Wheeling majority. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1907-192?, 1916-01-27

1ol6tL lAdL HdHJ CHlluiFus SSpoS1d19
girls, are required to work before they
go to school in the morning. They
are, if one considers their, strength
and power Of resistance. working hard
er than their parents. Now working
in the factories may be more or less
controlled by the law, but how can We
possibly prevent parents making theiI
children work at home? In New York
especially we find how small girls OF
years of age work from school time
until 10 o'clock or even II at night
making flowers, making children's
dresses, etc. These same children &c;
Up early in the morning and work
again before going to school.
Let one instance suffice: the care o.
a child who had not even reached the
;chool-going age:
The child labor committee in its in
vestigation of 1912 found a three year
I'D girl, Manetta. Her father earned
So a, day steadily. He was earning,
therefore,, more than many a minister.
Her mother and the four children
made forget-me-nots at home. Mariet-
"a could make a forget-me-not gluing
together petals, center and stem. By
working twelve hours from 8 a. m. till
8 at night, she made over forget
me-nots, for which work she received
five cents day. Twelve hours work
Of little girl was paid with five cents
The wages those children receive
are Incredibly low. Sewing of childs
white dresses, retailing at $1.69, is
paid with SOC a dozen. Making of
garters is paid with cents for a doz-
en- pair, the average daily output be-
ing five dozen for working day of
Is hours.
Artificial flowers are paid $1.25 a
gross. Three persons working II
hours can make one-haf gross. am
tempted to give numbers of examples
with which the National Child Labor
committee furnishes US. The work in
the textile mills, glass houses, mines,
vegetable fields of Delaware, fruit gar
dens of New Jersey, give us a number
of shocking particulars. The compass
of, one sermon does not admit of Civ
ing but very few. Moreover what
we wish to do this morning is to speak
about our own state.
First of all, then, what is the law
in West Virginia? In short, this:
I 1. A child under IA is not allowed
to work during school hours.
2. No child under 16 shall work
without employment certificate.
3. A child must be able to read and
to write leglbly; this means that he
must have passed four grades at
school.
His health and physical fitness must
be esteemed sufficiently good by the
officer issuing his certificate; in case
of doubts a medical officer of the
board of headth determines the case.
4. Fines for each and every offense
are $40 to $50.
have made as careful am investiga-
ton as I could, except that have not
been able to see a glass factory be-
cause of Illness of the gentleman who
was going to show me the place.
have every reason to believe that I
should have been admitted to any fac
tory in Wheeling. l think that l am
safe in stating that there is little If
any evasion Of the law; and l wish
to add that there is not need of eva
sion, because the law is so little equal
to the real need that no one needs to
go to the trouble of evasion or the
risk of mourning a fine. ....'. --.
First of all, child is protected
(partly) up to his fourteenth year;
then If he can read English and write
legibly he is supposed to be sufficient
~ well prepared for life. Is that so:
We are living in, an age which be
lieves in the nobility of labor. We
| wish-we may hear 1t in all churches
| and we may say amen to tive wish
. to make the man who dige the DITCH
| the brother Of him who writes the
book and watches the stars. Labor
which has for its foundation a bit O
reading, and writing which may b.
read is leaning upon weak props. 1
may be noted that Ohio requires {
! child to go to school until it is 16.
Secondly. a child Of less than 1.
years may, as matter of fact, be EN-
ployed II it can only get an excus,
from the state commissioner Of labo
or county superintendent of fire.,
schools. This exception of course ha
been made to cover case where
widowed mother cannot possibly lfv,
without the help Of the children, bu
still the exception Is bad.
The second generation should no
be made to suffer because the frs
generation suffers. It is clearly tn
duty Of the state to aid the poor me
Their, who is willing to work, as len
as her children have to go to school
There is an opening here for evas
ion Of the law by unworthy people
No matter how dilligent the truant O
f1cer may be, some unworthy peopl
will try to impose upon them an
cause their children to work withou
there being real need.
There is no provision whatever &c
hours after school or before schoo
The fact is that numbers Of childre
work in Wheeling factories under ]
and outside Of factories who are NJ
IA. No provision is made for cir
who do Homework, sewing, for new