The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-03-14
0. R. LOVEJOY
TALKS ABOUT
CHILD LABOR
SECRETARY OF CHILD LABOR
COMMITTEE ADDRESSED REP
REsENTATVE AUDIENCE AT Y.
M. C. A. LAST NIeHT-MEETINe
FAvoRs WORK OF SPEAKER
PROPOSED FLORIDA LAW.

general secretary or the NaIlCn8l CQ1lQ
Labor Committee, addressed a repre-
sentative body Of Pensacola citizens at
the Y. NJ. c. A last night. Mr.. Love-
JOY came to Pensacola upon invitation
of the secretary Of the local Y. NJ. c,
A. ]. H. Sheriff., who received infor-
nation that Mr.. Lovejoy would haye
last night at his disposal and mme-
diately wired him to make the talk.
The remarks of the speaker were not
in the form of regular address COM
posed Of statistics but was a man 20
man talk with the audience, many
questions being asked during the talk
and brought out facts which were not
at first understood The speaker
readily answered all questions and
those present felt thoroughly satisfied
with the discourse.
Beginning Of Work.
Mr.. Lovejoy began his talk by say
ing that the child labor movement is
matter Of recent years, that when II
was first begun the public did not
realize the seriousness of the matter.
but wais under the impression that
horrible child labor conditions existed
only In England and other countries.
1HC CcuSub OI 1S1O, however, DTOOBHt
the people to understand something of
the matter for It brought out the fact
that 1,75o,oo children under 1s years of
age were working when they should
be In school. This large number did
not include those working IN agricuI-
tural pursuits nor those engaged In
domestic work. The census also
showed where the increase in popula-
ton was so per cent that the increased
percentage for the children working
was $50.
These startling figures brought the
people to realize that something to
remedy these conditions must be set
to work at once, IL not to eliminate,
stop, at least. the increase of child
labor. To accomplish this the child
labor committee went to work and set
a general age limit at IA years, the
age limit for night work 16 and for
lighter work, such as selling papers
and backing shoes, as IL years.
Employers Not to Biarne.
The speaker said the leaders in this
work had not found that those EN-
p1oying the children in the different
works to be hard hearted men, nor
were they men who would increase
their fortunes by wrecking the lives of
the children, but circumstances made
1t necessary as long as the children
were allowed to work by law. The
speaker gave the names of two OF the
largest employers of children who
were among the first advocates Of the
reform.
Why the Opposition.
Opposition to the movement did not
come from those interested In the
work always, said the speaker, but
from people who do not understand
the problem-men in the legislatures
who started to work when they were
boys and are now men Of physical de-
velopment and mental attainment
above the ordinary. These men can
not understand why their neighbors
cannot do the same thing. but these
same men do not realize that condi-
lions are different in cities from what
they are in the country, nor do they
realize that all of the country is not
an agricultural territory.
To ILLUSTRATED his point the speaker
told of the different kinds of life the
boy of the country leads from the boy
who goes into the coal mines, the glass
factories and the cotton mills. The
former has all the fresh air and physi-
cal exercise to make him grow while
those sent to the factories and coal
mines are never relieved Of the Ill eff
fects of few weeks spent in them.
The Southern Problem.
While Florida is not affected by this
problem, the speaker said the south
might realize the seriousness Of letting
the negro children attend school while
the white boys and girls Of the cotton
factory towns were spending their
days in the walls of the factories. Mr..
Lovejoy told how noticeably it was
when visiting the cotton factory towns
of the south. The negroes, he said,
could be seen going to school in the
morning singing their plantation songs
and coming home in the same happy
mood in the afternoons, but to see ths
white children one was compelled to
get up by daylight to see them goins
to the factories and that II was night
when they once more got home This
said the speaker, would be a serious
problem for the southern white people
If it were allowed to continue for sew
eral generations.
Fatalities Among the Young.
Fatalities among those under 1e
years OF age, according to statistics. is
alarming. In the mines, boys worxins
side by side with men lose their lives
800 per cent more frequently. In othc,
trades these figures range from ESQ &C
$50 per cent greater than among the
men
The speaker said this was a stage OF
civilization and enlightenment but that
the savage races and the Wild animal.
threw every protection around theI1
children. while the people of today
seemingly place them in the position.
of danger. Aside from this he SAIL
| that statistics proved that child labo,
ruined wages and lowered the stand.
ard of living and drives higher wage.
earners from the field.
One manufacturer. said the speaker
three years ago decided that he wouit
Il