The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1913-01-09
Child Labor and Compulsory Education

We are living in the dawning Of the
golden age of the child. Much relat-
ing to his welfare is still not clear,
much is yet to be revealed as the
Light deepens and spreads in the
realms OF advancing thought. Long
have the strong been arrogating to
themselves rights and privileges dol
ing out to the weaker ones in scant
guardianship, such provision for their
welfare as a hurrying, blinded self.
seeking permitted them to bestow.
Often, only family, has it been seen
that the child is the nations most
precious heritage and as such calls
for the best that can be given him.
1t has we'll been said that the child
is the state. Man cannot live unto
himself alone, and he is at his best
when he is servant to ALL" when he
is laying down a selfish sense of ex-
istence that he may take up life OF
service for his fellows. Only the
equipped, the really enlightened the
truly developed individual is capable
of such service to society, and moth
ing preventable must be permitted to
hinder such development of the future
citizen. He must be given, ungrudg-
ingly, ample time to work, to play, to
sleep, to reach out and grasp with all
the ardor of childhood those natural
blessings that will aid a rounded har.
monious growth.
Such are some of the thoughts in
brief, that have been growing and
spreading with a new persistency the
past two decades. The entire welfare
of the child has been earnestly con.
sidered; and from such consideration,
no doubt, have developed the related
laws to be briefly discussed here; viz,
Child Labor and Compulso DRY Educa.
ton.
The baneful effects of taxing labor
upon the growing child need not be
dwelt Upon at this time. Few persons
are wholly unenlightened few are en-.
tirely asleep, concerning this living
question. The nations need is the
vital useful citizen, not the dwarfed,
wearied human machine, and arc
awakened public conscience has
been crystalized into laws preventing
or governing child labor, North Da.
kota being one state to embody such
statute in Its general school laws.
Under this statute it is unlawful for
aaS person, firm or corporation to EN-.
ploy any child under fourteen years
Of age, in any form OF service, during
the hours that the school in the dis.
trict where such child resides is in
session. Children between the ages
Of fourteen and sixteen years Of age
may. under certain clearly defined
provisions, be employed by persons
Sr corporations for q certain number
OF hours each day, only under the
terms Of an employment certificate
which the employer must keep on file,
and to be at all times accessible to the
city superintendent of schools, if one
be employed, otherwise to the clerk
of the school board or the board of
education.
An employment certificate is issued
by the city superintendent of schools
if one is employed, otherwise by the
clerk of school board or by the board
OF education, and the strict require.
ments governing the granting of such
certificate are strong safeguard OF
the welfare of the child.
Having cried, ''Hands off," to the
person or corporation who would fat
ten the purse at the expense of a ma
tural childhood, is the child fully free
to grasp his right of opportunity? No,
alas! not always. Not alone in love,
but too often in selfish blindness, do
some parents declare their sovereign