The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1911-12-15

only rs per cent lnterate in Mississippi which rs mostly a rural population
the children ten and eleven years ut age were % per cent 1t w<S ~ per
ept It school and 7 pr md ut home while for tie children twelve and TIM
ee< at bons The children Ut wosk In The cotton nils no seven 70 uafseen
vum, of NJ. were a pr M nnterate Out Of LAG children Of these aees 4
was found that eleven had nevrT attended school Ho had attended N aVs-
age period Of en- and cneha6 months sfxvhVe wce ape 70 req w7~
md Afty-one unable Nor eouM this nFteracy be fni1y charged to TIKI fe
Of ths children counting from the firms. IS the min owners ~ claimed
ar on paRe 600 Of Ia same report " dnd tha n Mississippi the more
thdr>een ears Old reported had worked m average Of thrty-four and oneeefh
months wtdoh vas o THAI IN any other state except Aiatamu, where IN
orneracy ofe h mn children Is higher than In Mississippi a ehhu thirteen
- IA n hs worked nearfy three years has 20 had much chance for m
soucat,un The report goes on 10 say that tin Mississippi n chd OF ums wa
reported q hav4ng been 1T work four years. so b must rave sons 70 ~sR az
In the neht Of these carefully gathered statistics the eatn Of ts cotton
NTH owners Of Mississippi to be tn main patrons ' oocoa - Sno"n 70
"a as foolish rs Il Is hcdoouA
" nne mare Question is settled by this report OF che bureau OF iabr. Dutrx
no debose @ the passage of the Mississippi child labor hin The faudhm Ques-
- w. .SLaa ~eV1ote tmh we do with the poor widow who Is dependant
.non tho lo,or # her children. in the cotton mdhs?" A member OF he eefs-
ttYre answered this question by offering to mhke up the deficiency to these
m1aous caused by the operations of the child labor h W II the demand were
made upon him 1t is needless to say TN 10 denand was eefm ao n
s 10 roasrn for this is shown In the report from which We have been quoting.
~ nane 7S the family conditions OF IN children under fourteen years OF
sge ut work in the Mississippi cotton mills wene carefully tudfed There we're
"e ornong them. there w~se twenty children belonging to thirteen
Widows, nine children belonging to eight deserted wives. three children oe
,~norc IN W incapadtatsd fathers. three ahildren belonging to two Idle
r,+hers. even children with both pasaSs at ~o2 N e"enc"hV cnhoren
Nth their fathers It work
w." uarotn.y he sreas state Of Mississippi should be abe to tahe are Of
~.o+vthra families or % double that number II they were dependent upon
r~ wages II their children under fourteen But we earn by a further study
nsces roc and 1850 that the average annaa moome on uese "odows famhs
V"ee. 90 e,c,uatnr TN wages of the children under fourteen. while the Idle
~ ~s hod nm avzaee income Of 1916 q year. excluding the wages OF the
I Is.asr, nraer fourteen Tqhs i~m absolutely overwhea1nins argument that
nau'" .-.,.Hv m Mnsasappif for allowing children under fourteen. even
- .xue- ~ u1aovs to WORT in factories n eerrufny The Idle htheA
m" en"o- -. -. .orneut ~ te further exploitation of their children. Ia tact.
n~e so enS edaow" ~ sometimes a dependent wtdower" who. CONTRARY
:" - ~ natn-e. subssts by the oppression o. hts Offspring" Nor can
to IN o ss " a~~rdsny to te we'll known economic law. that Che very act
= ~ ~roarr Immature children from employment tends % rinse me wages
q snan W. nemhers OF the family. for in any occupation where children can
Of the oFoe . eno 1900 tends TO bring down the wages Of the indiy1d
= - ~ chaM standard. Mississippi without a child Jaw "A In lWS
o 49, s,andaM II wages for both children and adults OF tn COTTON nils
thai I'M othsx ssata and a low wass 's@ = q curse 10 N ""o"