El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-12-02
Ella Wheeler Wilcox ON:
Child Labor 100000 Children Toll American Mills and Mines
If the Country Demanded Its Abolition 1t
Would Have to Come
By ELLA WHEELER WILCOX

| T n a recent striking cartoon savage
/ children were pictured running
/ naked and wild in the open, and
I above them. paIIid, siclly factory chill
I drep, slaves Of civilization, were shown
: entering the gloomy doors Of unSani-
: tary manufactures.
We have in America 100000 child
! laborers.
Those are the appalling figures.
In 1850 Robert CoIlyer, who had
been an orphan boy in England and a
child labOrer, escaped from his servi-
I tude and came to America. He was
then stalwart youth man grown, for
he had escaped in time to save his vi
tally.
Joseph Kingsbury. general agent for
improving the Condition Of the Poor,
England is VIGOROUSLY q land Of
paupers A third Of its last genera
ton lies at rest in a potter's field II
the life histories Of these poor wretches
could be traced how many of them
would lead back to the poor little tired
bodless TO the crooked limbs OF the
ROBERT Collyers who were dragged out
from the barren walls of orphan asy-
lums 10 be bound to the racking ma
chlnes IN the factories and mills
the Collyers who never escaped?
II we could show accurately the ex-
tent OF the poverty under which Eng
Iand sIaggers today, which is the re-
suit OF child labor, the statistics would
be invaluable to US in securing proper
child labor legislation. But, after an.
as some one has strikingly put 1t, you
cannot put tired eyes, pallid cheeks
and ,!languid little limbs into statis-
But Robert CoIlyer escaped the com
mon fate of a child laborer. In 1850,
Wnen ABOUT 70 years Of age, he and has
pride reached the bright shores of this
land OF opportunity. It was q land
OF opportunity then.
ps 4 half century has passed since
ROBERT Collyer landed We have re-
cruited a standing army of child Ia
borers 100 600 strong.
It is quite impossible to visualize
Inls appalling number Of little tots at
laDor, but as Robert Hunter says: I'VE
could never forget the sight of a hum
dred OF these little ones II they were
marched out of the mills, mines and
factories before our eyes, or if we saw
tnem together toiling for 10 or 10
hours a day or night for a pittance
OF a wage; but that we do not see.
what We see are the figures, and we
forget figures.
I'm New York city alone we have
the records of many thousands Of fam
Yate
Many Families Dependent BeeauEe Of
Child Labor.
-. Undoubtedly a very large proper
ton Of these families are dependent
chiefly because of child labor. Last
year 1900 families were under the
care Of the Association for Improving
the Condition Of the Poor. This is but
one OF the large private charitable or
CARNATIONS in that city"
Here is what one investigator saws
about a certain mill:
The machinery in the mill starts at
5:oO every morning, and pressure Is
brought TO bear upon the workers to
see that they are there when the ma
CHIhefy peglns. The time is counted
from only. A half hour is counted
out at dinner time, but the machinery
goes right on, and many OF the work.
ers stay. The shop closes at $3.50, after
Il has been running 10 hours.
AT 6 o'clock ii begins again. and
works till g. This is contained for
five nights Of the week, and any Of the
workers who will return are permit
TED TO work Mr.. Massey told me there
We're no violations Of the law in his
mill. He seemed to think an emergency
gave him the right to work Is hours
per week In reality he was working
80 hours. for many Of the people
worked IS hours for five days and five |
hours on Saturday. He said he be-