The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1916-07-07

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,aae the position that the Stale
should provide facilities for training
1he cIild, and tAen b. law force the
child in,o these training schools.
This would develop them into useful
citizens. But. at the same time, d
way should be found by which the
State might be able to render aid to
those in actual need of the child's Ia
5cr ftr support.
If IT, State is not prepared to take
care of the children under fourteen
years of age, then it has no moral
right and should be unwilling to turn
them upon the streets in idleness to
become moral, degenerates and a
menace to the commonwealth.
Another brazen defect of these child
labor laws is that they do not affect
all children alike. A large part of our
child population is lost sight of in
this benefcent legislation. The little
fellow twelve years of age may still be
required to deliver papers in order to
support his parents or to earn change
for himself. Again, he may be requir-
ed to work in hotels, in stores, in the
Western Union or even as messen-
ger in legislative halls where bills
are passed against child labor. will
not undertake to enumerate all the
various kinds of work children may
be allowed to do under this socalled
child labor law. l merely take time to
call attention to it's shameless one
sidedness. Are not the children con-
nected with all this different work
worthy of the succor of our law max
ers? Oh, they will tell you the mill
is unhealthy and the children other
wise engaged may get fresh air. They
specially stress the fact that poor
children in the country who are COM
PEELED to aid in making living can
get fresh air, but too often is it the
case with children of poor farm ten
ants that fresh air is nearly all they
do get. Many of you gentlemen came
from the farm and you are familiar
with the fact that the poor country
family is living under the most unsan-
itary and therefore the most un-
healthful conditions. Many of them
live in houses of not more than two
rooms, with small openings in the
walls for windows These windows
are insufficient in both size and num-
Der. The water is from an old sur
face we'll that possibly has not been
cleaned out for years. The only bath
room is the nearby branch, and it is
safe to assume that it is used only
during the few hot months of the
midsummer.
Yes, so far as the law is concerned,
the children of these families may be-
gin at any age, and in many instances
not later than ten years, and work
twelve hours per day for the entire
year. Our law makers simply term
them the back bone of the nation
and commend their labor But let one
of these families move to mill and
in the eyes of our wise law makers
these children have at once assumed
a mythical sacredness and are the
special recipients of child legislation.
The further this question is analyzed
the bigger farce it seems to be.
Especially does the incorrectness OF
all the arguments about health and
fresh air seem to me to become plain
when it is pointed out that most OF
the mills of today are doing so much
to safeguard the health of all their
employees. Our mills are we'll venti-
lated and are equipped with the best
scientific humidifers. Germs are kept
down by means of powerful disinfec-
tants.
The child's welfare has been look
ed after and safeguarded by means
of large expenditures of money oy
the mill management. Today may be
seen in any up-to-date mill village
ball parks, flower gardens, play
grounds, swimming pools with hot
cold or tempered water, good schools
with both day and night classes, read
ing rooms, Libraries, music, debating
societies and regular Sunday relis-
ious service These are not mere
word pictures. They are facts, =
facts we have worked out in our own
mill, and | know of them in many
other mills in our State and neigh