The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-01-04
THE SALVATION or YOUTH


Senator NIcCumber. In a recent speech. voiced
a truth that Is too little understood and too 1T
tlc practccd Speaking Of youth and the proper
care to bring It into sclfsupporlng and re-
spectacle citizenship. hc said;
work is what they tchldrcn) need and
what they ought to have 90 make th"m self
supporting citizens. Tho idea H. growing
that child should not work until he Is 10
years old. II he never works until then, no
never Will learn to work.
greater truth was never spoken by mortal
lips And, because It couragcously opposes ono
OF the greatest follaclcs Of the ogc--a maudin
impractical ldcalism without substance or rca-
eon. Il should be nailed on the Intel G every
home where the responsibilities Of parcnthood
obtain and made the golden text Of family con-
duct.
seizlng on the sweat shop conditions existing
IN a comparatively few spots In the republic,
So called child labor law was enacted by tho
federal congress True to form states followed
the example set Thus 1t has been made
impossible for the youth to find employment
As has been 50 often the case, distemper re-
aulrng only local treatment and that OF the
most delicate kind since much greater issues
were involved, was transformed into a national
malady OF a far different and much more men
aeng sort.
Lump all the bad effects OF the sweat-shop
conditions that have ever been realized into
one mass. then stand off against that just half
the III effects OF youthful idleness. and Observe
the great sdisproportion It In dleness In men,
idlencss In women--yes, idleness In children and
youth that breeds the crimes the dlstempers.
the social maladles of mankind
Work does not do IL, II never has and 1t
never will work Is the salvation OF mankind,
from the very cradle TO the last totterlng step
OF age az It tumblcs into the grave. just tho
other day. AZ II were, an officer of the state
visited Tulsa o that the child labor law was
enforced. This good woman had a long list OF
prescribed occupations. In the list was that OF
messenger boy.
Think OF tho great men OF affairs who have
come up through keen competition, sads educa-
tIon. sans influence and sans capital, starting
messenger boy! II is said that the duties OF
messenger boy bring him In contact with the
seamy, evil side OF life. what OF that2 Does he
not have to come in contact with all phases OF
life sooner or later? what better then than
that he should come In contact with 1t as tho
representative OF some legitimate business and
while under the poiso- giving influence OF a sue
cessful business man and home infuences2
So tar from It being unlawful to employ boys
all on the subject statute requiring that all
boys above 10 be employed In some capacity.
Employment early In life supplements tho
studies of the school room; there are thousands
ana thousands Of where employment
steady and uninterrupted by school attendance
has produced far better educated and more
worth while citizens than the average OF the
present day.
In Tulsa today boys are growing up ripe for
the devn and the employments OF the radical
simply because they are relieved of the RESPONSE
biilties Or life. There are thousands OF others
whose minds are naturally turning In the right
direction, yet who are being discouraged by
their inability TO secure employment No boy
with the inherent :, ncnts Of independent man
hood in him wants TO loaf In idleness. BY such
means we make "Jc.ly beans" not men.
Senator McCumber is splendidly right II n
youth never works until he at aims the age fixed
by the srotesque and impractical child labor
laws, he will never be the class Of citizen Amer
tea has fixed as It's standard.
POOR Old BURCHt