Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-12-08

GERS. only the smallest account of its
work has been given out
Another organization of longer stand
ing is the child labor committee of the
District of Columbia, of which DR..
George NJ. Kober is chairman. while
numbered among the committeeman are
DIR. Fl. J: Harris. Dr. Alexander
the cooperation of the Associated
Charities and other child helping or
CARNATIONS. an effort was made to find
out all there was to know about the
working child in Washington. The more
active workers in the investigation were
Miss Mary h. Swain. field secretary of
the children's council, and Lewis W.
Hne. the well known photographer of
social conditions
The stage children, the bootblacks.
street vendors. telegraph and special de-
livery messengers. the 'newsles. bell
hops. elevator attendants. and even the
pages in Congress. all came in for
careful kindly scrutiny. Nothing es-
capped the diligence of those seekers
after the knowledge by which Washing
ton might he made the model city for
the child. Juvenile Court records were
examined. permits to work investigated
and truancy cases followed up. Even
the offices of the District Commission
ers were invaded. For solid year the
affiliated organizations investigated.
checked. tabulated and compiled the
facts upon which to construct such pro-
lection and development of child life
as the idealists of the ages have
dreamed Of
Many were the bizarre and little known
facts regarding the working chllds HE
which those social workers discovered.
Particularly interesting were the facts
brought out m their study of exemptions
from the operation of the child iapor
law. There are several OF these eXemp-
tions. the most curious OF which makes
the United States Senate privileged
employer of child labor. AS 1t stands,
the present child labor law. which was
passed i'm 1908. prohibits the employment
of anv child under fourteen, except in
doing chores around the house. Then
come the exemptions, the first of which
reads Provided, that the provisions OF
this section shall not apply to children
employed in the service of the Senate"
This exemption was added by the
Senate. and insisted upon. while the bill
was in conference said DR.. Mckelway.
The amendment was regarded as SO
raw that the House refused the offer
to include its own pages in the exemp-
ton. 1t Is true that the work OF
Senate page is by no means arduous, and
that the children are not deprived alto
gether of an education. since they may
ing of the example set to other law
making bodies. and the undOubted
interruption of a regular education which
such employment causes, 1t would be for
the advantage Of senators and of the
public business if boys not under four
teen years of age could be employed in
this capacity. AS this service frequently
involves sending the boys on important
messages for books and documents. a
greater intelligence is required than is
sometimes possessed bv children of ten
der age who are now employed
The second exemption from the man.
date of the present District law that no
child under fourteen shall be put to work
also led to some curious consequences. &C
cOrding to DIR. McKelway. This second
exemption provides that the judge of the
Juvenile Court may. upon application,
issue permit for the employment of any
child between twelve and fourteen years.
old. if the work he is to do be healthful
family actually need his earnings for their
support.
This provision said DIR. McKelway.
was of course put into the law with the
kindest of intentions. but some of the
results of its operation have been unex-
pected. to say the least. Thus, for in
stance. in the fiscal year from July 1,
1911. to July 1. 1912. 40 permits were
granted for under-age children to go to
work, the representation being made that
their labor was needed for the support of
their parents. Forty-one of the permits
allowed the holders to leave school.
These cases were investigated by Miss
Swain in order to find out whether the
childrens parents really needed the earn
lngs OF their little ones, and the study