The Washington herald., 1909-02-22
Caring for the Children.
.tor ne Nssh.nE-on Hsah

Editor The Washington Herald
From a perusal Of reports of various
charities OF our city. not TO mention the
able editorials in our daily papers bearing
upon the condition Of the poor among Us
il seems that the passing OF winter and
the advent Of mild weather will not re-
Heve the conditions that have arisen from
poverty and lack q work. The charities
are pushed 70 their utmost: private con-
tributions, generous as they are. cannot
meet the call Congress having cut the
bin Of appropriations IN half cripples
the efforts Of workers along that line
Everywhere throughout our country IS
heard the same cry. At 2 recent District
meeting OF charity workers the question
OF child labor in the District was 10 the
fore: the school year is almost over.
the long vacation Of summer IS 70 come
with the child labor bin in full force
Girls as well as boys are prevented
from learning a trade that would place
them above the fear Of want. make them
good citizens and self-respectiug owners
Of homes IN a nearby Southern city
where the public schools are struggling
to perfect a system of manual training,
the mechanics rebelled against II. clsim-
ing Il would interfere with the industries
Of the trades
The question OF little child as a fac
tor In the support OF n home is beyond
thought. but when we consider the army
Of large boys and girls that viii be freed
from the restraints Of school and turned
over. however unwilling they may be. 10
enforced idIeness. the outlook seems 70
even q casual observer appalling.
The National Society for the Promotion
Of Industrial Education has for its OBJ
ject the providing for every youth in
the land" sufficient Industrial education
to enable him TO earn living AT "a use
ful and honorable trade" There are not
many born with dominant criminal
instinct" offer any boy the choice Of
making an honest living. or idleness with
the alternative Of becoming thief. and
il is not hard 10 fOresee his choice.
With all our bOasted facilities for edu-
cation. statistics show large increase in
our police force, reformstOries. and pris-
ons, the money expended for the latter
far exceeding that spent for education Of
cur children. They are taught, the great
er number Of them. things that can be OF
no value TO them whatever in the battle
they viii have to fight. Instead Of the
languages and sciences taught the aver
age boy, instruct him TO WELD the ham,
mer and saw. the rule and plane.
The trades unions" by their laws
preclude an unlimited number OF appren-
tIces at any trade What Is TO become OF
these boys when they attain manhood
II they are not allowed 10 learn some
self-respeeting employment in their youth,
few viii desire II after those golden
hours are passed. AS an old Eastern
proverb has It. "He who will not teach
his child TO work teaches him to steal
n the public schools as they now stand
no boy or girl can enter the Business
or ''TechnicaT' Until he has passed the
eighth grade How many parents can
spare their children all those years.
They must be taught-intelligently taught
Industrial labor. and Is we do not desire
our children 70 graduate into criminals
of greater OF lesser degree this must be
done.
Our juvenile courts overflow with en-
bryO law-breakers.
The child should be taught necessary
things and given stroLg weapons OF. head
and hand to fight the battle of life that
has become so fierce that despairing men
and hungry women crowd our streets and
children cry for bread. Are the law
makers Of our land prepared to leEislate
20 feed and clothe the thousands OF idle
unfed. lily clad people Of our own blood.
nos regarding the millions Of ignorant.
vicious foreigners who annually seek our
shOreS2 Shall We take our ch1idren-S bread
and cast it 10 the dOgs?~ Our cities are
.ccngesteG, while the broad lands in the