Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-26

WHIMS AND NEEDS
PROMPT CHILDREN
IN QUITTING SCHOOL
35 Seek Sanction to Termi-
nate Education" Il Should
Worry" Girl Explains.
Father Dead" Another.

L dtner Lead, announcer.
Eighteen boys and seventeen girls APP
| piled today at the headquarters of the
/ Bureau of Compulsory Education, 1922
! Cherry street. for legal permission to
| terminate their school careers and begin
work in the stores or factories Several
of the children were questioned as to
the causes which made them ask for
labor certificates. The answers we're re-
markable
| The first applicant was little sirl,
whose wan face indicated she had never
known any other condition than poverty
and that heavy responsibilities had
checked her normal development.
MY father was killed in a railroad
! accident" she stammered "and ever
since that time my mother has had a
hard time of it. She worked last year
as a scrublady in an office building, but
the doctor told her that IL she didn't
want to die and leave us kids all alone
she's better give up that Job. So she
did. And now Jimmie, that's my oldest
working in a silk mill. is only working
half time, and it's up to me to go to
work"
Edward c.. n robust lad of 16, ap-
parentlH was delighted over his prospects
Either | was dumb or else | was lazy"
ne confessed. Anyway, / never was
any good in school Half the time l
didn't get promoted. and my father thinks
Ia be better off at work. My mother
thinks so. too, and my uncle says I'll
make a good mechanic. | was always
mandy with nails and hammers and things
Ike that | can make furniture, and
nobody ever taught me, either.
When anything gets broken around
the house I can fix It, So I'm going to
work as a carpenters apprentice. I'm
going to get 50 a week and 1 am going
to pay a dollar board every week, too
Maybe l amt glad"
TEACHER A "TYRANT."
4 am going to quit school because I
don't like my teacher was the answer
of plump. snub-nosed little girl "She
always had spite on me and she knows
it. too. When anything went wrong she
always blamed It on me. She said l
didn't tell the truth and I was stupid
and I was always coming to school late
and l had dirty hands and that never
studied, and oh, you ought to hear all
the nasty things she use to say about
me. But I don't care. l am going to
quit, and now l wonder who she's going
to pick at. I have job as n cash girl"
"I should worry" exclaimed a more
optimistic girl. IT got a job in a rib
bon factory. and maybe they'll like me
and give me n raise and maybe they
won't. Maybe l won't like them and then
I'll quit. I'm going to take chance.
should worry"
Pop says II l want spending money
I'll have to work for it," was the reason
given by 4-year-old Charles L. He says
he's tired of handing out coin TO me all
the time and II ! want to go to movies
I can earn the money for 1t. He got me
a good job at S a week in a stocking
mill"
HARD TIMES. BOYS REASON.
"I amt got a job yet" conhded Sam
uel t, but I'll have to go to work.
Hard times has struck our house and
my father and oldest brother are out
OF work. So guess I have a right TO
earn something for the family. I'm
half glad I'm going 10 quit school. be-
cause when I'm working I can go out
at nights, but I'm sorry that I'll have
to QUIT my education. They say you
cop't ever amount to ANYTHING without
an education. Anyway. the teacher gave
me some old books to keep and when
get time after l have job l am going
to study up"
Henry r. had decided upon an expert
mcnt. II am going to quit school for
n while, anyway" he said. land | think
I'll go TO work as an office boy. II
like 1t I'll stick and II I don't I'll 20
back to school. I'm young yet and |
got plenty time to try things out. When
I'm a man want to be a prize fighter.
but the fellows tell me I'm too young
for that yet"
All OF the applicants were between the
ages OF IA and l6. Children younger
than that cannot leave school and chill
dren who have attained their 10Th birth
day are not required to obtain labor
certificates Remarkable differences
were noted in the height OF the various
children One boy was six feet tall and
another who stood near him. measured
but little more than the average child
OF 8,