Bonners Ferry herald. [volume] (Bonners Ferry, Idaho) 1904-current, 1917-10-09
SCHOOL CHILDREN
earn MUCH MONEY
Pupils in Three Grades Make
s60,00O,O00 a Year, Govern
ment Inquiry Shows.
FARM WORK ATTRACTS MANY
Dissatisfaction Found by Experts 10
Be Chief Cause Of Large Num-
Der Of Boys and Girls
Quitting Glasses.

ScnOOlcnlluren Oh Ine SlXtn, seventh
and eighth grades In the United States
earn about $6O,OOO,0O0 a year by work
ing in summer vacations and out-of-
school hours throughout the school
year, according to a report recently
issued by Uncle Sans bureau of edu-
cation. The estimate was based upon
figures obtained from an investigation
Of the cases of 1891 children, 7,120
boys and 1921 girls, distributed over
eleven states. 1t was found that Of
the total number Of children investi-
gated, 5,1S1. or 80 per cent, were en-
ployed during the summer vacation.
and 1884, or 81 per cent, during the
out-of-school hours throughout the
school year.
The children employed in the sum-
mer vacation earned total Of $68,342,
and from this it was estimated that
the children of the three grades men
toned throughout the country earned
$60,000,000 from summer employ
ment. The average summer earnings
of the children listed amounted to
$13.19 each, but the incomes of differ
emit children varied greatly. The aver
age weekly earnings of those working
during out-of-school hours amounted
to $1.51.
Farm Work Attracts Most.
Concerning the nature of employ
ment the report said that farm work
attracted 33 per cent of the boys and
% per cent of the girls, housework
more than so per cent of the girls, de.
livery and messenger service nearly
20 per cent of the boys, personal serv-
ice 10 per cent of the boys. and facto-
ries, mills and mines, because of strict
labor laws, only per cent of all the
children.
AS a related subject, the report dis
cussed the question of why children
leave school, and after treating the
desire to earn money and the wish to
learn a trade as causes, presented dis
satisfaction of the child with the
school as the most important cause OF
the withdrawal of many.
dissatisfaction is the dominating
factor in school leaving" said the re-
port, "and probably accounts for at
least 80 per cent of the Withdrawals,
1t takes many forms. Very often ii
is due to the inability on the part of
both parent and child to realize the
value or necessity Of further schooling
Many parents believe that the expert
ence gained in some of the common
occupations Of children is more use
full in the preparation for the earning
of living than that gained in the or
binary elementary school. In many
cases this is true, and, as investigation
has shown, age and work experience
are the determining factors with the
younger employees rather than school
experience.
Backwardness Cause of Leaving.
dissatisfaction is sometimes due to
personal dislike to the teacher AND
to other trivial matters, but by far
the most conspicuous source is back
wardness, or inability to keep up with
other children of the same age. Some
of the pupils, Of course, are backward
because Of starting late, but 1t is evil
oCht tlul a iaiSCi VI luS
children fail to keep up with theil
classes, which necessitates a repetition
Of the work.
''The solution Of the backward pupil
problem, therefore, should 60 q loni
way toward solving the school-leavint
problem and at the same time stoI
one of the most wasteful leaks In the
educational system"
The report suggested that the rem
edy for the school-leaving problem
should provide for remunerative EN-
ployment for children while attending
school, a change In the educationa
methods aiming to vitalize school worl
and thus make school more interest
ing and retardation less common, ant
the establishment of continuation
courses for children who must leav,
school. The effort to vitalize schoo
work should center, according to tn,
report, about concrete occupations
training.