The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1913-01-21
CLERGYNEN ENDORSE
CHILD LABOR DAY.
The National Child Labor Committee
Issues Pamphlet OF Facts for
Preachers.

The National Child Labor Committee
call to churches and schools to observe
Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, Jan
uary 25th-27th as Child Labor Days,
has received the hearty endorsement
of the Federal Council Of the churches
of Christ in America and OF the Social
Service Commission Of the Protest
ant Episcopal Diocese Of New York.
Bishop Greer says, Naturally am
deeply interested, and am glad TO en-
dorse and commend your appeal to the
clergy of the Diocese"
The following letter signed by Shla-
Ter Mathews, president, and Charles S.
Macfarland. secretary, of the Federal
Council of the Churches of Christ in
America, has been sent to one hundred
state and city Federation Secretaries
of the Federal Council.
"By authorization of the Executive
Committee of the Federal Council and
of the Federal Councils Commission
on the church and Social service, the
call of the National Child Labor COM
mittee for the observance Of the Child
Labor Sunday is commended to your
earnest consideration with the hope
that, in the way they suggest or by
such other method as may commend
itself to your judgment the subject
of Child Labor may be fully presented
in all its seriousness to the Christian
me and women of the nation.
? cat the recent Quadrennial Session
of the Federal Council, at Chicago,
December 9, 1912, the Council reaf-
frmed it's declaration of four years
previous, that the churches must
stand:
"For the abolition of child labor.
For the fullest possible develop
ment for every child, especially by the
provision of proper education and
recreation.
These two principles ore embodied
in the platform of social principles
adopted by the council
In urging them to observe Child La
Dor Day, the Social Service Commission
of the Protestant Episcopal Diocese of
New York. sends. to- all the clergy in
that diocese the following strong re-
solutions adopted by the House of
Bishops at the last General Conven-
.tion, Cincinnati: in 1910. -
- :"eWhereas, The employment of child
, dren in factories, mines and shops, re-
duces wages to the. childs standard,
dfsintegrates the family, deprives the
child Of his natural rights to period
of training and time of play, and de-
preciates the human stock; and,
whereas, We recognize the res
possibility of the church for our in
dustrial as we'll as our spiritual stan
dard;
Therefore, We call upon employ
ers and parents to use all influence
toward better legislation and better en-
forcement of the laws for the protec-
ton of children, to the end that ex-
ploitation of the labor of children
shall become impossible in this Christ
ian country
To aid in the observance of Child La
Dor day, the National Child Labor
Committee is sending free to all cler-
gymen and school principles who ap-
ply for it, a pamphlet of facts about
Child Labor In this the Committee
prints, among other things, the cen
sus figures On Child Labor for 1900,
subject, and points out that the total
number of workers 10-15 years of
age, 1,752,157, does not include the
thousands Of newsboys and bootblacks
who were attending school, nor the
other thousands of children who were
employed in tenement house ne lufac-
turing. Also, the estimates of 284,330
children classified as engaged in manu-
featuring and mechanical pursuits is
misleading since cannery children
were in many States reckoned as agri-
cultural workers.
It is expected that in all of the forty
three States having legislature sessions
this winter bills bearing on the Child
Labor problem will be introduced.