The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-01-14
FOR STAGE Child.
BlaylOck Will Make an Appeal to
Kansas Legislature.
Wants Labor Law as Regards
the Theatre Repealed.
CITES HIS REASONS
Declares State DepriVes Youth
of Many Advantages.
Challenges Successful Refuta-
tiOn of His Arguments.
SUNDAY.

Robert Blaylock, dramatic director
of the North Brothers Stock company,
today reiterated his staten ent that he
will go before the present legislature
and urge the repeal of the state labor
law as applied to the stage child. He
not only declared that the law is un-
just but he challenged successful con-
tradiction of his statement.
1T is rather a difficult matter to say
anything which really is new on the
child labor law without reiterating my
previous statements made in the To-
peka State Journal said Mr.. Blaylock.
MY former interviews were irrefut-
able. I have not met or heard from
one person in the city who disagreed
with any of my statements. 1 would
be only too glad to find some one
worth while who believes am wrong
and argue the matter with him or her
publicly.
Il claim that the law which classes
the theater with the packing house is
illogical and the trainers of that law
were absolutely ignorant of the theater
and it's people when they legiSlated
that the child born of theatrical par
ents must not be taken into the atmos-
phere of the theater until the age of
l 4 is attained, and the same men who
framed that law and voted for its en-
forcement are permitted to break the
law by compelling their sons and
daughters to do the work of menials
around their farms. stores and other
places of busine ss, while the actor who
would permit his child to walk out on
the stage for as much as minute
would be sent to jail
Trouble Lies With '12efOrmer."
1.-The trouble lies mainly with the
sanctimonious meddler who delights in
the name of 'Reformer' and who con-
stantly does harm to somebody and
thoroughly enjoys stirring up trouble.
farIf hut
who halt at practicality often do much
harm to causes which they assume to
propagate. The field of the theater at
tracts reformers of various kinds and
affords endless opportunities for the
application of theories
Societies and organizations of many
kinds as well as individuals of diverse
aims. have attacked the stage as an
institution that needs their corrective
efforts; but too often these efforts are
misapplied or misdirected and there is
no special feature of stage legislation
that more clearly shows this than that
directed toward child actors. No one
with the better interests of both the
stage and its children in mind can de-
ny that a rational system to regulate
the appearance Of minors in plays is
necessary. Yet intelligence and reason
do not often actuate those who formu-
late measures and those who enact
them into laws on this subject.
Regulation in New York.
Il New York has a reasonable law
regulating the appearance of child ac-
tors. Under that law every safeguard
is provided. Children are not per-
mitted to appear in plays in circum-
stances that would tend to injure them
morally or physically. Yet by a rea-
sonable system of licensing they may
take part in plays for the proper rep
resentation of which they are neces.
sary, and in which they may earn g