The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-30
women Of MANY VIEWS
unite ON SCHOOL ACT
Say Child Labor Law Must he
Backed by School At
tendance.
CITY HAS FREE TEXTBOOKS
Mrs. w. a. Burrows Says Richmond
Should Lead Educational Van
Since Book Bugaboo Is Removed.
Women Urge Men to Vote Tuesday.

While the compulsory education law.
which is to be voted on by tho fathers
OF Richmond next Tuesday. is, by rea-
son OF tho vote, a mans affair, It Is
In the very nature OF things a women's
problem. The children Of school age
always have been woman's business,
whether the. women are mothers. po-
tential mothers or organized bodies Of
women banded together tor the vel
fare OF the child.
Nor Is this case nm exceptional one.
Women all over tho city are Intensely
ira crested In the enactment OK :his law.
Tie subject Is being discussed In the
homo and outside. and many prominent
women have raised their voices in its
behalf. and arc also the bearers of
messages from women in the country
districts whose hearts a:s In the Try
FOL help for the rext genera ton.
PRESIDENT or FEDERATION
STRONGLY IAvORS NESN Ian
Mrs. William a. Burrows president OF
the Federation of Mothers Clubs, said
yesterday, when seen Mt her Church H!ll
residence. that now that A,iel,nond has
free textbooks. there la no further
law.
You know" said NIrs. burrows, FOR
years the bugaboo put forth by the
Indifferent has been that tine poorer
mothers and fathers could rot buy
books for the children, even & .naJchil-
dren should he sent to 5cnoo,. Now
VIC have the books, 10 there Ia no eX
cuse on that score. Another ching that
makes the action more than .,ve- ncces-
sary Is the fact that the new child
labor law, which docs not permit 4
child to be employed under certain
age. has added hundreds OF children
between the ages Of ten and fourteen
to the crowd OF baby loafcrs Oh the
streets OF our city"
The organization represented by Mrs
burrows recently adopted resolutions
tarorlng Statewide compnlsory
school attendance law; and all the in
dividual clubs making up the fedora
ton have gone on record in its favor
These organizations include the Parent
Teachers Associations Of almost all the
schools In the city. Those schools
whose associations are not connected
with tho federation are working along
this line Independently, and meetings
arc being held almost every day III
the hope of putting the situation clcur-
iy before the voters.
WORSE OFF IN STREETS
THAN IN FACTORIES
Mrs. Norman V. Randolph. who is
active in ell the interests Of the DauEh
cational work is practically at the head
of the program OF work for tho Daugh-
tiers this year 1.-THE compulsory law
has not been indorsed for the reason
that 1t has not been put before the
Daughters In tile form of O notion" che
explained. II am sure II It were every
woman would vote for Il. ! am most
heartily In favor OF 1t myself. There
Is absolutely no use TO have child
labor law without school attendance
! law to back 1t UP. Children are even
worse off on the streets than In the
factories"
Mrs. Il. p. Valentine, presiden. of the
Virginia Equal Suffrage League. said
that In convention last year In Nor
folk the league went on record as
favoring compulsory education for the
children of Virginia.
In this organlzat ion tho women not
only favor 1t, but they are working
daily among voters In the interest OF
the children. IN speaking of the
statutes now IN force, Mrs. Valentine
said:
ONLY REQUIRES SIN WEEKS
CONSECUTIVE ATTENDANCE
The local option law Is the only
thing we have, and 1t Is by no m cans
adequate. II provides, for instance
that only six consecutive weeks school
ing Is necessary. Now we all know
that II would be n very remarkable
child that could accomplish anything
in the fundamentals of education In TIM
length OF time. | have visited the rural
districts in Virginia, and have been
Cteply impressed by what those women
nave told nae. They know what they
want for their children. and ir they
were consulted as TO the spending tho
taxes for school purposes, illiteracy III
our State would he reduced 100 pei
cent"
Mrs Alice Ornrby 'rn vtnr ,nd \Trs 4,
Harvey Clarke, the editor-in-chief OF
the Virginia Suffrage News. arc send
ing out strong editorials in their pub.
licution favoring the enactment of this
law. Mrs. Clarke says that In her
opinisn the education of the masses
welfare Child welfare, labor Of
ilciency. social purity. public health and
many other reforms are involved. In
deed" she declared, even democracy
itself is on trial without it,
RICHMOND Maxine RAPID
i EDUCATIONAL pH0GRESS
State superintendent OF Education r.
c. StearneS in addressing gathering
of men and women this week made this
statement:
Richmond in some ways has forged
ahead very rapidly. somctim es
wonder ii any city in tho country has
SO good a record for the last three
or four gears. Since 1910 she has in
creased her school enrolment over %
per cent, and by the introduction OF
Industrial courses and the foundation
of evening schools has reached her
people and relieved the situation until
we are warranted in giving attention
TO the statement of her educational
leaders that they can do no further
without an attendance law"