New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-09
HOME Works HORRORS
SHOCK NEW WORKERS
Mothers Startled to Learn That
There Is Tragedy Even In
Doll Making.
SMALL WAGES OF CHILDREN
Investigators Find Many Whom
Fight for Existence Presses
So Hard That School At
tendance Is Impossible.

New York had time TO think II over
yestsrday. When Daddy took the tod
dIsrs out for their weekly walk. with An
gelina and Rossbelle clasped In their
short arms. ne thought Of IL. and whsn
Mother tucked them into bed at twilight,
stu husging Angelina and Rosabells, she
thought Of II. too-the story of thoSe
other toddlers who have no dolls save
those they help 20 manufacture IN tho
dark. close tenement houses they call
bona
New York has thought OF child labor
many tmss before this-as q vague and
unpleasant thsory>-but yesterday 1t was
quite real due 70 the startling testimony
OF the State Factory Investigating Com
rnssssso. who're hearings closed lest Fri
day.
pacsrss this 10 Christmas tina per
hans. PEOPLE were most startled ny the
doIlmaiins story. Mis- HiiEabsth Wat
son. the investigator. testified that she
AsA foun6 little children four and nve
pss,s old hspt at home from schooi to
heip thsis mothers make dolls.
Tiny baby fingers are Just the thins %
turn ths arms ana legs OF nne hd dons.
rhs nsecss oonns from the factories Al
sttAoAeA, but not yet turned right SIDE
out A large clumsy finger cannot man
axe Sfis work, 20 the mother worhs on
ixhs body Of the doll and hands tho LITTLE
s.xrss and tsgs over TO her children In
that way several cents are added 10 tns
daily ineema
~Tnrs ere plenty Of such stories %
vs>rtie tina good people Of tho city. aaic
afiss Pauline ooidmsrk, who testified Dc
fore thu commission as executive score
tayy Of the Consumer League. 'Fos en-
.mnsA I know OF two little girls who
are AZ tbs moment III and IN mead OF
n.sdicei attention who simply dare not
stop sheir work long enough to visit the
climb. I discovered them one day In an
uprsv Vest side tensment house
'rhsy are eight and twelve years old
Their older sister works In garter rae
tsSy, and svsry night she brings home
srsss bundle Of sartsrs into which her
little sisters are to ne the buckles. The
work has 70 be returned after one dsy'
no ths uttis sisters have TO hurry home
from school TO finish the great bundle.
Ten months Of this life. since their
father died. have reduced them 70 q pitt
fli condition. Thsy are weak and sick
FOR two months have been trying to get
them 10 20 to the clinic, and they want to
10. They cry. but they cannot leave
those garters. The older sister might lose
her place II they failed her In this, anc
then they would starve.
You see, we are Just manufacturing
wrecks by permitting these conditions to
continue Those children will be public
charges very soon They are in need CT
medical attention now. They can't stand
the winter that h coming.
Policy Is Short Sighted.
1t is a very short sighted policy from
the economic point OF view, too. Home
work invariably brings down the wages
In factories, and there is such keen COM
petition-so many helpless widows and
sick little sisters-in this great city that
pross even for home work decrease.
Two years ago the children I saw work
ing on willow plumes in the tenernents
received u GENTS an inch for tieing the
Attis feather bits together. Grown-ups
ron know, can't DO that nearly so we'll a.
children with THAR tiny. nirnble fingers.
Try and by. though, the manufacturers
found children who would do this teinS
for 10 cents an inch. Then the prioo
droppsd TO cents. TO Giants and finally
q 4 oentA Fortunately. willow plumes
are xoins out of fashion. 10 the manu-
rartursrs won't beat them down any
lower.
DIT. Daniel, Of the womsn's Inirmary,
tssttfasd that she had been practising In
NJ
srs6 home work nothing but Q curse She
told Of ono mother whose child hsd IN
kautsle paralysis. ana she dared not stop
WORDING to let the child die In her arms.
Mothers with little children dependent
on them often worked UP to the very mo-
rnent of death. That 10 possible. DR..
Daniels said, In such diseases az tubsroti-
aos.s. They can't even die In peaos"
Miss Mary Dreier. president OF the
wonan's Trade Union League and
xnsnber Of The commission. said ysster-
day that she felt the city had been
areussd by such stories as these to a
realization Of the horrors Of tenement
house labor.
ssrbe most terrible thing about IL 10
that no mattar how hard they all work.
mother. children and babes, they can't
support themselves" Miss Dreier said.
.sTbsre was no case where the family
was not dependent 10 some extent on
charity. There was none where the
mother had time 10 take any care at all
Of the children. to battle them or pre-
pare food for them.
do you rsmsmber thu story told by
Miys Frances Perkins of the little old
grandmother who was trying to support
a child? She crocheted slippers. which
brought Is cents for q dozen pairs BY
working all day the grandmother was
able TO make a half dozen pairs. She
rose 1t dawn. prepared a hasty breakfast
and began her days work.
Twenty Cents for Twenty Hours.
CHE did not stop. except for bit Of
bread at noon. until the early evening
Than she rested for an hour or an hour
and a half. After that she began again
ana worked until 2 or 3 o'clock In the
rnorntnr. For those twenty hours OF
work she received about % cents for
half dozen pairs Of slippers. That couldn't
support herself and child. Some char
table organization paid her rent You
see that was not only permitting feeble
ola woman to kill herself with overwork,
hut society was permitting tho child 70
be injured, too, for. OF course, II received
M rood food or care. Society was letting
, future citizen start handicapped. under
.--,-.x nhystcaiiv mentally and NOR