The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-02-07

|Intendent and tell him d hard LICK
|rtcry and he vii take him sin.y These
arc simply illustrations 81 methods en-.
|nlnyed. mot only In the mining rec.
tions, but In the manufacturing see.
items as well. TO allow children to work
when they should be 81 school. 81
AZ to the greed of employers, de-
rot believe that IN West Virginia !thlt
operates stronsIy against the education
Of the children. Many OF the s-ipIoy
era In both the mining and the manu-.
featuring sections are my friends,
whom have known well. and 4 am
confident that they are not conscious.
W and deliberately traffictns In the
children Of the state. Vet something
Ia wrong some where, and believe
tina. manufacturers should be very
much concerned In finding out what 1t
49, and where. Itffs not for our COOS.
name that VIC should be SO frequently
said 10 have tie worst ehiId.Iabor leg.
islatien of any Of the Ohio Valley
States n1r that we should have Il
flung In our faces that we offer our
children for sale on bargain counters;
nor that we should he said to oppos.
moro stringent lie gIsIation: because by
the labor Of children, money Is saved
and dividends increased; and that orr
Stste's prosnerity is dependent upor
1t.
dc net believe that West vireinia't
prosperity is contingent upon her main
tai1ing her present backward policy If
regard to her children, nor do any 81
y6u believe 1t. am sure. But her pol
Icy Is backward, and It seems to me
short-siuhted, because believe that
In the end 1t will undermine her pros
perity.
Let ua consider her policy for = mo
ncnt- According to cur laws there :
no -cducationa al Requirement for the en-
rloyment CT children over fourteen
years Of age they need not have pass
ed beyond even tine most clenentar,
grades. There Is no restriction upor
the character of the work they may do
or upon the number of hours they may
work by day or by night; and for more
than half the year, when they are not
to, be in the schools, children
Of twelve years of age are equally un
restricted. and are frequently employ.
ed in ways which sap their nervous en-
orgy and render them incapable OF
profitins by tie school sessions which
they do attend.
1t is not the inevitable result of this
that We arc manufacturing new eitl
zen ship which will be .dHarfed In body
in mind. and weak in mora
Finre7 I would say again what l. have,
In other words, said before: no city OF
tcwn Or family can. at the presen'
lime, live an Isolated life; whatever
Of ignorance CIR inteIligene,
Of health or Of disease. of prosperit,
or of poverty Of virtue or of wise. char
acterixes ne group, 1t will assuredly
affect the people Of other groups. We
cannot guarantee. to one section, or tr
one social grade. culture and efficiency
and 10 another section and another SO.
rfaI grade, ignorance and inetfieieneyi
cur policy is one which will.
lower the average of our citizenship:
and as that comes about. not only ouI.
standards of living will be lower. but
also our industries will deteriorate,
for Intelligence counts In any business
II is a policy that viii
slowly destroy our States power. by
destroying its v:.aI force. believe
that the obituary of the Herods viii,
be written over a State as we'll as over
an individual: "They are dead tina.
sought the young chiId's life"
Child Labor Laws Must Supplement
& Compulsory Education.
What have said Is meant to sue
uest tina. child-labor legislation and
education legislation mus,
be mutually supplemental. Further.
more. back Of the Legislation must be
officers who will enforce 1t, and back
OF tine officers must be an enlightened
vigorous public sentiment demanding
its enfcrcer1nt. Many officers like t.
sit on the fence ready to fall on whicf
ever side public sentiment pushe:
tnen. and when they see that they ar.
expected enforce tho laws, th-y will
Indeed. II the women of a community
determine that the laws shall be en-
forced they will be.
enforcement of Law.