The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-03-26
CHILDREN AT WORK.

neRn l8ElII law W0S III lOl CSs
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CHILDREN AT WORK.
'"A procession Of all the child work
ers in this country. passing before you
one a minute, day. and night. wo41o
last Ave years" so said Lewis w.
Hine.- at the tenth national confer
ence on child labor. which closed Ns
sessions recently at New Orleans. he
was showing the pictures of some Few
OF the children in that procession,
and demonstrating the high, cost OF
child labor to the child. to industry,
and to society.
And when do you play:" Pauline
Newman told how she had asked
child Of twelve in. a Connecticut milf
town this question. 'He looked at
me with his lustreless eyes and salo
with surprise, Play? 1 never play.
And I remembered the day when
first went to work in factory In New
York. was not quite fourteen. the
factory overlooked the park. and
could hear the voices Of children out
there. went to the window to watcn
them. There were some younger tnan
7. some older, and oh! how 1 wanteo
to go out and play with them. But
had not been at the WINDOW more
than half a minute when . hand was
laid on nv shoulder. Child, the fac
tory IL not the place to dream. Thae
moment taught me what chllo laoor
means. And when you rob a cn1io OF
his childhood, you have deprived MIN
Of something he can never, 80 long
az he may live. never have again.
I'VE must cut child labor out OF the
vicious circle-poverty. child iapor'
|intemperance, disease. crime etc.
Child labor is the only link IN the
chain which it Is possible Tor tine
American people to break tomorrow
If they wish to do SO. do not clAiln
that the abolition of child hoor VIII
DESTROY the vicious circle. but II VIII
reduce it; it will give US a people oet>
ter able to break the other links IN
+ha chain If all these things are true
as we believe they are. and II we are
an intelligent people. why does cniio
labor continued" -
As If in answer to this question OF
Owen r. Lovejoy, secretary OIL tne
national child labor commttee'
l. sow. stories have been told by NAfs'
E,,r.rca Kelley, stories from her own
n.r,ence. In Maine where spend
NV summers, l have a ne1gnoor VIM
Lives in a boat five miles from sAo.
He dares not come to land. because -. '.
knows that the agents OF the 1euel
Government would send him to pfison'
Several wears ago he stole LOO" scar
~. or,eyous offense. for Wnicn
c. of 1850 was imposed. lie can
t.,.r nav the fine, SO he is a man
j without a country. But IN the same
t,,ua oe there Is a fish cannery Wnefe
,o,nr children work every day uh-
disturbed. although the state OF Mains
so;d that no child under fourteen
may be employed. But the rae
in.nector is far away in Augusta
.st Justice Of the peace Is
! +h,rtv miles away. and roads are very
had. and the people, VINO care >e.s
r,uch if their scallops are stoNn -.
not mind if their children are rune"
\ ..rventy wears ago. when was
..+orx INSPECTOR in Illinois. wen
~ hacking house one prosera.ins ~
H.. dav and saw one of the boys WIT
! nered and shut the doors OF tn'
.ao,irv room. One minute ne Wa'
.,..;de in the direct rays of the sun
49, next he was inside where tns
icic,es never melt. I was toid ina
the company had three times as ma ny
hovs on their pay rolls as they neeo
"a for this job. because two out o
three of them were always SICK
1.-THE same plant saw the agents y
No United States inspecting WIN
microscope the meat that was TO d
cont to germany, and 1 learned ina
Tho federal government was payin'
; moro for the inspection of meat II
that single plant than the state o
tIu,nois had appropriated for the IN
I snection of all the places where emu
idren we're employed throughout {"
state
: I'VE care more for our FOOD tha'
3 iwe do for our children. We pas
e .tate laws. but we do not respec
= ithem as having real authority. and W
3 do not provide the means to enforc
them
n, ROMANY BLOOD.
VI There is nothing SO interesting