The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-05-24
Death LAYS HEAVY
TOLL ON GIRLS
Long Hours in Factories of Fall
River Are Too Much for
Frail Bodies.
~ w. O. SHEPHERD.


huge cherry tree, in full bloom, cut
on at the roots, stood In the center
OF banquet table.
The flowers would have made bush
els OF fine cherries; each cherry would
have had In It's seed the germ OF an
other cherry tree. The diners Shineu
the fragrance OF the blossoms anu
didn't think OF the cherries or or the
thousands of cherry trees that hau
been sacrificed for them.
After the banquet the tree was
thrown aside; there was little sap
in II. and the buds did their best 10
live like any other cherry blossoms.
But their strength was gone, and they
turned yellow and died.
The factort owners OF Fall River,
Mass, where children are allowed
10 work, are showing this same
thoughtlessness. But their thought
lessness is criminal, because the
cherry blossoms which they are de-
lnanding are living children.
This is the way they do II In Fan
River, one OF the great mill and FAC
tory towns In the country:
Fifteen years ago Rita Hobbs-let
US imagine that Is her name, for there
are thousands like her In Fall River
left school to 20 TO work In one OF
the factories. She was IA years ola
then; perhaps younger.
She went 10 work at loom. Not
y day passed that she did not do too
much work for her frail body. Every
night she was tired Every morning
she dragged herself out OF bed for
another day Of toll. Even her Sun
days did not give her rest. Instead
OF a health-giving WEAKNESS she
suffered with chronic. exhausting
fatigue.
Work burns up the tissues of the
body. Nature restores these tissues
during sleep. This process makes for
health and happiness, and decently
regulated labor Is as necessary as
sleep or food. But Rita Hobbs, with
the other thousands OF her kind
worked so hard--sometimes IL hours
a day--that sleep did not restore her.
Nature couldn't keep up. Every
day little more tissue was destroyed
than nature could replace. She was
giving away her strength, as the
cherry blossoms gave away their pe-.
fnme, with no hope OF replenishing
the store.
Butone day her tired eyes bright
ened a little; just little. though, for
the fires OF youth were burning duly,
for she was haggard and scared like
the dying cherry blossoms. She was
In love. She was 10 be married. You
see she thought she was like any other
cherry blossom.
And married she was. A little girl
baby came II was pitifully weak and
thin; II didn't have enough life In It's
little body TO even cry. II batted Its
eyes at the world for a few hours
and then closed them forever.
The strength that should have been
the baby's Inheritance from Its mother
had been Slapped out of its mothers
body Ia the factory years before.
Another baby came. II died the
same way.
And then the mother died--just
withered away.
That factory. like all the other fac
tories. had been killing two genera
tons at time.
The health authorities say that 400
babies were born In Fall River in 1908.
Eight hundred and twenty Of them
died before they were year old. A
thousand and twenty-eight children I'M
der the age of five died In the town
last year.
And there are only $4,000 men, wo-
men and children In the town.
Three years ago, In 1907, the school
authorities granted. employment per-
mits TO Lib children between the
ages OF IA and 16, But that was
hard times year. The factories didn't
demand so much child life. The next
year the permits numbered 1,7G5;
times were still hard.
In 1909 prosperity" came. But not
prosperity for the children, for 1898
OF them were put to work.
This year times are so prosperous
that permits will be granted to not
less than $500 children. There are
times when 10000 children are work
ing In the mills OF Fall River.
These children are to be the fathers
and mothers OF Fall River They
themselves are the children OF fac
tory folk. What their children will
be Is dreadful question.
Three out OF ten children die now.
How many out of ten will die when
this generation IL grown?
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