The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-22
PAY CHlLD'S WAGES.
Labor Commissioner Johnson's Plan
to Improve Educational System.

If parent is financially unable to
send his children to school, then the
state should pay that parent daily
wage for every day the child spends
in school.
This is one solution which is pro-
posed by Labor Commissioner w. L..
A. johnson for the child labor prob
lem, in a paper which he read Thurs
day before the annual meeting of the
Kansas Federation of Women's clubs,
at Manhattan.
Mr.. johnson says that the plan
which he suggests will result in secur-
ing the attendance at school Of chill
dren whose services are now neces-
sary for the support Of the family. He
says:
st hold that society, in it's organi-
zed capacity as a state, should not
only prohibit the abuses growing out
of child labor, but should offer a rem
edy so as to make child labor unnec-
essary. The relation of the state to
future citizenship points out an obli-
CATION that society cannot escape. We
must recognize and give due credit to
the splendid results along this line
through the channels of our common
school system. but feel that we have
hardly gone far enough in this re-
spect. It is true that under our
school laws dependent children, whose
parents are unable to furnish books
or even clothing or shoes, may be sup
piled through the proper channels I'M
der authority of law that they may
enjoy the benefits of education. but
we find in the actual practice that
take advantage of this seemingly lib
era1 offer, because of the inability of
the parent who in many instances are
unable to provide food either for the
child or for their household. This is
true in many cases where parents are
Il L. r.
the loss of parents throws the child
upon his own resources. Again, we
find that the matter of personal pride
prevents parents accepting the oppor-
tunities that are open to them under
the law to enable their children to
continue at school. This pride, how
ever, does not recompense the child
for the great loss it susta1ns; nor does
it repair the loss sustained by soc1ety
in developing bright energetic youth
into well educated citizen.
IT would remedy this by amending
our school laws so that the children
of parents unable to spare their ser
vices and give them the proper school
privileges, to which they are inner
emily entitled, so that such chlidren
should receive from the state spec
ific per diem wage in cash for each
days attendance at school between
the ages of 10 and II years In order
that they might have the opportunity
of securing an education, thus placing
them upon an equal basis with others
that are more fortunately situated
to the end that they could be prepar-
ed to take up the battle of life with
out being handicapped with an ignor-
ant and vicious mind that poverty so
often entails or a physically stunted
body for which premature child labor
is responsible. This suggestion may
seem visionary and fanciful. but feel
sure that with proper regulation it
could be put into practical operation
with great advantage to our civiliza-
ton and with a much less cost than
now obtains in caring for that part of
our delinquent and defective class
that is fostered by the evils of child
labor, either in charity or the cr1mi-
nal courts of oru country. So long as
society in its capacity of the state
must foot the cost in the end it would
seem humane and logical to expend
little money on the theory that an
ounce of prevention is better than a
pound of cure"