The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1922-01-06
PARENTS DRUG
OWN CHILDREN
T0H|DE HUNGER
PitifuI Condition Among STRAIT
ford, Conn.,, Pupils, ls
Revealed.

Unemployment has led to the
drugging of children by their parents
to keep them from feeling hungry.
This fact is brought out vivldly by
Elizabeth o. Toombs in an article In
January Good Housekeeping.
She tells Of an incident In STRAIT
ford, Conn. where q dozen children
1eil asleep over their books In school.
This brought to light the fact that
In practically every class the same
thing had happened and when an
investigation was made, II was found
that many Of the foreign. born
parents. due to unemployment. were
drugging their children to keep them
from feeling hungry.
10 quote from Miss Toombs: 1.-THE
stupefied children falling on top of
their desks opened Stratford's ewes.
from the mayor down, the town was
organized, first. to feed and clothe
the children and their parents: next,
to provide work. any sort Of work,
Tor the fathers. The mayor started
repair work on the roads and town
buildings. using funds. he acknowl.
edged, more or less illegally; but
stratford made no objection. for the
toWn-people realized that their un-
fortunate neighbors had to be fed
ana housed, law or no law.
Is Spreading Over Country.
The experiences Of Stratford Ia
being repeated today in varying forms
throughout this broad land Of ours.
Inc United States, the richest
country and the greatest workshop
IN the world, has between three and
I'VE million idle breadwinners, more
/ t. I.
In l917-1918 to help win the war. In
every industrial community in this
country there are half.fed. half-clothed
children, whose parents do not know
where to turn for succor. Such
Families are not on the lists of
organized charities, for they ara mem.
bers Of the self-respecting working
class. which holds its Independence
dear. Fathers and mothers, willing
to work their fingers to the bone to
provide q decent meal, a decent HON.
for their children, are now faced with
one alternative to starvation-beg.
eing, and to beg they are ashamed.
The one thing they viii beg for Is q
job.
Society In General Blamed.
"And society really is to blame for
much Of this unemployment that is
| devastating the homes OF America
that sends children to the streets and
the schools hungry and cold or forces
them to take jobs. which. strangely
enough. they are given even when
work Is refused the father. The rec.
ords of the children's bureau at Wash
ington show that far more than the
normal number Of children are drop
ping out of school this winter and
taking jobs to help feed their smaller
brothers and sisters. How can these
children secure work when their fathers
cannot?
1.-THE answer Is that many employers
prefer child labor TO man labor, and,
too, there are jobs that can be offered
children which no man would think of
offering to another man. Many times,
too. these children work to supplement
the meager earnings Of the father,
forced to do odd jobs for what he can
get. The father may be q skilled
laborer, but with plants and mills shut
down all over the country, with build
ing stopped and no public work being
carried on. where is he to find q Job
that will pay him living wages? And
remember. there are more than 3,000,-
| 900 like him in our country"