The Washington herald., 1909-02-28

Senator from Indiana endeavored TO have
this Federal bill passed under the cons1i-
tHtiOnsl authority delegated Congress n
the matter Of interstate commerce. As
il touched the ever-tender spot Of states
rights. the measure was defeated.
Last wear the American Academy %
Political and Social Science had an expert
frame a Uniform child labor law that Il
hoped al States and Territories would
eventually adopt Nov the age limit
ranges from practically none in South
Carolina and ten years IN Georgia up
to that Of Ohio. that allows no girl 70
work until her eighteenth birthday The
length Of the working day varies from
New Yorks nine-hoUr law with an hour
out at noon. 10 more than ten hours in
Alabama, Georgia. North Carolina. Penn
syivauia. and Tennessee. Six states have
the nine-hour day; tweuty-four have the
ten-hour.
Work at night may be conducted az the
discretion Of the manager IN some States.
IN eighteen it is restricted TO the SIX
teenth birthday. The educational stand
ard is being set in aInoste every state.
This IS a remarkably advanced step when
It is remembered that thsss are only
two Southern States that nave com
pulSOTy education laws. Kentucky and
N2rylGnd. These varying laws require
that each child VINO works in the mills
must have mad a certain amount OF edu-
cation. or must have attended school
stipulated tine As there are in the
United States SO - illiterates between
the ages Of ten and fourteen. and the
majority Of these are in thirteen Southern
States, the wisdom Of this step Is appar-
ent
Modern altruism IS trying IN ether ways
besides legislation to get children out OF
gainfui pursuits and into schools that xii
train them for better work. As far back
as 1850. when IN inspector was trying 70
enforce the Massachusetts child labor
laws Of 1850, he made this statement:
Without child sbor y per cent Of the
Iaboring class. with the present relation
Of wages TO the cost OF living. would
be in state Of debt and pauperisra.
Something Of the same condition exists
at The present time
In New York various societies are find
ing the children who must work 10 sup
p0rt others. and are placing scholar
ships in that family. They placed nine
ty-fve last year. which means that they
p2id 20 the parents the sum the child
would have earned. and put that child in
a good elementary OF trades school Phil
adelphia- organizations gave twenty-eight
such scholarships last year. ST. Louis
places them through the Children's Pro
tective Alliance and the women's clubs
Pittsburg Minneapolis. Kansas City. IN
6iaBapOiis. Baltimore, and Milwaukee, all
pursue similar plans. Since children must
work. modern aitruism argues that they
should be trained fer il. be protected IN
their tender years. and then at fourteen
or sixteen. he allowed 20 become a wage
Garner They point out the fact that OF
the 100000 children OF school age IN
this country. 5.00a are deserters every
year. that z. big percentage OF that num-
Der claims that training for their hands
is lacking and they must learn II BY
/ apprenticeship. with forty cities now Of
fering manual training in The schools.
t the percentage should be lowered
In me twilight OF the gods. 80 the
Morse legend tells Us. Fenris. the great
woif-being viii come down and devour
the loveIiness Of the world Is the nation
not acting wisely IN attempting 70 ward
!, of this twilight by preventing modern
F industry. Ike Fenris- 20 come and de-
vour its little children7 For are not chill
idren the loveliness Of the worid2
! fCopyrisht. lsae b FressTic J. Hssksn-}