth ADDS
that many of the parents are subject to
censure.
For a boy or girl under sixteen years of
age to get a permit to work in the Dis
trict of Columbia he must meet require
ments. both physically and mentally
much more stringent than in any other
city in the country. the examiner says.
Yet the local boys and girls have met
these tests and have come out with flying
colors So Mr. District is justified. Mr.
Wilmarth maintains, in speaking with
pride of his kids and inviting friends of
the family in to see them.
Possess Fine Qualities.
Judge Wilmarth pointed out many fine
qualities of Washington's children in an
interview with a Star reporter. Here
are some of his statements:
Not one boy was found who showed
the effects on heart or lungs of cigarette
smoking
Most of them are overanXious to
work Some cried when refused permits.
Others who were told they could not do
one kind of work hunted up other jobs
4 &c
Few children were found who could
not read or write. All the illiterate chill
dren were white. not a single colored
child being found who could not read or
write. at least little
LAS a general rule, we found the chill
dren normally developed, both physically
and mentally"
I'm most of the cases where permits
were refused the parents were to blame. >
"Three hundred boys were found easier
to handle than dozen parents"
Opinion of Local Children.
In stating his opinion of the boys and
girls of Washington Judge" Wilmarth
declared that child labor law inspectors of
other cities had observed conditions here
at different periods during the issuing of
the permits and they had agreed with
him on all points. The work of granting
the age and schooling certificates, permits
and badges has practically been comp'et-
ed. 1t is estimated that about 1000 chill
dren appeared at the Franklin School
building and had their physical and men
tai condition examined.
What is your opinion of Washington
children?' he was asked by Star re-
porter.
washington has mighty good reason to
be proud of it's children he answered.
while we found some exceptional cases.
yet the youngsters as a whole are a fine
lot. both mentally and physically.
Taking them first from a physical
standpoint The medical inspectors did
not find a single case where boy had
smoked too many cigarettes. used tobacco
In other form or INDUCED in intoxicating
liquors so that his physical condition had
been affected. After talking with the
medical inspectors and judging from my
own observations | am convinced that
there is little cigarette smoking or drink
ing among the boys or girls of the city.
This may be due to the strict law against
the sale of tobacco or liquor to minors,
but 1t is SO.
Anemia Causes disqualification.
"Some boys were disqualified on &C
count of anemia, due to exposure. lack of
nourishment or neglect at home. We
found youngsters who had become mes
senger boys and made to go out in all
kinds of bad weather at all times of day
or night soon after they were able to
walk; others had evidently been sent to
work frequently without breakfast or
put to bed without supper because the
pOverty-Stricken parents found the cub
board bare.
1T was also found in some cases that
boys were frail and delicate because of
the kind of work they were Going or the
insanitary conditions under which they
were working. One of the first boys to be
disqualified was found to have been do
ing heavy work in a basement room that
had little ventilation. was lighted only
by artificial light and was overcroWded.
But the Investigations made by me and
the inspectors appointed by the Commits
sioners resulted in the finding of only two
working places where sweat shop conui-
tons were approached: One of these was
on 18th street. There a number of girls
were found working in a small, poorly
ventilated room. The other was the
shop Where the boy / have just mentioned
worked. Through the warnings OF the
inspectors, these conditions are being
already been abandoned for better quar-
tiers.
Scars and the Reasons.
"Yes, we found many scars on the boys
faces and they said they mad received
them in a variety of ways. one boy SAID
that his mother had 'smacked' him In the
face and caused an inch-lonS gear on his
cheek. But most of the hurts had been
accidental, caused by falls or collisions.
LAS for the mental development OF the
children. we found them, as rule, nor
NAL. Colored children were found to be
generally below the normal development
of the white children. In many cases II
was found that children had never at
tended school until the compulsory edu-
cation law went into effect couple OF
years ago and consequently fourteen ana
fifteen year old bays and girls were 1ouno
in the first or second grades
1--WE did find some children who could
not read or write They were all of the
white race, not a colored applicant being
unable to read or write little. one o.
| the beefits of the law is to be noted IN
| this connection. Where children were
| mentally backward we issued permits
which are revocable at once unless thu
| holders attend night school regularly or
| if possible, day school.
But the anxiety of the boys and girls
| to work was one of the impressive thing:
| brought out by the Investigations. Sew
| eral of the boys cried, big tears rolling
down their cheeks, when told that they
could not obtain permits. Others. WHIT
were told they could not do inside work
came back afterward reported they hat
| hunted up jobs which required outsld'
work, and they were given permits.
Criticism of Some Parents.
| And the anxiety of some parents t
have their children work was an unpleas
| ant feature of some cases. In not few
instances it was found that children wer
made to work to support drunken fathers