The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1917-09-07
SCHOOL CHILDREN
EARN MUCH MONEY
Pupils in Three Grades Make
$60,000,000 a Year, Govern
ment Inquiry Shows.
FARM WORK ATTRACTS MANY
Dissatisfaction Found by Experts to
Be Chief Cause of Large Num-
Der of Boys and Girls
Quitting Glasses.

| Schoolchildren of the sixth, seventh
and eighth grades in the United States
earn about $60,000,000 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, 7,12O
boys and 1921 girls, distributed over
eleven states. 1t was found that of
the total number of children investi-
gated, 5,181, or SO per cent, were en-
ployed during the summer vacation,
and 1864, or 81 per cent, during the
out-of-school hours throughout the
school year.
The children employed in the sum-
mer vacation earned a total of S6S.342,
and from this it was estimated that
the children of the three grades men,
toned throughout the country earned
$60,000000 from summer employ
ment. The average summer earnings
of the children listed amounted to
$3.50 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 SO per cent of the boys and
&c per cent of the girls, homework
more than so per cent of the girls, de-
livery and messenger service nearly
25 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 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 so per cent of the Withdrawals.
1t takes many forms. Very often it
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
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
l personal dislike to the teacher and
% other trivial matters, but by far
he most conspicuous source is back
xardness, or inability to keep up with |
,ther children of the same age. Some |
If the pupils, Of course, are backward |
because of starting late, but it is evil
lent that larger proportion Of the
children fail to keep up with their
lasses, which necessitates a repetition
# the work.
"The solution of the backward pupil
therefore, should go a long
way toward solving the school-leaving
'roblem and at the same time stop
ne of the most wasteful leaks in the
system"
The report suggested that the rem
,dy for the school-leaving problem
hould provide for remunerative en-
loyment for children while attending
chool, change in the educational
Methods aiming to vitalize school work
nd thus make school more interest
lg and retardation less common, and
he establishment of continuation
curses for children who must leave
chool. The effort to vitalize school
FORK should center, according to the
eport, about concrete occupational
raining.