The Washington herald., 1915-05-25


until he earns more than he gets"
| So often we hear the expression
How much do I get?" "or how much
does he or she get?" in Determining
the value of some occupation. al
ways feel like answering 1t by saying:
How much do you give? How much
does he or she give?"
The person who makes a success
of any business; whether 1t is the
business of life or the business OF
education or the business or gaining
a livelihood. is not going to make
much of n success while he is meas
urins it by what he can get out OF
it. The measure of capability is far
more often what we give than what
we get. and to get the desired increase
we must give beautifully.
We should be glad to give. In giving
we measure our strength: in getting
We too often only measure another
weakness.
BY giving we test our strength. our
capacity, our endurance: we have to
know what we are worth by develop
/ ing all that is best in U.s. Qualities
thus created and developed will surely
bring their reward and just recon-
pense.
1 wish most sincerely that in tho
| educating Of the young, especially
| those who must go to work at an
! early age, more stress could be laid
| upon the Joy and value of giving. that
nature and life pays US for what we
| give to it. Every faculty grows by
use.
The common attitude toward a Job"
| Is that il is something to be grabbed:
that the lucky fellow grabs the best
! job; that the achievement is in the
getting. not in the fulfilling.
Various states have different regula-
tions in regard to the age when chill
dren may go to work.
In the State of Illinois. as the law
now stands, all children under six
teen must be in school unless engaged
gage in such lawful occupation the
has done a certain amount of school
work and is of normal physical health
and size. Under such conditions the
school board grants certificate that
enables the child to look for work and
protects the employer. This law has
worked out badly because after the
child leaves school there is no way
Of ascertaining whether or not he is
working. In Chicago. there are I'M
doubleday thousands of children be-
tween the ages of fourteen and six
teen who are both out of school and
out of work, and the same is true Of
other large cities. 1t is proposed now
to amend this law so that the mini
mum age at which children may be
industrially employed shall be six
teen.
There are good arguments for and
against this proposition. The years
between fourteen and sixteen are very
previous. The child is capable of great
Intellectual activity at this time: it is
a period when the fingers are nimble
the brain and body quick and active
and the foundation of the manual
trades may well be laid. Many children
are capable of earning some money
during these years and increasing
their sum of available knowledge and
experience at the same time. They
work as they enjoy their play The
danger is in combining them where they
do not get sufficient bodily activity
and sufficient fresh air.
Unless We see an improvement In
the practical education given the child
between the ages of fourteen and six
teen. there would be little advantage
in advancing the wage earning period.
Many worthy families sadly need the
few dollars the children earn.
1t is. of course, of far more Inn
portance both to the child and to the
Industrial world that he shall do a
full mans work later than a child's
work now. and. II he is being educated
to that point. keep him in school as
long as possible.
The problem now presents itself
what can we do to teach the young
the dignity of labor. the joy in work.
not only the necessity Of fitting himself
for the LOB" before him, but the !
pleasure of doing it?
People, often say, The man who
wants work. but can't find 1t. is the |
ore to be pitied."
am not SO sure. for we know that |
sooner or later that sort of a man |
will find II. |
The person who doesn't want to |
work has my pity.
The other morning on passing a !