The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-09-12
URGES HABITS OF THRIFT
Mrs. Mary D. Bradford Gives Interest
ing Facts in Regard to Children Who
Work at Proper Kind of Employments
During the Summer Vacation.
(By Mary D. Bradford)

Many a child has proudly brought to
school during the past week, all need
ed books and school material purchas-
ed with the money which he himself
has earned during the past vacation.
This is indeed comnendable. When
children are not overworked, are kept
at tasks suited to their years and
strength, in morally clean environ
ment, and not for such long hours as
to cut out all play time, it is a good
thing for them to work in vacation.
Habits of industry and thrift should
be started early to make sure of pro-
vident manhood.
Of course approve of that sort of
thing, for I know how much / owe
to the necessity early placed upon me
of earning my own living. 1t was the
best thing that ever happened to me.
One great aim Of all well-directed ed
ucation is to root out idleness, indig-
ence and the evils that grow from
them. Education has gone astray if it
does not build up respect for work;
but I do not believe that the early
years, when education is the chief in
terest, should be so filed with work
that children are deprived of an OPP
portunity for education, and thus rob-
bed of their birthright to the fullest
possible development of their powers.
It is only by using the early edu-
cable years for education that life lat
er becomes efficient and capable of
that fuller appreciation of things
worth while, which is necessary to
happiness.
We hope that all employers Of child
labor will cooperate with US in this
and send back to school at once, the
children with vacation permits, so that
there will be no loss to them.
1t is right here that the danger lies
in the vacation work. The money
earned seems a most attractive end to
the child, and once started earning he
wants to keep on Often short-sighted
parents encourage this, even when not
needing this help. Others oblige child
rem to keep at work just for the sake
of the few dollars that are added to
the family treasury. So the early
years are forever lost for education,
and the child, grown to manhood, finds
himself handicapped for life on ac-
count of dwarfed capabilities, and by
habits that good schooling would have
enabled him to avoid.
We want all children in school as
long as circumstances will possibly
permit them to go. AS soon as the en-
rollment is fairly complete in public,
private and parochial schools, the
checking up of this enrolment against
the census will reveal the facts about
non attendance, and children of school
age will be obliged to go to school ac-
cording to the law. But meanwhile
precious days have been lost; the child
enters late, and feels embarrassed and
discouraged.
l urge all friends Of education to
help unfortunate children, by report
ing at once cases of neglect, cases of
attempted evasion of the law, and
cases where parents are ignorant of the
law. While some of the schools are
filled, there are others where seats are
still available in all grades. Children
coming in late will, of course, have to
take what is left, and go to the school
assigned, even though distant.